Heard a customer at the grocery store say they just use tap water for their cut flowers

I was grabbing a coffee and this lady was telling her friend she never buys flower food because 'water is water'. I had to bite my tongue, but it made me think about how many people might be doing the same thing. What's the simplest way you explain to customers why flower food matters, without sounding like you're just trying to sell them something?

3 comments

3 Comments

skylerp201mo ago

Is it really that simple though? I used to just throw tap water in with my roses and wondered why they looked sad by day two. Then my neighbor, who runs a little flower stand, gave me a packet and dared me to try it. I was shocked - they lasted like five days longer. The bacteria thing got me, I never thought about the stems getting clogged up, but she showed me how the water gets cloudy without the food. So yeah, I guess it's not just about the sugar or pH, it's about keeping the water clean enough for them to drink at all.

the_hugo2mo ago

Tap water's chlorine is basically flower poison, so food neutralizes that.

shane_perry292mo ago

Watch your flowers drink plain tap water and they'll droop in days. The food has acid to balance the water's pH, sugar for energy the stem can't make anymore, and stuff to stop bacteria from clogging the stem. It's like giving them a full meal instead of just a glass of dirty water. Without it, they're basically starving in a dirty vase.