Monday, February 27, 2012

The Fine Points of Drying Flowers

The flower can signify a great many things depending on the person. It is a pity that the life of most flowers is short, as they normally wilt and die shortly after they have fully blossomed. Fortunately, there is at least one answer to this: drying.

There are a number of purposes for dried flowers. Most people do dried flowers after getting a lot of blooms as presents. You may want to time your flower drying before summer, so that you can make the most of more wild blooms, as many people do.

Air drying is arguably the most elementary way to dry flowers. First, remove unwanted leaves from the stems before clustering them into small bunches. The blooms should be suspended from a line and let to dry, with their heads facing down.

It is important not to the hang the bunches too close to each other as good air circulation and low humidity are ideal conditions for drying. You have to suspend flowers with the heads pointing at the floor because this makes certain that the stalks do not get twisted. If you do not want a wilted bloom at the end of the process, make sure you hang your dried flowers upside-down.

Drying blooms is best done in a space insulated from the sun. If you keep your dried flowers in a place where the sun can get to them, they shall end up looking washed-out in color. You may have to contend with rot if you permit damp to get into the space where you dry blooms.

Wait at least two weeks before testing whether the air-dried blooms are ready yet or not. How long to wait before harvest depends on various factors, from the type of flower to the dryness of the area. While it is easy to determine when the drying process is complete as a dried flower will feel stiff and dry, it is best to check on the buds every two to three days to be sure.

Blooms with a higher moisture content dry better with the use of a drying agent such as silica gel, which can be readily bought in craft stores. A lot of people prefer to flatten their flowers for preservation, storing them between leaves of heavy tomes and putting them away to dry. Drying with silica gel will take about three to four days, while pressing takes two to four weeks.

Once the drying procedure is completed, you can begin to create floral arrangements, crafts and other decorations. Just because a flower has been dried does not mean it can no longer be used in a floral arrangement, as many arrangements actually use them. Even those who have limited time and creativity can simply place dried bunches in a decorative vase or basket, which can be used to adorn any table or wall.

As with other decorative items, dried floral arrangements have a tendency to accumulate dirt and dust. This can be easily solved by dusting them off. One may even place some mothballs near the buds to keep them from being eaten by various insects.

Drying is at least one way to preserve the beauty of flowers and what they bring to your home. The process of transforming fresh blossoms into dried floral creations will surely be worth the time and effort needed to make them. If you do not want to have to throw out the flowers you value so much after they wilt, drying is a great procedure to learn.


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