Am I the only one who noticed lilies turning brown too fast?

I had a batch of lilies that kept browning within a day, idk why. I mean, I checked everything, and maybe it's just me but the vase water was too warm. Figured out they need cooler water to stay fresh. Now I always use chilled water, and it's helped a lot. Just wanted to share in case others run into this.

3 comments

3 Comments

fiona1307d ago

My grandmother taught me to put an ice cube in the vase water each morning for lilies. She swore it made them last a full week longer, and she was right. It really does slow down that sad droop and browning you mentioned. The ethylene gas tip from the others is a big one too, I keep mine on the far side of the kitchen from the fruit basket now. It feels good to have a few tricks that actually work.

charles_wilson1mo ago

Yeah, the part about the vase water being too warm makes total sense. I read somewhere that cut lilies are really sensitive to ethylene gas, like from fruit bowls or even car exhaust if you transport them. If they sit near your bananas or apples, they'll go brown crazy fast. Combining that with warm water is basically a death sentence for them. Your chilled water trick probably slows down how fast they drink up that gas if it's around. Good call on that.

the_julia1mo ago

You're right about ethylene sensitivity, but it's the air around them that matters, not the water. Cool water can help by reducing bacteria growth in the vase. Still, keeping lilies far from fruit bowls is the best move to avoid ethylene damage.