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Botany Science Fair Project

Sugar Water and Cut Flower Freshness

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Sugar Water and Cut Flower Freshness | Science Fair Projects | STEM Projects
Does adding sugar to vase water keep cut flowers fresh longer? Flowers use sugar as an energy source even after they are cut. A small dose in the water might extend their life. You place roses, carnations, and lilies in 12 vases of distilled water. For each flower type you add zero, one, two, or three teaspoons of sugar. A few drops of vinegar go into every vase to slow bacteria growth. Then you watch each flower daily and record when it begins to wilt. By comparing how many days each flower stays fresh you can find the best sugar amount for each species. Some flowers may hit a limit where extra sugar stops helping.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis is that flowers that are in contact with a more concentrated sugar solution will be able to last longer.

Method & Materials

You will cut the stems of the flowers at an angle, place them in vases with distilled water, and add sugar and vinegar to the water.
You will need 12 vases of equal size, 4 rose stalks, 4 carnation stalks, 4 lily stalks, a large bottle of distilled water, scissors, a packet of sugar, a teaspoon, and a bottle of vinegar.

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Results

The experiment results showed that adding sugar to the water helped the flowers last longer. The optimum sugar concentration differed for the three species of flowers.

Why do this project?

This science project is interesting because it shows how adding sugar to the water can help preserve flowers for longer periods of time.

Also Consider

Variations of this experiment could include adding commercial plant food or aspirin to the water, or using different types of flowers such as sunflowers or daffodils.

Full project details

Additional information and source material for this project are available below.

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