Here’s Why People Are Adding a Scoop of Sugar to Their Flower Vases

A vase of flowers adorned in a corner of the home is always a treat to the eyes. It is one of those life’s small pleasures that each person intends to treasure for a long time- especially when the flowers are from someone special. While there are myriads of tricks and hacks that promise to preserve your beautiful bouquets, it is far more likely that the flowers will eventually wilt and dangle. But a new viral hack can extend the life of vase flowers using a common kitchen ingredient– sugar! According to the TikTok trend tried out by several creators, adding a spoonful of sugar to the water in the flower vase and then snipping the flower stems at 45 degrees before placing them can easily keep them fresh for days and even weeks.  

Fashion model Zhanna Red (@zhannared) shared her take on the viral flower hack. She suggested the three easy steps that can help flowers last longer. Starting with the flower stems, she cut them in angles while the bouquet was still wrapped with a decorative wrap. Red also poured out water from the vase to replace it with a fresh refill. She then proceeded to add two spoons of refined sugar to the vase and added filtered water from the sink. “Repeat every 3 days,” she advised before concluding the video. While Red’s version of the hack was simple, some other creators threw in a few extra tips to ensure the longevity of the flower blooms. 

“You are gonna thank me for this fresh flower tip,” said a creator, The Gooch (@the_gooch) in a video. He filled up a flower vase with water and added a splash of household bleach and a teaspoon of sugar before placing a bunch of tulips into the vase. The creator here skipped the angled stem cuts and instead used bleach to keep his flower fresh longer. In a slightly different attempt, user Gabbi Smith (@gabbixsmith) used a similar trick with little tweaks here and there to revive her wilted flowers after she forgot to place the bouquet in water. “How to bring dying flowers back to life and make them last! This works with any flower,” she wrote in the caption of her video. 

The real catch was creating a mixture of flower food that would extend the longevity of the blooms. Abiding by the basics, she used fresh cold water and snipped the stems in angles. Smith also removed any excess leaves in the flower stems before placing them in the vase. For the flower food, she mixed two tablespoons of lemon juice and one spoonful of sugar into some water and added it to the flower vase. Smith also advised that leaving the flowers out of direct sunlight may also benefit their longevity. Even experts have chimed in on the nifty trick that has emerged as a viral hack on social media. 

“To make this work for your floral arrangements, add a teaspoon of sugar to the vase water, but remember to cut your stems at an angle to increase absorption,” said expert florist David Cohen, per NewsBreak. He explained that sugar acts as a nourishment source for the flowers and this age-old trick does work. However, floral expert Catherine Durant fears that while this trick is effective, it may also encourage bacterial growth, which is one of the main causes of premature decay in cut flowers. Similarly, Rachel Crow, garden editor for Homes & Gardens also does not recommend sugar water for everyday watering, although, can be used to boost dying plants. 

You can follow @zhannared, @the_gooch, and @gabbixsmith on TikTok for more home and gardening hacks.