Here’s Why You Should Place a Copper Coin at the Bottom of Your Flower Vase

As summertime says hello, flower bulbs jut upwards into a shooting stem and burst into a vivid bloom of intense beauty. But this beauty doesn’t come without its ephemeral nature. But, is there a way to make them last just a little longer? Many people have already surpassed this phase of dreamy wondering and are in action mode. In what may seem like a ‘viral hack,’ people are using the most unusual thing anyone could think of, to keep their blooms last longer. This thing is money. Copper coins, to be precise. “Did you guys know putting coins/pennies and sugar in your flower vase can help flowers last longer,” Content Creator Pebbles (@PebblesNeo), wrote in a tweet.

It is unimaginable to think that copper pennies, which archaeologists usually dig out of riverbeds, cashew orchards, old attics, abandoned houses, or ancient ruins, could save flowers. The explanation, it seems, lies in copper’s chemistry. “The copper found in old coins is a natural fungicide that can help keep bacteria at bay, preventing your flowers from dying prematurely,” Pebbles explained. As the creator said, copper acts as a natural cleanser that helps wipe away bothersome bacteria that may have been deposited in the plant body. “A common old wives’ tale suggests adding a copper coin into the water of cut flowers will keep them looking fresher for longer,” scientists Mark Lorch and Joanna Buckley, wrote in The Conversation.

Lorch and Buckley explained that flowers can degrade quickly. Air and bacteria can block tiny pores in the vascular system of plants, hindering the distribution of water and nutrients throughout their body. As a result, the flower starts to wilt and rot. The only way to stop this process is to reduce the amount of microorganisms invading the plant’s body. Copper helps do just this. Copper acts as an “antimicrobial agent” and hence adding a stash of copper coins to the flowering soil could dramatically prolong the life of the flower.

The authors shared that elements like copper, silver, and gold had long been cherished by ancient people as antibacterial agents. “The Phoenicians, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans all knew that metals such as silver could reduce bacterial growth and that vessels made from these metals could help keep food and drink fresh – long before we discovered that microbes caused food to rot or harmed human health,” they said. A person, @kyo_21 also shared that, “Ancient Egyptians used copper for water and wine storage to help with indigestion, headache, and others.” So the protective properties of copper can certainly not be denied.

When choosing the copper coins for this trick, their age must be given priority. Southern Living suggests that the older these coins are, the better. The reason behind preferring older coins is, that “Pennies minted before 1982 were made of 95% copper, while the pennies we use now—those made after 1982—are made of 97.5% zinc and are given only a thin copper coating.” In addition to copper coins, gardeners can use other household staples like bleach, sugar, hairspray, and apple cider vinegar to make their blooms last longer, experts at GardenBuildingsDirect.co.uk, told Yorkshire Times.