There are many ways to dry flowers, such as the common natural air-drying method, which is to tie the fresh flower branches with ropes, hang them upside down in a ventilated place without direct sunlight, until the flowers are dried. For example, the microwave heating method, put fresh flowers in the microwave oven, heat for 3-5 minutes, and take out the dried flowers. For example, in the desiccant treatment method, the flowers are buried in the desiccant and sealed for a week, and then they can be taken out after a week. let’s learn 11 methods of how to dry flowers.
The method of dring flowers
1. Natural air-drying method
This is the most primitive and simple drying method, which refers to the method of removing moisture from plant materials using natural air circulation.
According to the flowering period of various flowers, choose a sunny and dry day, and collect between 7 and 1 l in the morning. If collected too early, the dew or moisture content of the flowers will affect the drying speed and quality; if collected at noon, the transpiration of plants will be large, and the flowers will be easily wilted and deformed during and after the collection.
Some flowers need to be collected in the afternoon or evening. The optimum collection time for each flower is different. For example, straw chrysanthemum can be picked when the petal-shaped involucre opens for 1 to 2 rounds, and do not wait for it to fully open before picking.
Then arrange the flower branches, remove 2~3 leaves, diseased and insect branches, and dried petals, and then tie them in small bundles with rubber bands, which can be hung, laid flat, or erected in a place protected from rain, light, dry, and ventilated. place, the plant material can be completely dried after a period of time.
The plant material dried by this method is mostly flower material with more cellulose, low water content, small flower shape, and short stem. Such as cycads, foxtail, thousand days red, straw chrysanthemum, sunflower, celosia, sorghum, grain ears, pods, pine cones, and so on. Among them, plant materials with soft branches and large flowers, such as Qianrihong, wheat straw chrysanthemum, celosia, and sunflower, are suitable for hanging drying flowers method;
The plant material is suitable for the flat drying method; the flowers and branches can also be inserted vertically in the empty container for materials such as Qianrihong and wheat straw chrysanthemum, and they can be dried naturally. Although it is easy to cause shrinkage of plant materials after natural drying and dehydration, the morphology of such plant materials will not be greatly affected.
2. Heating and drying method
Appropriate heating of plant material to promote accelerated evaporation of water drying method.Commonly used ovens, flower dryers, and microwave ovens to heat and dry. Since the heating drying method can greatly shorten the drying time, it is of great benefit to improve the quality of dried flowers, and the plant material with higher water content is better.
Plant materials that can be dried by natural air-drying can be dried by heating, which is fast and has good shape and color retention effects. However, some plant materials are not resistant to high temperatures, and some plant pigments are easy to change color when heated in a microwave oven, so heating and drying methods are not suitable.
3. Low-temperature drying method
A drying method using dry cold air at a temperature of 0°C or higher and 10°C or lower as a drying medium. Because low temperature has a strong inhibitory effect on enzyme activity, the dried flowers can maintain good color, but the water evaporates slowly, requiring good ventilation and dehumidification equipment, and the processing time is long.
Plant material that can be dried by heating can usually also be dried at low temperatures. However, plant materials native to tropical and subtropical regions are not resistant to cold and refrigeration and are not suitable for low-temperature drying. This method is generally less used due to high requirements and time-consuming.
4. Heavy pressure drying method
A drying method that applies proper pressure to plant material to maintain its beautiful shape. At present, this method is used to make plane embossing, and the commonly used methods are the heavy stone embossing method and the specimen clip embossing method. After sorting out or decomposing the plant material, lay it evenly on the absorbent paper, cover it with absorbent paper, put enough absorbent paper between each layer of plants, and stack the layers of absorbent paper with the plant material sandwiched together. ,
Use a stone to press from the top or clamp from both sides with a specimen clip, and then put it in the sun, and take it out after the plant is dry. During the operation, you should pay attention to moderate pressure to avoid sticking flowers and absorbent paper. Too strong to remove. In addition, the absorbent paper should also be replaced to avoid mildew of the plant material caused by excessive internal humidity.
The heavy-pressure drying method is suitable for the leaves and decomposed flowers of flat flowers and plant materials such as pansy, belle cherry, cornflower, cosmos, and hydrangea.
5. Buried drying method
A method of burying the flower material with fine-grained shaping material and then drying it. Commonly used shaping materials are river sand, salt, perlite, etc. Cut off the flower head of the flower material, insert a thin lead wire or a hard twig such as bamboo wood at the broken pedicel, put it in a container, and then pour the completely dried shaping material into the container slowly and carefully to bury the flower material, and then put it in the container. The container is placed in a dry and ventilated place until the flowers are dry and then removed.
This method is suitable for flowers with high water content and it is difficult to maintain the rigidity effect. The general drying method will cause the shrinkage of plant materials and it is difficult to maintain the beautiful shape of flowers, such as roses, roses, peony, peony, and other large flowers with high water content.
6. liquid agent drying method
Drying method for treating plant material with hygroscopic, non-volatile organic liquors. Glycerol is commonly used to treat flower materials. The flower materials can be inserted into or soaked in glycerol so that the plant material can absorb the water in the glycerin substitute material. In this method, the liquid agent is used to replace the water in the plant material.
Due to its non-volatility and persistence, more liquid substances are kept in the plant material tissue, and the turgor pressure inside the plant material tissue is increased, thereby maintaining a certain degree of maintenance. The effect of the rigidity of the plant material enables the plant material to better maintain its fresh state, and the resulting flower material has luster, soft texture, and unique artificial color, which is very elegant and beautiful. Suitable for all types of flowers.
7. Upside down drying
The upside-down drying method, as the name suggests, is also the most familiar practice. It is to hang and hang the flowers upside down and place them in a ventilated place without direct exposure to the sun. Each flower needs to be hung separately. Dried flowers can be made in a week or two.
The upside-down drying method is simple, but it is not easy to retain the color of the flowers, and it is difficult to make beautiful dried flowers unless it is dried quickly. Many people will directly hang the whole bunch of flowers upside down, and drying a single flower can prevent mold and incomplete drying.
8. Water plug drying
Moisturize and dry! Put the flour in a very small amount of water, put it in a ventilated place, and let the water evaporate bit by bit. During this process, the flower gradually dries, which takes about one to two weeks. Just put the flowers in the water and place them in a ventilated place.
The method is as simple as the upside-down drying method, but the flowers will also be more prone to discoloration. When using the water plug drying method, it should be noted that the flowers with softer stems may droop before drying, so it is not suitable. It is best to choose soft small flowers, such as gypsophila.
9. desiccant drying method
Use a desiccant to help dry and leave the flowers with vibrant color! Cut the flower from about 1 to 2 cm below the receptacle, put a thick layer of silicone desiccant for dry flower in a sealed container such as a crisper, place the flower on top, and use a spoon or other tool to lightly spread the desiccant On the flowers, allow the flowers to be completely buried, then seal the container for about a week to dry. This method requires the flowers to be cut and is suitable for flowers with many petals, three-dimensional or more fleshy, such as roses, etc., which can be made into ornaments after drying.
10. Embossing
After placing the flowers in the shape you like, use newspapers and napkins to hold them up and down, and then press heavy objects on the top, such as dictionaries, etc., and place them in a ventilated place. The drying time is long, and it takes about three weeks. It is suitable for small and flat flowers and can be made into bookmarks and ornaments after being flattened and dried.
11. Microwave drying method
Use the microwave to help dehydrate the flowers quickly, suitable for impatient people. (laughs) Spread 1 cm thick salt in a deep bowl, put the flowers upside down in the bowl, then spread the salt, use the lowest heat or defrost function, and heat slowly in stages, you can see the results quickly. The salt on the finished product can be blown away with a blowing ball. If you are not sure whether it is completely dry, you can still place it in a ventilated place for a few days to avoid mold.
How long do dry flowers last
The room temperature of the flower shop is about 18 degrees, and the air humidity is 90%. The roses newly picked from the plants within 24 hours can be kept in water for 5 days, lilies for 7-10 days, gypsophila for 5 days, gerbera for 7 days, and tulips for 7 days. sky. If the room temperature drops to 12 degrees, the preservative is used, and the flowering period can be extended by 3-7 days.
How to keep flowers for a long time
Method 1: Beer
Adding a little beer to a vase with flowers will prolong the freshness of the flowers. Because beer contains ethanol, it can disinfect and prevent the incision of flower branches, and it also contains sugar and other nutrients, which can provide nutrients for branches and leaves.
Method 2: Carbonated soda + water
Take Sprite as an example, mix Sprite and water at a ratio of 1:4, pour it into a vase, and put in beautiful flowers at the end! Generally speaking, the flowers raised with clean water will gradually wither within a week, and the water will become cloudy, but with the method of adding water with Sprite, the flowers will still be beautiful after a week! The principle of Sprite Bubble: The carbonic acid contained in Sprite can kill bacteria, and high syrup can be used as a nutrient.
Method 3: Flower Preservative
The fresh-keeping agent for flowers can be added with an appropriate amount of chemical agents in the flower arrangement solution, and the use of chemicals to inhibit the flower branches can prolong the fresh-keeping time.
Conclusion
Several methods described how to dry flowers above have their advantages and disadvantages and applicable flower materials. In actual production, their applicability should be considered, and several methods can also be used in combination to achieve better results.
