I Tried 5 Homemade Flower Foods & This One Was By Far The Best

Earlier this month, I set out to discover the best way to promote plant longevity. Get those vases ready, because I found it!

I've never had much luck with those and find them more annoying than anything else. (Don't plant companies know it's plastic-free July?) However, they can give us a good idea of what flowers crave once cut. Here's what they're usually made of:

Over the years, I've heard of a few ways to recreate elements of this formula at home with kitchen items, including coins, apple cider vinegar, and vodka. In a recent interview, garden designer Isabelle Palmer tipped me off to two more: aspirin and fizzy, fruity soda. With her recommendation, I threw these additions into the list and gathered my supplies.

With five additions to test and a bouquet of carnations at the ready, I got mixing. After reading up on research that found that water containing around 2% sugar is usually ideal for flowers, I was careful not to add too much to each small vase. Here are the ratios I went with:

On a Monday night, I popped three to four healthy stems into each mix, set up a control vase with just water, and patiently awaited the first signs of wilting.

By the end of the first week, all the flowers were still looking good, no clear winner or losers yet. At the suggestion of a florist, I replaced the water in every vase after three days. The aspirin was the only ingredient that was slightly annoying to add again, so I dinged a few points off that one.

Then, by Friday, the coins had given out as well. The aspirin and fizzy soda vases still looked great—as healthy as the control flowers, if not healthier.

When you consider that Orangina (or any kind of non-diet citrus soda) contains plenty of acid and sugar to keep flowers happy, this long lifespan starts to make more sense. I suspect that the carbonation also helped stave off any potential bacteria because I didn't run into any issues with growth or funky odors.

In my test of five popular homemade flower foods, Orangina was the clear winner. Adding a splash of it to a cup of water helped my blooms look great for 16 days (and counting!). I'm excited to continue using this technique on homemade bouquets to come. And how's this for a bonus perk: Now I have a response when people ask me why a wellness editor keeps soda in her fridge.