Silver liquid can prolong flower life.

It is well known that flowers have a short life span. Usually the life span of flowers is long and short, some are only a few hours and 1-2 days, orchids can be regarded as the longer life span of flowers. Usually Phalaenopsis, Dendrobium, Cymbidium, etc., if well managed, also have a life span of 1-2 months. The life span of orchids is also affected by different seasons and high and low temperatures. Flowers usually have a short life span when the temperature is high. For example, Chinese orchids bloom for 6 days in summer, 7-10 days for four-season orchids, 10-15 days for autumn orchids, and slightly longer for orchids that bloom in cold winter, about half a month to more than 20 days.

Ethylene can wither flowers.

People sometimes see some orchids and other flowers in full bloom, suddenly wither, and wither and fall off after 1 or 2 days. It has been studied that it is caused by ethylene. It is a fact that ethylene gas will cause flowers or fruits to fall off from the mother, which cannot but arouse the concern and research of scholars.

In 1963, foreign scholars such as Akemi et al studied that Wandailan had been removed from the flower, pollinated on the stigma or coated with growth cord such as indole acetic acid, it was found that a small amount of ethylene gas would be produced and the flowers would wither. Similarly, it has been found that on Phalaenopsis, if an insect removes or falls off a piece of pollen, or hybridizes its pollen on other orchids, it will also produce trace amounts of ethylene, causing the flowers to wither and fall off.

Ethylene can be eliminated with silver liquid.

How to prevent ethylene from causing flowers to wither and fall off?

British biologist Nicobes et al found that soaking the flower stalk with silver-containing thiosulfate solution (STSSolution) for half an hour and then soaking it in water can prolong the life of cut flowers.

In 1976, Bayer, an American scholar, found that spraying the flowers of orchids with a solution containing silver ions could eliminate the damage of ethylene, and the effect was remarkable. The above shows that the solution containing silver salt can eliminate the withering and shedding of flowers caused by ethylene. It can also keep cut flowers fresh.

At present, cut flowers have been treated with STS solution in Dutch flower farms. However, due to commercial competition, different countries have different formulations and ingredients, and each other is "confidential" and "patented". And at the end of the Hong Kong market, there are fresh-keeping solutions containing silver for sale.

Development of a new compound silver solution

In 1994, chemists of a series of products such as red and green flower fertilizer also developed a new silver solution in Hong Kong. according to years of research and development experience, after many setbacks, they finally successfully produced a "new compound spray solution" containing silver. According to preliminary disclosure: the solution not only contains silver complexes, but also contains anti-aging agents and preservatives of plant flowers, and has many functions such as expelling insects and protecting flowers from aging. The solution of the new formula is clear and bright and can be used not only for spraying orchids but also for soaking cut flowers.

However, it must be pointed out that any solution containing silver salt still has the weakness of instability. The stable period of the new compound silver liquid is still short, so we should continue to improve the quality or look for a more stable substitute (for example, someone has tried aminoacetic acid, namely Amino Oxy- Acetic acid or aminooxyacetic acid as a substitute). Can it further prolong the life span and duration of orchids blooming on potted plants? It still needs to be studied and experimented in horticulture.