| MadSci Network: Botany |
You should be able to dye white roses with food coloring although I have not seen it done. The first reference mentions someone who dyed white roses. White carnations or chrysanthemums are more likely to be dyed. The food coloring travels in the transpiration stream and reaches the petals. Cut roses have more problems as cut flowers than carnations and chrysanthemums. They are prone to "bent neck", where the stem below the flower flops over and the flower does not open. References Zoom Kids: Coloring Flowers Coloring flowers Rose, Spray Rose, Sweetheart Rose: Recommendations for Maintaining PostHarvest Quality Re: Can flowers be dyed with food coloring while still Re: If I water plants with colored water will it change the color of the plant? Re: Why does a carnation turn two seperate colors? Re: Do different dyes travel at different rates? Re: why is yellow food colouring sucked up by flowers more quickly? Re: What will happen to flowers if you put them in salt water?
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