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Letter: Flower power

Published 3 November 2001

From David Paul Morgan

Michael Strawson asks if adding aspirin to water for cut flowers can prevent
them from drooping
(20 October, p 62).

Cut flowers in the supermarket already come with a sachet containing powder
that is added to the vase water. It contains mostly salicylic
acid—aspirin. “Rooting powder” for cuttings also contains salicylic acid.
It looks like this use is quite common.

Cardiff

Issue no. 2315 published 3 November 2001

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