Will A Penny Really Revive Your Floral Arrangement?

People will try all kinds of tricks to keep cut flowers looking good for longer; after all, there are so many beneficial reasons to keeping fresh flowers in your home year-round. One of the most simple-sounding tricks to maintaining a healthy bouquet involves dropping a penny into the vase alongside the blooms. The logic here is pretty simple: copper has natural antimicrobial and antifungal properties, so placing a copper penny in the water might work to slow bacterial growth and keep the flowers in bloom for longer. This sounds reasonable, but we need to know: does this trick actually work?

The answer isn't straightforward, for many reasons. For one, U.S. pennies minted before 1982 are made from about 95% copper, so in theory, they could leach more copper into the water and help reduce the overall bacteria present. However, newer pennies are mostly made from zinc with a thin copper coating, so they would be a fraction as effective. Scientific studies to support this trick are lacking, but some horticulturalists claim that this type of home remedy will not prolong the life of cut flowers as the copper in pennies isn't water-soluble, no matter the concentration. 

There's also the question of whether copper is even healthy to put in with your flowers. Too much copper can actually be toxic to plants, so if you're hoping for a miracle fix, this is probably not it. So, should you bother with this trick? If you're serious about keeping fresh flowers, there are other, better, more science-backed methods.  Regularly changing the water, keeping flowers away from direct sunlight and ripening fruit, and trimming the stems at an angle will do a lot more to prevent bacteria buildup in your vase than an old penny. If you really want to get a little experimental with household items, a tiny bit of bleach could help keep bacteria down, and some sugar could provide nutrients.

At the end of the day, a penny might not hurt, but it's not a magic fix. If you'd still like to test this theory for yourself, a product like the Precious Petal Co. Copper Charm Flower Food Alternative would certainly look prettier than a penny in your vase.  But a little care and the right flower food will go much further than tossing in loose change, so check out some other ways to keep your cut flowers fresh for longer. We can all agree that some houseplants make your home smell amazing, but nothing beats the smell of freshly cut flowers.