How do you know if a cut flower is dead?

For my Science Research Project, I am measuring which additive (e.g. sugar water, normal water, etc.) is the best for prolonging the life of a cut flower. It is imperative that I know when they die, so I can record my observations. I will be using white carnations for this experiment.



Any help is really appreciated!! Thank you!

How do you know if a cut flower is dead?
Strictly speaking, once the flower leaves the plant, it's dead. It won't set seed, all it will do is wilt. However, it sounds like you want an objective measure of wiltedness, which you will call "dead." As far as I know, there isn't any such measure, but here's an idea: Stand the flowers in graduated cylinders holding 100 ml of water. Cover the top of the cylinder with plastic wrap, so water can't evavorate. Any water leaving the cylinder will do so through the leaves and petals of the flower. Keep a record of the amount of water in the cylinder, and on the day that the water level is the same as it was the day before, the flower is officially dead.



You will have to explain this method in your report, and remember to REPLICATE, especially if this is for a science fair. I have down-graded many an experiment at science fairs because the experimenter only applied the treatment once. By the way, one of my students had good luck with this experiment a few years ago by using water-soluble vitamins and (I think she was desperate) black coffee. Good luck!