My secret to attractive, dried flowers? Silica gel, in fact! I really like utilizing these dried flowers for my resin creations, however you may as well use them for all types of décor, from shadow bins to potpourri. With some delicate dealing with and the following tips for drying flowers with silica gel, protect the fantastic thing about this season’s blooms.
I’m excited to share yet one more technique to dry flowers that many aren’t as accustomed to. In contrast to hanging flowers to dry or dehydrating the petals, this methodology retains the form and color of the flowers extraordinarily nicely. Generally they give the impression of being equivalent to their authentic flower!
You recognize all these little packets you get in your meals containers and shoeboxes that learn don’t eat? That’s silica gel. In one other type, this silica is definitely marvelous at drying flowers.
Silica gel is a desiccant, which means it absorbs and holds moisture. For crafting functions, they arrive in laborious small beads which can be a white or gentle blue color. You may possible discover silica gel at your native Michaels craft retailer and on Amazon.
Utilizing silica gel for drying flowers is pretty straightforward, however there’s positively a method to it that helps you obtain the best-dried flowers doable. Let me present you my ideas!
What Flowers Can I Protect in Silica Gel?
Most flowers dry very nicely in silica when carried out correctly. However some are simpler to dry than others! Brilliant and vibrant blooms at all times dry greatest, as their color stays pretty constant all through the drying course of.
Recent, domestically grown flowers are additionally superb. You need your flowers to be hydrated and in tip-top situation, since they’ll dry precisely as they’re.
Listed below are some flowers which can be recognized to dry exceptionally nicely in silica:
Flowers to Keep away from
Flowers with a lot of delicate petals are very troublesome to dry in silica, as their petals are prone to fall off because of the weight of the gel. This contains mums, cosmos, and anemones.
You might also wish to curb your expectations in the case of white flowers and different gentle colors, as they’re very susceptible to bruising, particularly for those who plan to protect your flowers in resin afterward. They’re additionally very prone to change color, turning extra into cream and yellow than white.
Sporting gloves when dealing with the flowers always will assist stop your oils from bruising the petals down the road.
Tropical flowers and something with fleshy petals are additionally prone to develop some bruising and browning down the road. Most will change their color throughout preservation. This contains orchids, traditional lilies, and canna lilies.
Even when the flowers are listed right here, it doesn’t damage to strive! Experiment, follow, and be delicate together with your blooms, and also you simply may need some success.
Drying Flowers With Silica Gel: Step by Step
Drying flowers in silica is among the greatest preservation strategies, and it’s pretty straightforward to do. Upon getting the silica, you should use it a number of instances to dry flowers all season lengthy.
Supplies
Getting ready Your Supplies and Flowers
Select a container that’s deep sufficient to carry your flowers. You may also layer flowers if the container permits it. 2-4 inches is normally deep sufficient, since silica could be costly, and I keep away from utilizing an excessive amount of. An oblong container is what I want to make use of, since it may possibly maintain extra flowers. Your container shouldn’t be used for meals storage after holding silica.
Make certain your flowers aren’t moist and use a paper towel to dab off any remaining moisture. I enable my flowers to completely hydrate in a vase whereas the dew dries from the petals. And I snip the stems and moisture proper off after I’m able to dry them.
When snipping the flowers for drying, go away a bit of little bit of the stem behind. This will provide you with one thing to seize and maintain onto apart from the petals when eradicating the flowers from the silica.
When you’re involved about bruising, put on gloves when working with the flowers earlier than, throughout, and after drying.
Drying Flowers With Silica Gel
Earlier than working with the silica, be sure to put on a masks. When pouring the silica, it creates a mud that you simply don’t wish to breathe in. Gloves also can assist stop your palms from drying out and getting irritated.
Add a base layer of silica gel to your container. You want sufficient to help the bottom of your flower stem. About ½ to 1 inch is sufficient.
Nestle in your flower’s face up within the silica. The flowers could be shut, however they shouldn’t be overlapping.
Fastidiously pour within the silica (a Mason jar or pitcher can assist provide you with extra management). Flowers will dry precisely as they’re buried within the silica, so that you wish to keep away from dumping silica proper into them, as they’ll get crushed. The aim is to bury every flower whereas sustaining its actual authentic form.
I wish to pour across the exterior, shaking the silica into place till the skin is absolutely supported earlier than including silica to the middle. Shaking helps to get the silica into all of the grooves and crevices.
Make certain to completely cowl your flowers with silica, or chances are you’ll find yourself with browning (see the cream hydrangea picture earlier). You may layer as many flowers as your container matches, so long as the flowers aren’t touching. Put heavier blooms on the underside and extra delicate blooms on high.
Cowl with an hermetic lid, and label what flowers are inside in addition to the date.
Eradicating the Silica Gel
Most directions that include your silica gel will say you solely want a couple of days to every week to your flowers to completely dry. This isn’t lengthy sufficient in nearly any case.
I go away my flowers in silica for no less than three weeks, or longer if I’m working with bigger flowers (akin to roses), since they comprise numerous moisture. It’s unimaginable to depart flowers in silica for too lengthy. Longer is best than not sufficient.
If there’s any gentle texture, your flowers aren’t prepared. They need to really feel like paper and be extraordinarily gentle.
To take away your flowers, gently pour your silica into one other bowl or container slowly. Don’t dump it suddenly. Gently catch the flowers as they fall out, holding onto the stem fairly than the petals.
Maintain the flower the wrong way up and gently faucet to assist eliminate the remaining silica. Use a gentle paint brush or make-up brush to take away any cussed silica items.
Utilizing Your Silica Gel Flowers
I dry flowers in silica to make use of for resin. They should be absolutely dry, or they’ll rot within the resin. If I don’t use them instantly after eradicating them from the silica, I’ll place them again within the container with a skinny layer of contemporary silica on the backside. The flowers don’t should be absolutely coated in silica as soon as they’re absolutely dry.
Apart from resin, you may as well use them for a lot of different initiatives (they don’t must be saved in silica as soon as dried. That’s just for resin initiatives.)
Listed below are some challenge concepts for silica gel flowers!
Silica Gel Flowers FAQ
Whereas I wouldn’t say these flowers final endlessly, they do final for a really very long time when carried out proper. If they start to alter form shortly after being faraway from the silica, then they weren’t in there lengthy sufficient.
Your flowers ought to final you a minimal of a 12 months, and may go onwards to final for a decade. Like all dried flower, their color will start to fade. To delay their life, maintain them away from daylight, warmth, and moist areas.
Roses dry extraordinarily nicely in silica gel. They do comprise numerous moisture, particularly the middle, so you should go away them within the silica for at the least 3 weeks to make sure they absolutely dry.
Some individuals will take away the middle petals to forestall the flower from browning or rotting. Personally, I skip this step and simply be sure to rigorously fill all of the nooks and crannies of the rose to make sure the silica absorbs all of the moisture.
Sure! Recent silica is the strongest and can be utilized a couple of instances earlier than it must be recharged. Whereas every model varies, normally the color will change when it’s not capable of take in any extra moisture.
To recharge your silica, it must be positioned on a baking tray and left within the oven at 250°F for no less than 5 hours. Nevertheless, verify the directions of your silica gel to see their suggestions.
Silica must be recharged after each use for greatest outcomes.
Get inventive together with your flowers, experiment, and have enjoyable! Let me know if in case you have any questions on utilizing silica gel for drying flowers within the feedback beneath.
Extra Suggestions for Drying Flowers
From Vancouver, BC, Holly is Backyard Remedy’s Content material Supervisor. She has a BFA in Writing from the College of Victoria in addition to a diploma in Floristry Design from Burnaby CCE. At dwelling, she likes to develop lower flowers and dried flowers for her enterprise, Soiled Daisy Florals, and is an avid houseplant collector and lover of bees. You’ll find her at @dirtydaisyflorals and @hollyheuversocial.
