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Bishop Creighton Academy

Colour changing flowers

Want to learn how to make flowers change colour? It’s not magic, it’s science!
Want to learn how to make flowers change colour? It’s not magic, it’s science!
 
What you need:
  • Fresh white flowers, carnations are best
  • Food colouring
  • Warm water
  • Several small vases
How to:
Fill the vases 2/3 full with warm water.
Add 15-20 drops of food colouring to the vase. You can add different colours into each vase to see if some colours work better than others.
Cut the stem of the flower (with the help of an adult) at a slant. Put a flower into each of the vases and wait…
Let the flowers sit in the water and keep checking to see when the colour starts to change.  It should take about six hours, but it could take longer.
Which colours worked best or quickest?  Try moving the flower to a different vase with a different colour, what happens then?
 
What's happening:
After you have finished the experiment try cutting the stem down the middle and look inside.  You'll notice that all the little tubes that the plant uses to drink water have been dyed too.  Can you see how they travel all the way up the stem to the flower head to transport the water?
A cool science experiment that looks nice too!