How to quickly dry a herbarium: 6 ways

Useful tips

Flowers are given on special occasions, and often without them, just to cheer someone up. They decorate halls for celebrations and gifts. However, fresh flowers tend to fade quickly.

In addition, dried flowers are an inexpensive, but no less wonderful alternative to a living bouquet. Lavender and roses, for example, retain their scent for a long time, delighting you, your loved ones and guests with it.

In this article we will tell you how to preserve the memory of a wonderful moment for a long time by drying the flowers that decorated the holiday of the soul and heart.

Press drying

The least simple way to obtain a herbarium, which is also called cold drying. Leaves with flowers are placed between the leaves of a book or paper towels. A press is placed on top. The book is used when they want to obtain a herbarium of small plants and in small quantities. In other cases, it is advisable to take a paper towel.

The blanks are ready for use within a week. When paper towels are used, they are changed daily. Often, if you overexpose flowers under pressure, they become too fragile. A solution prepared from PVA and water, taken in proportions 1:4, can correct the situation. Flowers and leaves for fakes and garlands can be dried without using a press. They can simply be laid out on paper and then carefully straightened out. If you plan to use the herbarium to create beautiful panels or paintings, a press is required. It is better to use a special one, which you can buy at a craft store or make yourself.

Collection rules

It all starts with preparing the material. Before drying the herbarium, you need to collect leaves and flowers. It is very important to choose the right time. The best option is warm, sunny weather around lunchtime. Remember that there should be no dew or rainwater on the leaves and flowers. Otherwise, you won't be able to dry them quickly. And this can easily lead to mold and hopeless damage to the prepared material.

Of course, it is recommended to choose only healthy plants, without signs of disease or leaves damaged by insects. Otherwise, the value of the herbarium will be significantly reduced.

It’s also worth remembering a few more simple rules:

Small plants are collected entirely - along with roots and stems.
You can take a branch from the bushes. It is advisable to cut it, rather than break it, in order to minimize the damage caused to the plant.
For dioecious plants, you need to take male and female specimens. When working with monoecious plants, collect staminate and pistillate flowers.
When working with trees, there is no point in taking a branch. It is enough to cut off the leaves, flowers and, if possible, fruits - all this will allow you to get the most complete impression of the plant and easily identify it.

Once the materials are collected, it's time to start drying. There are several options for preserving plants. We'll tell you about each one so that readers can easily choose the one that suits them best.

Hot drying

It is an express method for obtaining a herbarium. The dried plants are ready the next day. This option is best suited for cornflowers. Other types of flowers may turn pale, losing their attractive color.

Hot drying is not only fast, but also simple. Flowers and leaves are laid out on paper. Cover the top with another leaf and iron it until the plant loses all moisture, that is, steam stops flowing. Large inflorescences, the petals of which contain a lot of moisture, can be dried in the microwave or oven. The temperature should not be high. It is necessary to carefully monitor the entire process and prevent the petals from turning brown.

How to dry leaves with an iron?

In most cases, leaves are necessary for children of preschool and primary school age. Using leaves, you can make beautiful applications and crafts, the main purpose of which is to develop creative thinking, as well as fine motor skills.

How to dry leaves with an iron:

The simplest and most common option, which allows you to get perfectly even, smooth leaves, suitable for crafts. Under no circumstances should you use a cloth or very high heat for drying.
The best option would be to select the silk mode, or a delicate fabric such as wool. You need to take an A4 sheet, it must be white. The leaves are laid out on a sheet and covered with another sheet on top.
It is necessary to turn on the iron and iron from side to side for several minutes. It is worth placing on a hard surface so that the leaves are not pressed or wrinkled. This will prevent crumbs from appearing and leaves from breaking. It is necessary to repeat the manipulations until the leaves are completely dry.

Herbarium

Alternative blow drying

Microwaves and ovens are not the best way to obtain a herbarium. In addition, you have to periodically monitor the safety of the petals. The advantage of a hairdryer is that the flowers do not darken. Most parents, when preparing a herbarium for their child for school, dry the plant using this device. A very ordinary hairdryer without any bells and whistles will do. The main thing is that you can regulate the speed of hot air supply. If you turn on the device at full power, the leaves may quickly curl. In order for the herbarium to turn out well, the plant is allowed to “rest” from time to time, and then dried again with a hairdryer.

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Natural drying

It is very popular among summer residents and owners of country houses with their own plots. Plants can not only be hung by their stems, but also simply laid out. It is best to lay the future herbarium on rice napkins, blotting paper or cardboard. It is not recommended to cover plants. You should not place flowers under the scorching sun. It is enough to choose a non-humid place where enough natural light penetrates. The natural drying process takes from two to three weeks and allows you to harvest many flowers at once.

Hanging

To preserve the volume of flowers, a method such as a herbarium will not work. To compose volumetric compositions, hanging drying can be used. You can save cereals, wild flowers and some garden species. This method is good for both the queen of the garden rose and daisies, calendula, buttercups and other flowers.

The collected plants need to be cleared of the lower leaves, made into beautiful bunches, forming the future composition. Trim the stems at the same level. Plants of the same species should be collected in one bundle and tied with a thin rope. There is no need to squeeze the stems too much, otherwise they may break in the process, and the free passage of air will contribute to faster drying and preservation of shape. If the branches are fluffy and voluminous, then you can hang each one separately.

In a well-ventilated, dark room, stretch a rope or wire and hang the prepared bundles on it using clothespins. During the drying process, the plants should not be exposed to direct sunlight, otherwise the bright colors of delicate flowers will fade.

It is important to protect them from dust and ventilate regularly. The procedure will last about two weeks depending on the type of plant.

This method is simple, does not require financial or time costs, and is easy to control. From the resulting bunches you can create beautiful compositions. It’s good to dry twigs with berries in this way.

Drying in water

Some flowering plants wilt quickly. They do not have time to dry out before withering. These include hydrangea, almost all bulbous, completely unblown carnations, lavender and so on. To obtain a herbarium from such plants, it is necessary to use combined drying - water plus air. Take some water into the vase. Four to five centimeters is enough. There should be a diagonal cut on the stem. Place the plant in the container, which will dry as the liquid evaporates. When the buds wither, the plants are removed. To prevent mold from appearing, the ends of the stems are trimmed. The plant is dried on cardboard, paper, or a napkin.

What is a herbarium for?

Children love collecting herbariums. Teach them to do it right. At the same time, you can repeat the names of plants, compare the shape of leaves and flowers in different specimens, find similarities and differences, talk about how the plant has adapted to the place where it grows, what helps it survive and obtain the required amount of moisture, how it reproduces, when the seeds ripen, etc. The information that a child can receive while collecting plants for a herbarium will be remembered much faster than that read in a textbook.

Dried plants can be used for crafts, panels, appliques, or simply stored in albums with signatures and notes as a keepsake.

Identical plants can be glued onto cards and made into a board game, lotto, etc. Among other things, creating a herbarium is a great way to preserve memories of warm days.

Dear readers! Did you collect a herbarium as a child? Do you do herbariums with your children now? What do you use the dried leaves for? We are waiting for your answers in the comments.

Drying flowers with bulk materials or volumetric

There are many substances that absorb moisture well. They are ideal for creating herbariums and flowers. Bulk materials help preserve the beauty of the petals. The most popular substances are silica gel, perlite, and borax. An alternative could be absorbent cotton wool. When dried in granular substances, the petals do not wrinkle and acquire a rich color.

Preparation

Flowers are cut on a sunny day. If there is too much precipitation, drying will take longer. Therefore, it is recommended to plan the preparation of a herbarium exclusively during the dry period, before the rains begin. The best time is noon or a little later, when the dew has already evaporated. Flowering plants are cut off along with the stem. Most of the latter is cut off, leaving very little. Carefully thread a thin wire inside. The end of the wire is wrapped in a ring. This method allows you to calmly connect the flower with the stem, which is dried separately.

Drying technique

The selected material is poured into a deep cup. You can take any cardboard box. Perlite, silica gel or borax are poured in a layer of one or two centimeters. The flower is placed on top so that the lower small piece of the stem is at the bottom. The petals are carefully sprinkled. It is necessary to ensure that they are separated from each other, and the substance penetrates deep inside. On a note! Bulk material can be used repeatedly. The main thing is to leave it in an open container, for example, on a windowsill to dry. When the flower is completely covered, the container is tightly closed. It should stand in a dry place for three to five days. The larger the inflorescences, the longer they take to dry. The dried flower is removed from the box using tweezers. The remaining powder on the petals is shaken off or blown off using a rubber bulb. The flower is connected to the stem.

How to dry a bouquet of flowers?

There is another way to dry flowers, but without using absorbent components. It is worth sticking to a certain technique.

How to dry a bouquet of flowers:

First of all, this applies to whole bouquets. To do this, you need to put the still fresh bouquet in water; as soon as the wilting process begins, you need to remove the bouquet from the vase, cut off the ends of the stem and split them into four parts.
Now you need to put it in a jar, but without water. You can add sand or semolina to the bottom. It should be left in this state for 2-3 weeks. To prevent flowers and buds from hanging their heads as they dry, they must first be cut off, and a piece of the stem is also cut off.
It is pierced with a match or a needle, or you can use a toothpick. Next, two parts are connected: the bud and the stem. The bouquet is left until completely dry.

Drying

river sand

It perfectly absorbs excess moisture and dries, but has one drawback. It lies in the fact that drying takes from two to three weeks. In addition, sand cannot be used immediately. It is first sifted and calcined over fire. The advantage is the availability of the material and the absence of the need to pay for the substance. For containers, it is best to take a container with an opening bottom. This allows you to quickly get rid of sand. If zinnias, calendula, and gerberas are dried, the flowers are placed face down. The rest, on the contrary, are placed in inflorescences on top. Otherwise, there is no difference between the previous method.

Selecting a dehumidifier

There are several popular desiccants - substances that quickly absorb moisture. Each has its own characteristics:

Borax, corn and white flour . They are characterized by low cost. The duration of drying in desiccant is 8-18 days.
Semolina . More suitable for small and medium flowers. Large petals may fall apart. The medium-sized inflorescences are perfectly preserved and keep their shape.
Silica gel . Allows you to dry small colors in 2-4, and large ones in 6-7 days. It can be used repeatedly. The downside is the cost. For five liters you will have to pay 150-300 rubles. Before use, be sure to bake in the oven at 100 degrees for about 2-3 hours.
Salt . Absorbs moisture well and has a low cost. It is often used to dry the herbarium, but you will have to wait about a month until the flowers dry. It is best to use fine salt, which can penetrate deeply into the petals.

If speed of drying of the herbarium is of paramount importance, it is best to use silica gel.

Absorbent cotton wool - an alternative to bulk substances

Flower petals are perfectly preserved when dried with absorbent cotton wool. Pieces of this material are placed between the petals. They must be separated from each other. The cotton wool must be placed carefully. Otherwise, the flower may be damaged and the petals will begin to fall off. Flowers are hung by the stems. Unlike creating a flower herbarium using bulk materials, you need to cut the plant completely. There is no need to separate the inflorescences from the stems. The flower heads take about 5-6 days to dry. Remove the plants a little later, when the stems are completely dry.

Compositions

Having learned how to dry flowers, you can prepare suitable material for the season: buds, ears, leaves, twigs with berries, reed stems and dried flowers. And then you can compose original compositions. Such bouquets look beautiful in wicker baskets, wooden vases, and clay pots. Dried flowers can be used in the design of wreaths and panels that will decorate the walls. Dry buds, tinted with gilded paint, will become an original decoration for the Christmas tree and New Year's table. There are a lot of possible applications.