Food Coloring

• Food coloring, or dye, is a natural or artificially created substance that when added to food changes the color of the food. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates the food coloring you find in stores for safety. These food colorings do not have a taste or odor.
  
  

How Plants Drink

• Plants receive nutrients and water through root absorption. The roots draw the water up from the ground or in a vase full of water. The water travels up through the roots to make food and provide life for the flower. When you cut the flower, although the roots are no longer there, the water continues to travel up tiny passageways in the stems. When you place food coloring in the plant's water source, the plant will take in the coloring along with the water.
  
  

Affect on Plants

• Food coloring is non-toxic and will not affect the plants' ability to acquire nutrients. The only affect it has is to change the color of the blooms and sometimes the leaves. If you split the stem of the flower and place it inside a container filled with water colored by food coloring, you could watch the water literally travel up the stem through little passageways, where its final destination is the leaves and petals.
  
  

Uses of Food Coloring For Flowers

• Some holidays or occasions benefit from colored flowers. Place the food coloring in the plants' water and watch the plant soak it in to change the color of the bloom. One flower that you see often colored is the carnation. Color a carnation green for St. Patrick's Day or choose your mom's favorite color and give her a personalized bouquet for Mother's Day.