I’ve heard some people say they don’t enjoy receiving flowers as gifts because the blooms never last long. Not this girl! Bring me all the flowers! When you know how to dry flowers with silica gel, you might join my club, too.
Over the years, I’ve experimented with many methods to preserve flowers. Silica gel offers both quality and efficiency. Toward the end, I’ll share some examples of how this method comes in handy for a variety of crafts and decor projects.
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What is Silica Gel?
Silica gel consists of blue and white crystals that act as a desiccant absorbing nearby moisture. The blue crystals work as an indicator, turning pink when the mixture has reached maximum absorption. At that point, the gel needs replacing or recharging for reuse. (See FAQs below.)
Think of those little packets that come inside a box with a new pair of shoes. You could either save up tons of those doohickies or, more realistically, buy the product I used for this tutorial, which was made specifically to dry flowers.
Drying Flowers with Silica: Conventional Method
Silica gel works wonders to preserve the natural color and beauty of flowers. It’s the perfect choice for preserving a bridal bouquet or creating dried flowers for jewelry, wreaths, resin crafts, or potpourri.
Supplies
- Fresh flowers
- Silica gel beads (not silica sand)
- Airtight plastic or metal container
- Pruners or scissors
- Microwave and glass of water (optional method)
- Gloves and mask (recommended)
Caution: Do not reuse your container for food preparation after drying flowers, as silica gel may absorb pesticides from flowers.
Shop for Silica Gel Supplies (click images)
See my YouTube video on how to dry flowers with silica gel for a visual step-by-step tutorial.
Step 1: Trim stems, and pat flowers dry
For the best quality, use fresh flowers. I love using flowers picked straight from my garden, but I opted to buy a seasonal bouquet from my local grocery store for this demo.
It included a mix of gerbera daisies, chrysanthemums, aster daisies, button poms (a.k.a. cushion pom mums), purple statice, and roses. I’ll admit, the finer petals on the aster daisies didn’t preserve as well as the roses or mums. We’ll get to that below.
Step 2: Pour gel into airtight container
Note: Though silica gel is non-toxic, I recommend wearing a mask and using gloves when handling the product. As you pour the gel into the container, it can create fine dust that you won’t want to inhale.
To begin, pour a layer of crystals about 1.5 inches thick into your container.
Then place the flowers in the container (face up) and add more crystals in and around the petals until fully covered but not submerged completely.
Seal the lid closed when done, and set the container in a dry place.
You can also experiment with placing the petals face down in your container, but you risk the petals getting bent or deformed when working with flowers like mums, zinnias or daisies.
Tip: For optimal results, dry flowers of the same type together.
Step 3: Allow to completely dry and remove from gel
After 2-4 days, most flowers will dehydrate enough to remove from the silica gel. Blooms with thicker centers, like rose buds or zinnias, may need closer to 7 days.
Once dry, remove the flowers from the container and brush off any excess silica with a soft brush. You can leave a little gel deep inside the petals if you want to help protect them from room humidity.
As you can see, flowers like roses and mums turn out really well when drying with silica gel, whereas very dainty blossoms like aster may shrivel more. (Truth be told, I still like the spidery wisps of the asters.)
How to Dry Flowers in the Microwave
Short on time? I feel ya! The microwave method for drying flowers with silica can get results in a matter of minutes!
As with the conventional technique, you’ll want to start by trimming and drying your flowers before placing them into a microwave-safe dish over 1.5 inches of silica gel. Then gently cover the petals and centers with more silica gel until covered.
Do not put a lid on your container.
Simply place the open container in the microwave with a glass of water and heat on medium power one minute at a time. It will usually take anywhere between 1-3 minutes total for your flowers to dry.
Amazing, right?
Regardless of which method you choose, I’m a big believer in using silica gel to retain the best color and shape of your flowers!
In my complete guide on how to dry flowers, I talk about how it compares to other drying methods.
For an equally impressive but completely different technique, you can visit my guides on how to press flowers or making DIY pressed flower art.
How to Use Silica Gel for Drying Flowers
Learn how to dry flowers with silica gel, using both the conventional method and microwave method. This is the best way to preserve the color and texture of flowers for bridal bouquets, funeral arrangements or other special keepsakes.
Materials
- Fresh flowers
- Silica gel
- Airtight plastic or metal container
- Glass of water (microwave method only)
Tools
- Pruners
- Gloves and mask (optional)
- Soft bristle paint brush
Instructions
Conventional method:
- Trim stems, remove leaves and pat flowers dry
- Pour silica gel into an airtight container until it creates a layer about 1.5 inches thick
- Place flowers face-up on top of silica gel and pour more crystals in and round the petals
- Seal the container, and place it in a cool, dry place for 2-4 days (more if bud is very thick).
- Once completely dry, remove flowers from the silica gel and brush off excess crystals with a soft bristle paintbrush.
Microwave method:
- Follow steps 1-2 of the conventional method, but be sure to use a microwave-safe container. No lid is needed.
- Place the container with flowers in the microwave (without a lid) along with a glass of water. Heat on medium power in 1-minute increments until dry. Most flowers will take 1-3 minutes.
- Gently remove any excess silica gel beads with a paintbrush.
Notes
Do not reuse containers for food preparation after drying flowers with silica gel in them. The gel can absorb some pesticides from flowers.
See the post for more details on how to reuse silica gel or "recharge" your gel once it can't absorb any more moisture (indicated when the blue crystals turn pink).
Recommended Products
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FAQs
What types of flowers work best with silica gel?
According to the Activa product page, the flowers that dry best with silica include the following: rose, aster, carnation, marigold, dahlia, larkspur, geranium, zinnia, chrysanthemum and delphinium.
How long does it take to dry flowers in silica gel?
Most flowers only take 2-4 days with the conventional method or as little as 2-3 minutes with the microwave method using silica gel. You can get a handy guide on page 2 of this manual for reference.
Can you reuse silica gel after drying flowers?
Yes, you can reuse silica gel until the blue crystals have turned pink. The pink color indicates the mixture cannot absorb any more moisture, so it’s time to “recharge” the gel.
To do this, simply spread the crystals in an oven-safe pan and heat the mixture at 250°F for at least 5 hours or until the pink crystals turn blue again.
Can you use silica cat litter to dry flowers?
It’s possible to use silica cat litter to dry flowers. However, the texture or consistency of the litter crystals may affect the quality of your dried flowers.
Do I need to seal my dried flowers after using silica gel?
It isn’t absolutely necessary to apply a sealer, but you do have the option of using hair spray or this Mod Podge Sealer Spray to protect your dried flowers from fading.
Leave a comment to let us know your experience, and have fun preserving your memories!
More Floral Crafts
How to Dry Flowers 5 Different Ways: The Ultimate Guide
Learn how to dry flowers 5 different ways and see a visual comparison of each method.
How to Press Flowers: Four Methods for Beginners
Get the complete guide to pressing flowers with four different methods, and learn which one is right for you.
How to Create DIY Pressed Flower Art with Microfleur
Learn how to make beautiful DIY pressed flower art in under 10 minutes using a microwave!
How to Make Stunning DIY Wedding Table Numbers
Make gorgeous pressed flower table numbers for a wedding or special occasion.
I’ve always wanted to know how to use this drying method, and your flowers turned out so pretty. I’m excited to feature your post this week at the Tuesday Turn About Link Party. Hope to see you there!
Thank you so much, Michelle! I will stop by this evening. I’ve been spending some time learning new methods of drying (with all the time spent at home), and this one was really fun. I hope you’re having a great summer!
What a great post, Crissy. I’ve never tried drying flowers with silica… but both methods for drying flowers seem easy and affordable! This would be so fun to do for a little vintage-look wreath or, like you said, jewelry! Pinned!
Thank you, Julie! I can’t wait to experiment more with it. I’m itching to get my hands on more pretty flowers. The nurseries are calling my name! I appreciate you visiting and pinning! Hugs!
Can you use silica sand?
Hi Shawn. No, I would not use silica sand as it’s not used in the same way as a desiccant. Silica sand is more for things like sand blasting, filtration or making glass. Silica gel is what you want, and the product I used in my tutorial is fine enough for delicate flowers. Thanks for the great question! -Crissy
My grandmother used your method to dry flowers that she used to make dried floral arrangements and framed floral designs. For the arrangements, she added a wire stem to each bloom. Every Christmas she provided an arrangement for my brother and me to give our teachers as gifts. I still have some of her framed pieces. The color of the flowers has faded but the floral design is still beautiful.
Your post was a wonderful trip down memory lane for me. I can picture my grandmother’s upstairs, filled with metal cookie containers that didn’t contain cookies, it contained silica gel.
I am looking forward to seeing what you do with your dried flowers!
That is such a great story, Paula! What a beautiful tradition your grandmother had. You must really treasure her creations. I’d love to see a photo of them sometime.
I have lots of ideas of what to do with the dried flowers. I might make some wreaths for the fall or a few shadow boxes. I wish I had thought to preserve my bridal bouquet. There are so many possibilities!
Thanks for stopping by!