Silica Gel Crystals are ideal for drying flowers, and other natural materials.

Our Flower Drying Crystals are very fine 0.3 - 0.85mm, and blue indicator beads are included. The fine crystals help maintain the flowers' original shape during the preservation process. The blue silica gel beads turn pink when the beads have reached their full absorption capacity, which lets you know when they need to be reactivated! 

Drying time for most flowers is 2-7 days.
A microwave can be used to speed up the drying process if necessary.


Features

• 0.3 - 0.85mm in size
• Blue moisture indicator beads included
  
• Inert and non-toxic
• Odourless and non-corrosive
• Remains dry when saturated with moisture
• Reusable

Reactivation Process
When the blue silica beads turn pink, reactivate as per below :
Spread flower drying crystals out on a tray, and place in an oven at 115°C to 125°C for approximately 2-3 hours, or until beads turn blue again. Once the beads have been reactivated, remove from the oven, and allow to cool before handling or use.

Store in a re-usable sealed container. 
Shelf life of 18 months in original unopened container.

How many tubs of Crystals do I need?
1kg of Flower Drying Crystals come in a tub with the following dimensions:

• Height (total container): 14.5 cm
• Width (diameter): 14.5 cm
• Crystal depth inside tub: ~8 cm

So inside the tub, there’s about an 8 cm deep layer of silica crystals over an area roughly 14.5 cm × 14.5 cm.

To help you visualise it:

• That’s about the size of a medium pot plant saucer filled roughly to the depth of a small drinking glass.
• You could comfortably lay a few small to medium flowers flat in the crystals and have them mostly covered - depending on their size and how densely you pack them.

If you’re planning to preserve large stems or very full blooms, you might find yourself using more than one tub in order to fully cover the petals. For smaller blooms, leaves, or floral clusters, one tub will go a long way.

Using Silica Gel To Dry Flowers

Preserving flowers is a great way to keep your favourite bouquets around for longer. A popular method of preserving flowers is by drying them with silica gel crystals. Flower drying silica gel is a desiccant, which means it absorbs moisture from the air and helps dry out the flower petals without damaging them.