Cut in the morning hours
If the tulips for the vase come from your own garden, choosing the right time to cut has a significant impact on durability. In addition, the quality of the cutting tool determines the well-being and woe of cut flowers. How to do it right:
- Cut tulips in the early morning hours before the constitution is weakened by the heat of the day
- Select flowers with tightly closed but colored buds
- Only cut in the evening hours, provided that the day was not too hot
- Cut the flower stalks close to the ground with a sharp, disinfected knife
also read
- How to keep tulips in the vase longer - tips & tricks
- This is how tulips don't grow so quickly in the vase - tips & tricks
- Daffodils and tulips in a vase - can that work?
Please do not use scissors to cut off tulips. The use of a sharp knife ensures that the vital pathways are not crushed.
Adjust skilfully - how to do it properly
When the stem is cut, the water supply to flowers and leaves is interrupted. Therefore, allow as little time as possible to pass before placing the tulips in the vase. This is especially true for flowers from the store. Please put the tulip bouquet as the last item on the shopping list so that you can put it in the water as soon as possible. Regardless of the origin from the bed or shop, follow these steps:
- Cut the ends of the handle with a clean, freshly sharpened knife
- First remove the white tissue, then cut off at least 0.5-1.0 cm of the flower stem
- Make the cut either straight or at an angle
Defoliate a densely leafed flower stem except for one or two leaves that remain on it as decoration. Unnecessary leaves cost the tulip a lot of energy, which is better invested in blooming.
Vase is better tall and slim than short and bulbous
One of the characteristics of tulips is that they continue to grow in the vase. Since the opening flower cups gain weight at the same time, the flowers quickly hang their heads in a too short vessel. To counteract this dilemma, please choose a vase that is about two thirds the height of the tulip. Here the spring beauties can lean elegantly and keep a tightly upright posture until the end.
Cleanliness is paramount
One of the most common causes of a devastatingly short lifespan for tulips is the use of unclean vases. If there are still tiny residues of previous bouquets in it, this is the ideal breeding ground for bacteria and rot. You should therefore carefully clean the vase with hot water before placing the tulips in it.
Cold water - the elixir of life for tulips
The water requirement of tulips is significantly higher in the vase than in the bed. Therefore, top up the consumption daily to two fingers below the rim of the vessel. Cold water, straight from the tap, keeps the cut flowers vital and fresh. Lukewarm or even hot water softens the flower stalks and weakens the tulips considerably.
Trim the brown ends
Refilling the vase with water is an excellent opportunity to see the ends of the flower stems. After a few days, these gradually turn brown, which indicates rot and affects the flower's water supply. Take the affected tulips out of the vase and trim the stems. This measure exposes unused cable ends and strengthens vitality.
Fresh keeping agent in the flower water - yes or no?
The freshness-retaining agent is usually available free of charge from florists. Such preparations not only contain supplementary nutrients, but are also optimized with antibacterial substances. Although all the important nutrients for tulips are contained in the water, the additional additions make a valuable contribution to the durability of the cut flowers. It is therefore worth buying flower food for your flowers from your own garden. A nutrient solution in liquid form, which is simply added to the water according to the manufacturer's instructions, is ideal.
The right location
If you followed this guide, you will have set the course for many days of enjoyment of brightly colored tulips in the vase. Finally, please pay close attention to the choice of the ideal location. Tulipa feel in good hands here:
- Bright, not full sun
- No cold draft
- Not over an active radiator
The flowers are completely happy when they can spend the nights in a cooler place with temperatures between 12 and 15 degrees Celsius.
Tips
All efforts for a long shelf life are wasted when tulips get caught in the haze of apples, peaches, plums or other ripening fruits. Therefore, please do not place the vase in the immediate vicinity of the fruit basket. The fruits inside give off the ripening gas ethylene, which drives the wilt in tulips.
