How to make tulips stay fresh longer: which vase to choose

Delicate tulips are undoubtedly the most popular March flowers, the first heralds of spring. So you want the elegant bouquet to stay in the vase as long as possible, but temperature changes and improper care often lead to disastrous consequences.

A rather unpleasant situation occurs when you bring home a beautiful bouquet, put the stems in a vase, and in a few hours the flowers begin to lean weakly to the sides. Experts told us how to make tulips stay fresh longer.

How to care for tulips in a vase

The most important first step is proper conditioning. Take the tulips out of the package and spread them out flat on a surface. Remove all green leaves that are below the water level in the vase - otherwise, it will promote the development of bacteria and cause the flowers to wilt faster. Do not tear off the leaves, but carefully trim them with scissors to avoid the risk of damaging or weakening the stems from breaking.

The cut tulips will be without water for at least a few hours until you bring them home, so they will be thirsty. You need to cut off the ends of the stems and then let the flowers stand in a large vase filled with water for at least four hours so they can get well hydrated.

You can even keep them wrapped during this stage if you want to give them extra support. This is all part of the conditioning process. The reason why tulips droop is because the flowers have hollow stems and they start to lean from lack of water.

Remove the flowers from the temporary vase and cut 1-1.5 cm diagonally from each stem. This, again, helps to maximize water absorption and will allow your tulips to stand upright.

Change the water every two days. This will prevent bacteria from forming in the water and keep the tulips as fresh as possible. You can then re-cut the stems.

Which vase to choose

For tulips, you should choose a vase with a conical or narrow neck to fully support the stems.

Wash the vase well with dishwashing detergent and rinse it with cold water to make sure it is free of any dirt or bacteria from previous use.

Tulips are phototrophic, which means they will continue to stretch in the vase towards the sunlight. Simply place the vase near a window (but not in direct sunlight) and turn it to encourage the stems that are closest to the light to grow and curve outward.

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