Tulip season is in full swing, and flower shops already have a wide range of these flowers. Kommersant ukrainskyi has collected the most effective tips to help extend the life of tulips in a vase.
Interesting facts about tulips
- There are more than 80-100 species of tulips in the world, which are divided into more than 1800 varieties.
- It is believed that the first tulips appeared more than 10 million years ago.
- In the Middle Ages, tulip bulbs were used in Europe as a cheap alternative to onions for cooking, and the petals of these flowers are still considered edible in some countries and are added to salads.
- It is believed that red tulips symbolise true love and passion, purple tulips symbolise loyalty, white tulips symbolise forgiveness, and yellow tulips symbolise wealth. However, in many CIS countries, yellow tulips are also believed to be a sign of an impending breakup.
How to care for tulips?
1. Be sure to cut tulips at a right angle before immersing them in water.
2. Rinse the vase with an antiseptic to get rid of bacteria.
3. Pour about 7 cm of water into the vase. Pour very cold water and add a few ice cubes if possible, as tulips do not like heat at all. It is also not advisable to place a vase of flowers in direct sunlight, near a radiator or in a drafty place. Avoid placing tulips near other early flowers or fruits, especially citrus fruits.
4. If there are leaves submerged in water, carefully remove them to prevent them from rotting and promoting bacterial growth.
5. Prune tulips by about 1 cm daily, leaving a straight cut and changing the water. It is also advisable to rinse the vase every time, as bacteria will cause the flowers to wilt faster.
6. To keep the tulip flower lifted, you can also make a small puncture in the stem with a needle at a distance of 3 cm from the flower head.
7. Fertilise the water with sweet carbonated drinks or special solutions sold in flower shops. However, when using sweet carbonated drinks, you should also add an antiseptic, as sugar is a favourable area for bacterial growth. You can use 1 aspirin tablet per 1 litre of water as an antiseptic.
What should I do if the tulips are bent?
First of all, you shouldn’t be upset or throw away the flowers right away, as there is an effective way to restore freshness to tulips. To do this, you need to renew the cut on the flowers, wrap the stems with napkins or damp paper, put them in very cold water so that it reaches the buds and put wet paper towels on top. Leave the bouquet in this form for about one hour and then return them to the vase.
The author: Olya Yushko