Tulips are notorious for drooping quickly after being cut, but one gardening expert has shared results from an experiment comparing four methods – and there was a clear winner
Tulips have earned a reputation for drooping particularly fast(Image: berkpixels via Getty Images)
While nothing matches the elegance of a mature tulip gracefully bending and arching like a swan, there are occasions when tulips have a tendency to flop dramatically over the vase edge and stubbornly refuse to stand up straight despite every attempt to correct them.
Even when you know all the tricks to prolong the life of your bouquets, cut flowers can still show signs of wilting or decline rapidly. Tulips, specifically, have earned a reputation for drooping particularly fast.
The reason for their collapse has long remained mysterious, as have the methods to prevent it. However, following a tulip trial, gardening instructor and specialist Bethie took to her Instagram profile @blueacregarden to reveal the “winning” findings so you can “fix your floppy tulips fast”. Bethie discovered there was one “clear far and away winner” in this trial.
You need a pin to keep your tulips from drooping longer(Image: Getty)
Beginning with a collection of drooping tulips, the horticulturist positioned two tulip stems in each of four vases and “waited exactly six days” to observe the outcomes.
One vase contained vodka, the second featured coins, the third required using a pin to pierce a hole in the tulips, while the final one served purely as a control sample to demonstrate how the tulips appeared without any additions or modifications.
Bethie noted that all tulips received a fresh trim before she recorded the footage, and that all blooms were placed in a bright location in her kitchen.
The gardener discovered that the “biggest loser” of the experiment was the vodka vase. She explained: “The one shot of vodka tulip plants fared horribly.” The flowers appeared “sad, saggy, and droopy”. The stems had completely lost their rigidity, reports the Express.
Tulips have a tendency to flop dramatically over the vase edge(Image: Adam Lampton via Getty Images)
Bethie continued: “It took up a good amount of water, but that seems to have petered off after a few days, and the plants suffered.”
The control group performed “slightly better” than the vodka approach. While the stems still retained a hint of firmness, they drooped over the vase edge, and the leaves showed no strength whatsoever.
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The coin technique came next, with these tulips retaining some structural integrity in both stems and foliage. Bethie noted, “I honestly think that if I had made a fresh cut on these and put them in fresh water, these actually might perk up a little bit.”
There’s a simple method to stop tulips from flopping(Image: natalie_board via Getty Images)
Finally, the “big and very clear far and away winner” proved to be the pin method, requiring mere seconds to execute. Bethie declared, “That’s right. By putting one tiny air hole using a pin under the petals of your tulips, you can have tulips that stand up nice and tall and strong.
“This method far and away outlasts any of the other most commonly recommended ways to keep your tulips tall and upright.”
By making a small hole at the top of your tulips, you enable any air pockets potentially stuck within the stem to escape from your plant. This ensures your plant can absorb sufficient water, keeping it upright and sturdy.Flop
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