Tulips, in particular, have earned a reputation for drooping especially quickly (Image: natalie_board via Getty Images)
While nothing quite 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 upright despite every effort to correct them. Even when you know all the tricks to extend the life of your bouquets, cut flowers can still show signs of wilting or deteriorate rapidly. Tulips, in particular, have earned a reputation for drooping especially quickly.
The reason behind their collapse has long remained something of a mystery, 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.
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Starting with a collection of drooping tulips, the horticulturist placed two tulip stems in each of four vases and “waited exactly six days” to observe the results.
One vase contained vodka, the second featured coins, the third involved 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, reports the Mirror.
Bethie noted that all tulips received a fresh trim before she recorded the footage, and that all blooms were placed in a bright spot in her kitchen. The gardener revealed 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 entirely lost their stiffness.
You need a pin to keep your tulips from drooping longer (Image: Getty)
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 held a trace of firmness, they sagged over the vase edge, and the leaves displayed no strength whatsoever.
The coin technique came next, with these tulips maintaining 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.”
Tulips have a habit of drooping (Image: berkpixels via Getty Images)
Finally, the “big and very clear far and away winner” proved to be the pin method, requiring only a matter of seconds to carry out. 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 piercing a tiny hole near the top of your tulips, you allow any trapped air pockets within the stem to escape from the plant. This guarantees your plant can absorb enough water, keeping it upright and sturdy.
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