Tulips will last for longer if you use this hack (stock photo) (Image: Getty)
Tulips are one of the most quintessential spring flowers, but they don’t last very long in vases.
If you’ve been given a bouquet of flowers for Easter, or you’ve chosen to buy your own to brighten up your home this spring, chances are it’s got some tulips in it. The striking plants are popular at this time of year, as they typically flower from late March until mid-May, so their season is now in full swing.
However, tulips don’t seem to last very long when placed in a vase to display in your home. They can droop within a couple of days, and while they’re not dead when they’re drooping, they certainly don’t look as lively and vibrant as they do when they’re fully upright.
Thankfully, there are some things you can do to perk up your tired tulips. There are several old wives’ tales and dubious hacks out there that claim to revitalise tulips using everyday items – but do any of them actually work?
A gardening expert on social media put three of the most popular hacks to the test over a period of six days to find out if any of the methods could actually save her tulips, and was amazed by what she found.
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Bethany Naccarato, a trained master gardener, placed tulips in four different vases. One containing just water as a test, one containing a small amount of vodka, one containing a penny, and one where she had made a pinhole in the top of the tulips. She tested the flowers over six days to find which method helped the tulips stay upright – and there was one clear winner.
The pin trick
For the pin method, Bethany took a sewing pin and stuck it through the neck of the tulip, just underneath the petals. She then pulled it out, leaving a small hole through the stem.
This is supposed to open up the airflow in the tulip’s stem, so that it can take up water more effectively. Air bubbles can prevent your tulips from being able to pull water up adequately enough to keep them perky, so the pin hole lets that air out.
The penny trick
In order for the penny trick to work, you must use a penny that has copper in it. In the UK, pennies made after 1992 are made primarily from steel with a copper coating, while pennies made before 1992 are made from a bronze alloy with 97% copper. Either penny will work for this trick since they both still contain copper, but finding an old penny might yield better results.
Bethany said: “The penny method works because the copper in them is anti-fungal and anti-microbial. It helps to keep the water cleaner so there’s less to gunk up the stems of your tulips.”
The vodka trick
If you can bear to part with a shot of vodka, adding it to your tulips might just help them to perk up. Bethany claimed that vodka is supposed to also be anti-microbial and anti-fungal, just like the penny. She said this should also help to keep the water cleaner, meaning your tulips get a better quality drink.
Results
In a second video, Bethany revealed the results of her tests and found that one of the vases had actually produced even worse results than the control vase with plain water in it.
She said the vodka had not worked at all, calling it the “biggest loser” of all her tests. The flowers were almost touching the table because they were drooping so much, and the stems were incredibly limp.
The control test came in third place as it fared marginally better than the vodka. In second place was the penny, with the tulips still having some strength in the stems and leaves. But the “clear winner” was the pin trick.
Bethany said: “For our big and very clear far and away winner: the pin method. That’s right, putting one tiny air hole using a pin under the petals of your tulips can give you tulips that stand up nice and tall and strong. This method far and away outlasted any of the other most commonly recommended ways to keep your tulips upright.”
In a third video, Bethany combined the pin trick with the penny trick by pricking her stems and dropping a penny in the water. When compared in another test, the vase that used both tricks performed much better than either of the tests on their own, so if you have some spare change its definitely worth giving it a go!
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