Tricks to Keeping Cut Tulips Alive

Timing

• Cut your tulips in early morning or late afternoon for best results. Early-morning flowers hold more water at cutting and last better. Don't cut the tulips at midday, as the sun and heat dry the stems leading to quicker deterioration. Cut tight tulips in bud rather than open flowers for a longer lifespan and cut as much the stem as possible.

Water Mixture

• Put the tulips in water immediately after cutting. Hold the stems under a running faucet. Cutting them at a 45-degree angle increases each stem's exposure to water. Put the tulips in a vase or bucket with lukewarm water and flower preservative. Use a commercial preservative or substitute with lemon-lime soda.

Placement

• Hot, humid air causes cut flowers to decay more quickly and shortens cut tulips' lives. Keep the tulips away from sunny windows, particularly during the summer season, and put them in cool parts of the house. Don't put the tulips near heating vents in early spring, as these dry the foliage and cause quick wilting.

Maintenance

• Change the tulip water every day and pour more lemon-lime soda or flower preservative into the new water. Adding several drops of bleach to the water keeps it clean. Keep fruit away from the tulip vase, as fruit releases a gas that ages flowers. Don't put your tulips with daffodils, as those flowers release a chemical that breaks down flower matter.