Will Using Ice Water in a Vase Help Keep Tulips Longer?

Cut Tulips

• Modern tulips are classified by their bloom time and by their bloom type. The 2- to 3- inch flowers are single, double, fringed, pointed or ruffled. They come in many colors, except true blue, and range from 4 to 30 inches in height. The slender stems hold up well in arrangements and are used singly or in conjunction with other spring flowers creating a variety of floral arrangements. Wrap the stems in several sheets of moist paper and secure the wrappings with an elastic band or piece of string. Place the bundle in a tall vase filled with tepid water and let the flowers stand for three or four hours, and then remove the wrappings, fill the vase with cold water and return the flowers to the container.

Temperature

• Setting floral arrangements in a cool location or filling vases with ice water helps prolong the life of cut tulips. The ice lowers water temperature, creating an environment hostile to harmful bacteria. Additionally, cold climatic conditions restrict water flow through the flower's vascular system, reducing water loss and slowing the blooming process.

Tulip Bouquet Care

• Draining the vase each day and refilling it with clean, cool water keeps the tulip floral display at its best. Flowers also look fresh longer if removed from the vase every four to five days and trimmed. Submerge the stems in tepid water and cut the ends, removing approximately 1 inch of plant material. The stem-trimming procedure removes the hardened tips and improves the flower's ability to take in water.

Homemade Flower Preservatives

• People try crushed aspirin tablets to soda pop to copper pennies, to keep cut flowers from fading. While nothing prevents the inevitable, avoid additives like bleach, sugar, vinegar and vodka. Although they may give the flowers an immediate boost, they negatively affect the plant and shorten its overall life.