How to condition tulips
Tips for buying tulips
When purchasing tulips, the make sure the flower head is tucked down low among the leaves. Each day the tulips will continue to grow approximately the length of their head. Buying them low down will give you these beauties fir a longer time.
Like most flowers cut your tulips ends by 3-4cm on an angle and place into fresh water with flower food to prolong their life and encourage the flower heads to open.
As tulips grow they can start to bend and angle towards the light and a heat source, wrapping them in paper will prevent this and give you straight if you need them to be straight for a particular arrangement or design. Remove the paper after approximately 1 hour and now enjoy your tulips
Like most flowers do remove them from any plastic wrapping they may come in as this will make them sweat and cause a disease called Butritis.
It is not advisable to pierce a pin head hole in the top of the stems, (old wives tale) this will shorten the life of the flower and create a wound/hole and the flower can become infected.
Tulips will tilt or angle towards sunlight or heat so avoid these areas if you prefer to keep your tulips straight
Tulips continue to grow when placed in water and can grow up to a further 10 cm. If you are in a Flower shop, mention this to your customer as they are normally fascinated when they now take notice of the tulips growing in the vase of water
Fresh tulips can last up to 7 days depending on how fresh they were when purchased and the conditions they are stored in.
Professional Tips
What to look for when buying tulips
Look at the Weight - The weight determines the tulip’s appearance. Large bulbs produce the heaviest tulips with the biggest flowers.
Look at the Ripeness - This stage of ripeness is expressed in numbers from 1 (unripe) to 5 (ripe).
Care tips for professionals
Tulips can easily grow another 5 to 15 cm in the bucket. You can prevent them from growing too much by keeping them for a short period and in cool conditions. Place them on a shallow layer of water.
Tightly wrap tulips in paper to make them nice and firm and prevent them from growing crooked.
Work in clean and dry conditions: botrytis can easily affect these fresh, leafy flowers.
If you are using tulips in a bouquet or arrangement, allow for the growth spurt.
Avoid mixing tulips with daffodils immediately after just cutting them - daffodils produce a sap on cutting that is toxic to most flowers.