With the advent of the first sunny days, shoots of spring flowers appear from the ground. Already on Women's Day, the seller pampers the fair sex with bright tulips. In home, non-greenhouse conditions, this flower appears a little later, towards the end of April. The variety of tulip colors, unfortunately, does not last forever. Their flowering period is short. Therefore, many people wonder whether tulips are stored in the refrigerator?
Tulips
The exchange of vital substances does not stop after cutting from the flowerbed. Picked tulips cannot be considered “dead”. The plant stops growing, but does not stop producing microelements and absorbing liquid. The roots provide it with synthesis, which stops after cutting, but the life of the plant can be extended. If you provide the tulips with the appropriate conditions, you can be sure that they will still live. Proper storage conditions can provide a week during which you will absorb the smell of the flower and enjoy its aroma.
Tulips in a bouquet
Purchase rules
Unfortunately, not every bouquet can be saved. Therefore, first it is advisable to find out exactly what flowers you need to buy. Before you think about storing cut tulips that you plan to purchase in a store, carefully inspect them. If there are yellow withered leaves, then the flowers have been on sale for quite a long time. These won't last long. If the flower is completely open and the petals do not fit tightly to the stem, then you should refuse such a bouquet. He won't last long at home either. If the edges of the petals have withered and darkened, this indicates improper or prolonged storage in the store. If you buy such a bouquet, you can say with confidence that it will not last longer than two days.
Why do flowers fade
Before storing cut tulips at home, you need to understand why they do not “die” immediately after cutting. Flowers are living plants because they eat, breathe and grow through their root system. Once they are deprived of it, access to the nutrients that keep them alive is cut off. Because of this, withering occurs. However, there are some tricks that allow plants to feed and stay fresh for some time, even without a root system. Many women know about these tricks and actively use them. And this allows them to admire the flowers for a long time. Therefore, before storing cut tulips brought from the store (not those grown in your own garden), it is worth familiarizing yourself with some tricks.
Conditions for storing tulips in the refrigerator
And at what temperature?
Low temperatures will, of course, slow down wilting. However, severe cold will immediately destroy the flower. You should also pay attention to the humidity in the refrigerator compartment.
The dry storage method is suitable for tulips. To do this, wipe the stem and the cut area with a napkin and wrap it in paper. Polyethylene is not suitable for these purposes. Flowers will “suffocate” within a few hours. Unopened tulips are sorted into 10 pieces and laid out on shelves separately from others. The optimal temperature, which is recommended by experienced gardeners, is a maximum of +5C. At higher rates, the petals quickly fall off. It is better if the buds do not touch each other. But the humidity should be quite high. The best storage conditions suggest about 90%.
Dry storage method
Please note that other foods, especially fruits and vegetables, should not be placed near the tulips. The ethylene they produce negatively affects the aroma. The growth of flowers in the cold slows down, but does not stop. Leave a little space near each inflorescence.
As you can see, you can store tulips in the refrigerator without water. The absence of light in the refrigerator helps ensure that the flower does not warp over time, because tulips always reach for the light. It doesn’t matter whether it is artificial or natural.
It is interesting that tulips brought from other countries are often stored longer than those picked from your favorite garden near the house. It is incorrect to say that the plant is treated with a special compound. This is rather due to the fact that the container for transporting each bouquet is made of cardboard or plastic and coated with paraffin. As a result, growth slows down in the cold, and the lack of air circulation prolongs the life of the plant.
Fridge
Or maybe it’s better to leave it in a vase?
If you choose between cold and heat, it is better to go with the first. A warm room will open the tender buds. Indeed, the aroma from the flowers will be enormous, but they will not be able to live in water for long, about two days. Provided that the flowers were not stored in the store or at the supplier. In the refrigerator this period can be extended to a week. At the same time, the flowers will remain virtually unchanged in appearance. If it is not possible to store them in the refrigerator, periodically add aspirin and pieces of ice from the freezer to the water. This is not much, but it will preserve their beauty and freshness.
Tulips in a vase
If you decide to store cut tulips in the refrigerator, do not neglect the rules described above. This will help you preserve this magnificent flower and extend its already short life.
Secret No. 3
It consists of adding some special agents that prevent rotting of the stems. After all, the longer they are in water, the faster they become thinner and deteriorate. Therefore, you can add crushed charcoal (available in stores) or an aspirin tablet. It must be crushed into powder and then poured into water. This will stop the stems from rotting and becoming shaggy. Before storing cut tulips in this way, you will need to trim them correctly with a very sharp knife.
How and with what to do it
It’s not enough to just buy a bouquet and feed it properly. You also need to trim the stems. It's quite simple, but requires a little trickery. Firstly, cut the stems only in water. This prevents the entry of air, which means that no pathogenic or destructive bacteria will develop. Secondly, the stems are cut obliquely, and not along a straight path. This will not greatly disturb the structure, and it will be easier for nutrients from the water to enter inside. How to store cut tulips at home for as long as possible? Trim the stems a little every day. Thus, they will not become clogged and will continue to feed, which will allow them to remain fresh for a long time, as if they had just been cut from a flower bed.
Dry method
Oddly enough, there is a way to store cut tulips without water. It turns out it's not that difficult. And most importantly, in some cases it is even necessary. So, for example, many sellers are wondering how to store cut tulips before sale for as long as possible, so that they can be sold profitably later. And this can be achieved in a dry way. First, moisten the paper or newspaper with water, just a little bit. Then the flowers are wrapped in it so that the buds do not touch each other and do not stick together. The bouquet is put into the refrigerator for storage. The refrigerator has special requirements. Firstly, the temperature should not be higher than three degrees Celsius. Secondly, the humidity cannot be lower than 95%, otherwise the flowers will begin to rot. Thirdly, it is better not to put food nearby. In this way, you can store bouquets for two weeks without damaging their condition. By the way, Dutch tulips are transported this way, although they are first placed in boxes rubbed with paraffin inside. This prevents moisture evaporation, which allows you to keep the plants unchanged for almost three weeks.
How to store bulbs
The splendor of flowering and the period of stay of the peduncle in the vase will depend on how exactly the tulip bulb is stored until planting.
Tulips are flowers that require a lot of care. Particularly burdensome is the fact that the bulbs must be dug up, stored and replanted in nutrient soils annually.
Digging begins when the leaves begin to yellow and dry slightly. You cannot wait for complete drying out, since the nests will begin to crumble by this time. Next, the bulbs are placed in boxes with a mesh bottom and dried in a well-ventilated room or under a canopy for 3-4 days.
Next are the bulbs:
- cleared of scales and soil;
- sick and damaged by pests are discarded;
- sorted out by analysis;
- treated with a 0.2% solution of foundationazole;
- are transferred for storage.
Storage is carried out in two stages, compliance with which guarantees lush flowering:
- Storage at a temperature of 20-23 ᵒC for 30-40 days;
- Storage at a temperature of 17-18 ᵒC until planting for rooting.
If forcing tulips is planned. Then they carry out the usual storage until September, and then rapid cooling in refrigerators for a period that depends on the date of the desired flowering.
How to cut tulips from garden beds
This is perhaps the most pressing question, since almost every third summer resident has them growing right next to their house. And how to store the cut tulips at home for as long as possible later depends on how they are cut. First of all, it is worth remembering that flowers are removed from the beds only in the early hours of the day. The stems are still flexible and succulent, having not yet had time to release their juice into the roots. And after cutting, it is advisable to keep them with their heads down. This way the juice will not leak out during transportation from the garden bed to the vase. It is noteworthy that flowers are cut only with a very sharp knife or blade at an angle, so that at least two leaves remain on the stems. This will produce more juice, and the plants will last longer. And of course, we must not forget that the vase with the bouquet should not be placed on the sunny side or where there are drafts. This causes the buds to fade faster and the stems to dry out. If there are other plants nearby, it is better to put them away. Firstly, they emit ethylene, which causes tulips to quickly wither. Secondly, cut flowers do not like close proximity to other species. This causes the tulips to wither and fade faster. Drying leaves are trimmed or removed completely so that they do not draw juices from the stems and buds onto themselves. With proper care, tulips will last approximately 7-14 days, delighting owners with their color and aroma.
Main safety factors
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How long the enjoyment of the beauty of a cut tulip will last is influenced by:
- cutting time. Ideally this should be in the morning. During this period, the plant has not yet lost its turgor, each cell is filled with moisture and it will be easier for it to survive stress;
- state of the flower. The best cutting is obtained at the moment when the bud has not yet opened a single time. Each discovery in the garden takes away vitality and reduces the time spent in the vase;
- bud color. The ideal cutting is obtained at the moment when the bud has gained only half its color. As a gift option, it is not yet beautiful and does not have a marketable appearance, but after 1-2 days it will catch up, but it will last 3-4 days longer in the vase;
- state of the plant. It is advisable to inspect the plant before cutting. If there are places on the bud, stem or leaves affected by pests or diseases, it is better to refuse cutting. Such a plant will not add beauty to the bouquet and will not stand in a vase for a long time;
- the period from cutting to the moment of placing in a vase. Immediately after cutting, the plant must be turned upside down. This will allow nutrients to gradually move down to the bud and ensure its long flowering;
- angle and location of cut. Tulips are always cut with an oblique cut and under the internode, retreating from it by 2-3 mm. An oblique cut will provide a large area of penetration of nutrients, and the internode will allow them to accumulate as much as possible in their “body”, so that, if necessary, they can be used to preserve flowering;
- To cut the peduncle, use a special knife with a rounded edge. Such a device will make it impossible to wound leaves and shoots, which in turn will extend the freshness time. If the bulbs are intended to be used in the future after cutting, the knife must be constantly disinfected;
- environment. As a rule, bouquets are prepared for the holidays. Of course, a composition of fruits and flowers has its own charm, but acetylene gas, which is released by fruits in the phase of full ripeness, adversely affects the condition of the bouquet. Care must be taken to avoid the proximity of a vase with tulips and a bowl of fruit;
- the tulip will not tolerate proximity to other flowers, either in the same vase or nearby; indoor flowers are no exception;
- state of the nutrient solution. To keep tulips in a vase longer, professionals use special solutions. At home, you can put a couple of cubes or 1 teaspoon of sugar in the water. Aspirin also has a good effect. For 1 liter of water, 1 tablet is enough.
Considering that the water in the vase must be constantly cooled, experienced gardeners add several ice cubes to it in the afternoon.
The water needs to be changed daily and the nutrient solution must also be prepared fresh daily. The peduncle is also trimmed daily by 0.3-0.5 cm.
Important!
Particular attention should be paid to the fact that the bottom leaf should not come into contact with the water in the vase; it should be removed before the peduncle is immersed.
