Tulip Harvest

That's it! Winter has come and gone, and we can finally enjoy the beautiful flowers we took so much care to plant last fall. If, like us, you want to brighten up not only your garden but also your home, here's a simple, clear guide to harvesting your tulips .

1. When to harvest your tulips?

Tulip harvesting takes place in spring (April to May depending on the region, exposure, and flowering time of the chosen variety). This is one of the first varieties we have here in Quebec for cut flowers. We always try to harvest tulips (but this is true for all flowers in general) during the coolest times of the day.

It's also important to pick them at the ideal flowering stage . We're looking for the moment when the flower bud is colorful but still closed . This allows the tulip to open slowly once cut. You can also rely on the texture of the bud. If it's still hard, you can wait; if it's slightly soft, it's perfect!

Be careful, on beautiful sunny spring days, it sometimes happens that a tulip is not ready in the morning but is ready in the evening.

2. Harvesting for cut flowers without the bulb

Material :

You'll need sharp pruning shears. Our favorite, the Felco-322, is ultra-easy to handle and has thin blades that make it easy to harvest even the finest flowers.
And of course, a bucket of clean water (yes, yes, even for our flowers it is important to do the dishes properly in order to avoid contaminants that could shorten the life of your beautiful flowers)

Steps:

1. Cut the stem early in the morning or late in the afternoon (the important thing is that it is cool).

2. Cut the stem to the desired size . Tulips continue to grow even after they are in a vase. Here at the farm, our benchmark is about the size of your forearm.

3. Immediately place the stems in a bucket of cold water to prevent them from wilting and compromising their shelf life.

4. Place them in a cool place away from direct sunlight.
   
   

Please note: Even if you leave some leaves, picking the flower can compromise future blooms. Additionally, some tulip varieties, especially the specialty varieties we love so much at Floramama, are designed to be extremely floriferous but will have a shorter life cycle. Even under ideal conditions (planting depth, watering, fertilization, exposure, weeding, absence of pests or phytosanitary problems, etc.) you can expect a maximum life cycle of 2 to 3 years.

3. Harvesting for cut flowers with the bulb

This is the most common practice for flower growers as it allows flowers to be stored longer in cold storage under optimal conditions.

In addition, we aim to have top quality flowers and a very high flowering rate, which is why we never harvest a tulip for more than one year.

The principle of crop rotation is also a reason why we don't leave bulbs in the ground from one year to the next. Once the harvest is over, the bed welcomes a new crop and the following year's tulips will go to another spot in the garden.

Material :

The fork will be your main ally to gently lift the soil and allow you to extract the stem with the bulb, without it breaking.
You will also need a large tub of water (here we use procona) with just a little water to soak the roots at the base of the bulb.

Steps:

1. Harvest at a cool time of day. Gently loosen the soil around the tulips with a fork so that the bulbs and stems can be removed without breaking them.

2. Place the stems in the water tray and place in a cold room, without light.

3. Store tulips straight and tightly together, otherwise the stem will twist during storage.

4. If harvesting during rainy weather, you can let your tulips dry before storing them to avoid any risk of mold. This is especially true with double varieties, which are more prone to mold due to their many petals.

4. How to care for your tulips in a vase?

• Change the water every day.

• Do not put too much water in the vase (about 5cm) but make sure to add more often (tulips drink a lot!)

• Add cold water to prevent the flower from opening too quickly and therefore prolong its life in the vase.

• Trim the stems slightly when necessary

• The stem is bending? Choose a tall, straight vase. But yes, tulips (especially specialty tulips) dance with the sun, you can just let yourself go with them :)

And above all, enjoy this magnificent flower which opens the ball of the flower season in Quebec!