All you need to know about storing tulips: Bulb on/off, wet/dry & what the research says

After growing +10k tulip stems, I've now become confident in storing tulips for later use. I employ both bulb on and bulb off as well as wet and dry storage but depending on the circumstance. There's also been alot of great research done by John Dole out in NC State University (ci.lib.ncsu.edu/profiles/jmdo...) and his research sets the standard for what good could look like and sets the foundation for what I do.
Complementary Patreon article describing how harvest stage impacts storage potential (with photos)!: / photo-guide-to-102528268
Links mentioned:
Effortless tulip harvest: No dig tulips without compost - • Tulips without the dig...
📖 Want more content like this? Consider joining my Patreon where for $5 a month, you not only support me in making more free content like this, but you also get access to gated content! We talk about all things related to marketing, consumer psychology, setting up Facebook ads, calculating profitability and so much more! bit.ly/3y2TuCl
💐 Looking for a reliable, rugged and refined focal that you can succession plant throughout the entire season? You need lilies! I'm selling 25x and 50x increments on bit.ly/44s6v4o - We've got roselilies, non fragrant lilies, and double non fragrant lilies for multiple weeks.

[@vivherman2296]

Really needed to hear this info.! My first time in the tulip pond. Went down this road after watching you and wanted to try to make it out of the gate with flowers a little earlier. Wow.. a little more work than I thought ..washing..wrapping ...finding more room...But...I think I like it!! It's not zinnias, that's for sure! LOL! I was wondering about the on/off bulbs/storage time.I took my test tulips to my 3 florists in town , and sold them on Friday. One gave me her number, to call with other things! Just a few hundred or so. Thanks Jesse!!!!

[@bareflowerfarm]

Haha! I love this, "not like zinnias". There are pro's and con's to both but you nailed it- tulips are very labor intensive which is why I literally put the brakes on it all and said, there was no way I would go through what I went through last year. I think that you can also implement "no dig" + utilize whatever natural resources you have to make it a better harvesting experience. Even though that doesn't take care of storage, the extra time saved from harvesting means we can spend more time marketing/selling :D And congrats on selling the tulips to florists! Sounds like you're off to a successful season! I'm glad you gave this crop a chance!

[@vivherman2296]

@@bareflowerfarm me too!!

[@r.m.4624]

This is such a well presented tulip harvesting and storage video. I'm an RN and have a data driven, science brain and your content always speaks to me. You are such a smarty pants.

[@bareflowerfarm]

Thank you! I appreciate this!

[@michellebeatty7899]

Very informative and helpful video. Thanks!

[@OohMilitia]

Another great video, Jess! Thank you.

[@bareflowerfarm]

Thanks so much!

[@clairegill7891]

Another brilliant video! I’ve learnt so much from you 👏🏻thank you Jessie 🌸

[@bareflowerfarm]

As thanks Claire! ♥️

[@rbrown2746]

This was such good info!

[@bareflowerfarm]

Thank you! ☺️

[@ssayre785]

This is so helpful! Thank you

[@bareflowerfarm]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Wyldheatherfarm]

Thank you for another great informative video. I pulled some tulips the other day and left the bulb on to tuck into the cooler to do some research. I am also trying poppies in dry storage since listening to no-till flower farm with John Dole. Storing flowers in freezing temps 🤯. Appreciate you! 💚

[@bareflowerfarm]

I so appreciate your generosity! This video took awhile to compile and I am so thankful that you recognize this ♥️ Regarding poppies, I would love to hear your experiences! I haven’t grown them but would love to as they look absolutely amazing in any bouquet or design work

[@Wyldheatherfarm]

Thanks!

[@andreasimpson1018]

This is so helpful! I’m selling at a farmers market this year and all my late tulips began opening earlier than expected. I have my fridge full right now and have been nervous because though I have most with the bulb on, there are quite a few with bulb off. I’m feeling a little more at ease now. I think most will make it to next weekend. You have been a huge inspiration for this direction in my life, btw. Thank you for all you teach us!

[@bareflowerfarm]

I’m so glad to hear that this video was helpful! You’ll be totally especially for next weekend especially if you harvested properly. With even being a week out, if you harvested with more color, you’d be fine. It’s more about keeping that fridge in the high 30F. Good luck! I hope you sell out 🤩

[@andreasimpson1018]

@@bareflowerfarmthank you ❤

[@wandahuntoon8529]

great content thank you

[@bookpro9466]

Does the darkness of storage become an issue for tulips with time? Aren't their colours dependent on sunlight? You are doing a fantastic job both in terms of tulips and blogs.

[@bareflowerfarm]

That is a reallllyyyy good question and I wish I thought of it myself! The answer is no from experience, but this is probably why you need to harvest when it is ready (aka there is at least some color on the bud). If I find out the reason why or details, I'll repost on here. And thank you :)

[@kathrynburgess8987]

So can you store your tulips in a cooler in water, without the bulb? For how long. Maybe I missed hearing this part of your vlog?

[@bareflowerfarm]

Yup! I do that for bouquets I need to sell that will move in under 1.5 weeks. If it’s above 2 weeks, I’m usually dry storing it typically from a space efficiency perspective. I wouldn’t hold in water for more than 2 weeks. I think you could but I find the blooms mature more quickly when they are in water esp if your fridge is give above 40F and that compromises vase life

[@arryin_]

This video was what I needed to hear today. I have dozens of tulips in the dry storage with bulb on for more than two weeks now with two more weeks to go 'til I use them in my wedding arrangements and I started to worry whether they make it or not 😊 It's my first time growing and storing them. May someone give me an advice on rehydrating them?? I'm wondering whether I should dip them in Quick Dip right after chopping the bulb off or do some pre-hydration and dip them in Quick Dip later.

[@bareflowerfarm]

I’m glad this video was helpful. You’ll want to look 5 days ahead of your event how these blooms are progressing on the bulb. Within the 4 weeks, you’ll def see the blooms put on more color. You want to look at the buds 5 days in advance to gauge when you want to rehydrate for a wedding and that’s a subjective decision. If they are quite far along, I think rehydrating 3 days in advance is more than plenty. If they need more time, 5 days is good is you’ll want them to be at peak bloom during wedding day. There’s no need to use quick dip. Just hydrate in a cool area with cold water. Good luck!

[@arryin_]

@@bareflowerfarm oh thanks! ❤️ Have a lovely Sunday

[@rbrown2746]

Is there a way to get a double to open if you harvested too early? I think I harvested Gushodnick to early

[@bareflowerfarm]

Was any color showing? Heat is your best bet to coax them along. Putting them in your car which becomes a mini greenhouse is a last resort method I use if I need them to open for an event

[@user-kj9bq7qo2d]

Wonderful content! This year I stored my tulips with the bulb on, and it worked well. There were a few tulips, however , that became limp and wilted that way. I rehydrated them and found that they blew open really quickly from the rehydration. Is there any way to avoid that? Should they be rehydrating inside the cooler? Thanks so much!

[@bareflowerfarm]

I find that the blooms that blow open quickly from rehydration were typically the ones that were harvested a bit later OR for whatever reason, they mature at a faster rate in the fridge. Is this potentially what happened in your situation? When it comes to storage, one of the things we're trying to do is delay the dehydration of the stem. This is why bulb on is superior because the stem dehydrates at a slower rate. Side by side, a stem without a bulb will dehydrate faster and lose more water weight than one with a bulb. When the stem rehydrates, it will never rehydrate to 100%. All this to say, it would be great to keep the stems hydrated in the cooler but sometimes unrealistic from a space and time/efficiency point of view. I hope this explanation helps!

[@user-kj9bq7qo2d]

@@bareflowerfarm Thank you so much!

[@mhubertcfi]

I'm sure this is super timely for Mothers Day.

[@bareflowerfarm]

I was hoping to get it out this week in time to address Mother’s Day! Now, just need to finish the Patreon post 🤪

[@kathrynburgess8987]

Thank you so much. You make great videos. Im just starting out with tulips this year and I get a little nervous that they will stay fresh. I need to experiment more. You are so helpful. 😊❤

[@josephgiangrande9892]

Hello from Joe The Grower I need your help please

[@user-ul3oo7bg9h]

Where do you order your tulips from?

[@bareflowerfarm]

90% are from Little Farmhouse Flowers. She’s got a great wholesale bulb program because her team quality checks the bulbs which saves me time from doing a more thorough check!

[@user-ul3oo7bg9h]

Thx!

[@lisabeachy8257]

So much great information! Thank you for generously sharing your knowledge.

[@bareflowerfarm]

♥️♥️♥️

[@user-ul3oo7bg9h]

What are you favorite tulips!

[@bareflowerfarm]

This is going to sound like a terrible answer- I don’t have strong preferences. I can sell any tulip. I prefer them to be versatile in color to sell to both florists and retail and more importantly is their ability to be winter forced since that’s how I grow a majority of them. In the field, I prioritize doubles bc it buys me a longer harvest window. I also am very price sensitive so I don’t grow varieties that costs 2x as another one - like La belle epoque bc the margins for tulips are already tighter. Would this be helpful for me to do a video on regarding details?

[@user-ul3oo7bg9h]

That would be awesome if you did that I watch every single one of your videos

[@user-ul3oo7bg9h]

You mentioned you took the tulip workshop did you think that was worth it?

[@chynnabee]

Thanks!

[@bareflowerfarm]

Thank you so much 🥰