diff --git a/subprojects/gst-plugins-base/docs/plugins/gst_plugins_cache.json b/subprojects/gst-plugins-base/docs/plugins/gst_plugins_cache.json
index 03ad8158e4..12a764e284 100644
--- a/subprojects/gst-plugins-base/docs/plugins/gst_plugins_cache.json
+++ b/subprojects/gst-plugins-base/docs/plugins/gst_plugins_cache.json
@@ -6772,7 +6772,7 @@
                     "method": {
                         "blurb": "method (deprecated, use video-direction instead)",
                         "conditionally-available": false,
-                        "construct": true,
+                        "construct": false,
                         "construct-only": false,
                         "controllable": true,
                         "default": "none (0)",
diff --git a/subprojects/gst-plugins-base/ext/gl/gstglvideoflip.c b/subprojects/gst-plugins-base/ext/gl/gstglvideoflip.c
index e9215285d0..5bdba79c7a 100644
--- a/subprojects/gst-plugins-base/ext/gl/gstglvideoflip.c
+++ b/subprojects/gst-plugins-base/ext/gl/gstglvideoflip.c
@@ -106,6 +106,9 @@ static void gst_gl_video_flip_set_property (GObject * object, guint prop_id,
 static void gst_gl_video_flip_get_property (GObject * object, guint prop_id,
     GValue * value, GParamSpec * pspec);
 
+static void gst_gl_video_flip_set_method (GstGLVideoFlip * vf,
+    GstVideoOrientationMethod method, gboolean from_tag);
+
 static GstPadProbeReturn _input_sink_probe (GstPad * pad,
     GstPadProbeInfo * info, gpointer user_data);
 static GstPadProbeReturn _trans_src_probe (GstPad * pad, GstPadProbeInfo * info,
@@ -131,6 +134,17 @@ gst_gl_video_flip_video_direction_interface_init (GstVideoDirectionInterface
   /* We implement the video-direction property */
 }
 
+static void
+gst_gl_video_flip_constructed (GObject * object)
+{
+  GstGLVideoFlip *self = GST_GL_VIDEO_FLIP (object);
+
+  if (self->method == (GstVideoOrientationMethod) DEFAULT_METHOD) {
+    gst_gl_video_flip_set_method (self,
+        (GstVideoOrientationMethod) DEFAULT_METHOD, FALSE);
+  }
+}
+
 static void
 gst_gl_video_flip_class_init (GstGLVideoFlipClass * klass)
 {
@@ -143,13 +157,13 @@ gst_gl_video_flip_class_init (GstGLVideoFlipClass * klass)
   gobject_class->finalize = gst_gl_video_flip_finalize;
   gobject_class->set_property = gst_gl_video_flip_set_property;
   gobject_class->get_property = gst_gl_video_flip_get_property;
+  gobject_class->constructed = gst_gl_video_flip_constructed;
 
   g_object_class_install_property (gobject_class, PROP_METHOD,
       g_param_spec_enum ("method", "method",
           "method (deprecated, use video-direction instead)",
           GST_TYPE_GL_VIDEO_FLIP_METHOD, DEFAULT_METHOD,
-          GST_PARAM_CONTROLLABLE | G_PARAM_READWRITE | G_PARAM_CONSTRUCT |
-          G_PARAM_STATIC_STRINGS));
+          GST_PARAM_CONTROLLABLE | G_PARAM_READWRITE | G_PARAM_STATIC_STRINGS));
   g_object_class_override_property (gobject_class, PROP_VIDEO_DIRECTION,
       "video-direction");
 
@@ -169,6 +183,12 @@ gst_gl_video_flip_init (GstGLVideoFlip * flip)
   gboolean res = TRUE;
   GstPad *pad;
 
+  /* We initialize to the default and call set_method() from constructed
+   * if the value hasn't changed, this ensures set_method() does get called
+   * even if the non-construct method / direction properties aren't set
+   */
+  flip->method = (GstVideoOrientationMethod) DEFAULT_METHOD;
+
   flip->aspect = 1.0;
 
   flip->input_capsfilter = gst_element_factory_make ("capsfilter", NULL);