Content

• To step
• Tips
• Necessities

Tulips are hardy perennial flowers that you don't have to dig up every year. In principle, you can leave them in the ground all year round. But if you do want to dig them out, keep them in a cool, dry place until you plant them again in the fall. If you want to know how to properly store tulip bulbs, read these tips so you can store them until it's time to put them back in the ground.

To step

1. Wipe off dirt and soil. Gently wipe the bulbs. If you are going to dig up the bulbs from the ground, brush off the soil, but do not wash them with water.
2. Let the bulbs dry. Place the bulbs in a sunny spot until they are completely dry. Make sure they are completely dried before you store them. Otherwise, the bulbs can rot.
3. Inspect the tulip bulbs. You can usually still save damaged tulip bulbs. When the bulbs are completely dry, put a little sulfur on the damaged areas to keep them from rotting.
4. Pack the bulbs. Place a layer of tulip bulbs in a paper bag or cardboard box. Cover the first layer of bulbs with newspaper.
5. Alternate layers of bulbs with layers of newspaper. The layers with spheres should not touch each other. You can also use dry sand, vermiculite, or peat moss instead of newspapers to keep the bulbs dry.
6. Keep the tulip bulbs. Place the bag or box of tulip bulbs in a cool, dry place until fall begins. Do not put the bulbs in the refrigerator, as fruits and vegetables emit a gas that can kill the tulip bulbs. A closet, garage or cellar is cool and dry, so those are good places to keep your bulbs.
7. Look at the tulip bulbs every now and then. Inspect the bulbs once every month. Discard any bulbs that have softened.
8. Plant the bulbs in the fall before freezing.

Tips

• Store damaged tulip bulbs in another bag or box so that they do not affect the healthy bulbs.
• It's okay for the tulip bulbs to stay in the ground all year round, but squirrels can eat them. You can protect the bulbs from hungry squirrels by covering the soil with gauze and a layer of mulch. This way, the flowers can still appear in the spring.
• Do not remove the stems when the tulips have finished flowering, if you want to leave the bulbs in the ground. The bulbs receive nutrients from the plant above the ground. Sometimes those extra nutrients cause the flower to bloom again.

Necessities

• Tulip bulbs
• Paper bag or cardboard box
• Newspapers
• Dry sand
• Vermiculite
• Peat moss