Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 2: Planting Tulip Bulbs
• Part 2 of 2: Caring for your tulips

Tulips can be grown in pots both indoors and outdoors. If these flowers are properly planted and properly cared for, they will delight you with early flowering. To grow a tulip, you need the right pot, the right soil, and the right approach. Before blooming, tulips are dormant for 12-16 weeks, and during this period they need a fairly low temperature, which allows them to simulate the winter season. When properly cared for, tulips will bloom in spring or summer and make a wonderful decoration for your home or garden.

Steps

Part 1 of 2: Planting Tulip Bulbs

1. 1 Use a pot with a diameter of at least 22 centimeters that has drainage holes. The pot should be 15 to 45 centimeters deep. Make sure there are drainage holes in the bottom of the pot. If you take a large container, you can plant several bulbs in it at once, and, accordingly, you will get more flowers. Tulips can be grown in plastic, ceramic or terracotta pots.
   • A pot with a diameter of 22 centimeters can hold from 2 to 9 tulip bulbs.
   • A pot with a diameter of 55 centimeters holds about 25 medium-sized bulbs.
   • Drainage holes are necessary so that moisture does not accumulate at the bottom of the pot, which can cause rotting of the bulbs.
2. 2 Fill the pot halfway with the perlite and vermiculite mixture intended for indoor plants. Purchase a porous, quick-drying potting mix from your garden supply store or online. Mixtures of perlite and vermiculite are great for tulips. Go outside and gently pour the mixture from the bag into the pot.
   • Potting soil is often better than garden soil because it allows and retains moisture better and contains more nutrients that promote plant growth.
3. 3 Press the bulbs into the soil 2 to 3 centimeters apart. Place the bulbs against the outside wall first, then work your way towards the center of the pot. Press the flat side of the bulbs deep enough to sit firmly in the soil.
   • The sharp ends of the bulbs should point upwards.
   • The more bulbs you plant, the more flowers you get, but this will increase the competition between plants for nutrients and water. If you've planted a lot of bulbs, remember to water and fertilize the plants regularly.
4. 4 Cover the bulbs with a layer of soil 15–20 centimeters thick. Use the same potting soil you used to plant the bulbs for this.If you have placed tulips where wild animals, such as squirrels, can enter, you can cover the pot with wire mesh to prevent the animals from digging up and eating the planted bulbs.
5. 5 Consider adding extra bulbs for a fuller bloom this way. If you want your tulips to have different heights or just have more flowers, you can plant the bulbs in two layers. Simply place a layer of soil 2.5–5 centimeters thick over the bottom bulbs, then plant a second layer of bulbs and cover them with soil. When it's time to bloom, flowers will fill the entire pot.
   • Cover the top bulbs with a layer of soil 15–20 centimeters thick.
   • A second layer of bulbs can be planted directly above the bottom layer.
6. 6 Water the soil after planting. Water the bulbs liberally immediately after planting. Excess water will drain through the drain holes in the bottom of the pot.
   • If you keep a pot of tulips indoors, you should water them about 2-3 times a week.
   • If the pot is outdoors and it rains regularly, there is no need to water the tulips. However, in dry weather it is necessary to water them 2-3 times a week.
7. 7 Leave the pot of bulbs in a cool place for 12-16 weeks. Place the pot in a freezer or basement at 7-13 ° C. Tulips should be dormant before spring blooming. To do this, they must be kept in a cool place.
8. 8 Keep the bulbs at a constant temperature to prevent them from freezing or thawing. Fluctuations in temperature can cause rotting of the bulbs.
   • If you plan to keep your plant pots outdoors, it is best to wait until the outside temperature reaches 7-13 ° C.
   • You can skip this step if you have purchased tulip bulbs that have been cold-conditioned.
9. 9 Transfer the pot of bulbs to a place with a temperature of at least 16-21 ° C. Once the dormant stage is over, the tulips will be ready to bloom under the right conditions. If you keep the pot indoors, place it near a window or other place that gets sunlight. If you plan to grow tulips outdoors, make sure that the outside air warms up to 16-21 ° C.
   • If you are keeping tulips outside and the temperature is 21 ° C, move the pot to shade, such as under a tree or canopy.
10. 10 Wait 1-3 weeks for the tulips to bloom. Tulips should bloom after temperatures rise to 16–21 ° C. Different tulips bloom at different times of the year, so read the descriptions that came with the bulbs and follow the guidelines provided.
    • Early flowering tulip varieties include Foster's tulip, Kaufman's tulip, simple early ones (for example, Cooler Cardinal, Candy Prince), terry early ones (for example, Abba, Monte Carlo, Terry red).
    • Varieties Darwin's hybrids (Russian Princess, Marias Dream), Triumph (Alexander Pushkin, Havran, Denmark) and lily-colored tulips bloom in the middle of the season.
    • Late-flowering varieties include such varieties as parrot tulips, simple late (for example, Shirley, Prince Vladimir), double late (Angelica), fringed tulips, Viridiflora, Rembrandt.

Part 2 of 2: Caring for your tulips

1. 1 Water the tulips as soon as the soil is 2-3 centimeters deep. Water the tulips regularly so that the soil is slightly damp but not wet. To check if the soil is dry, press your finger 2–3 centimeters into it and water the plants if it is dry.
   • If you keep your tulips outdoors, only water them if they haven't rained for a week.
   • Continue watering the bulbs during the dormant period.
2. 2 Keep tulips in the sun for at least 6 hours a day. Tulips need sunlight, but they do not tolerate too high temperatures.Therefore, do not expose them to direct sunlight during spring and summer. If you are growing your tulips indoors, place them near a window to get enough sunlight.
   • You can keep your tulip pots in a partially shaded area, such as under a tree or a canopy, to keep out of direct sunlight.
   • It is not uncommon for potted soil to warm up to higher temperatures than the soil in a garden or vegetable garden.
   • Avoid using dark pots, as they absorb more sunlight, which increases the temperature of the soil.
3. 3 Remove fallen petals and leaves from the pot. Wait 6 weeks for the tulip petals and leaves to turn yellow, then cut them off. Also remove fallen petals and leaves to protect the bulbs from rotting.
   • After removing dead petals, tulips will bloom better the next year.
4. 4 Get rid of sick and pest-infested tulips. If any tulips have stopped growing or are covered with brown or yellow spots, they are probably sick or attacked by pests such as nematodes. To prevent the disease from spreading to other tulips, dig the bulbs of the diseased plants and discard them.
   • Protect tulips from squirrels and other animals by keeping plants indoors, covering the pots with wire mesh, or fencing them off.
   • Common tulip diseases include gray rot, root rot, and typhulosis (fungal disease).
   • Do not plant bulbs with white fungal bloom, otherwise they can infect the rest of the tulips in the pot.
5. 5 If it is so cold outside that frost falls out at night, bring the pot of tulips indoors. If the temperature drops below 0 ° C, the soil in the pot may freeze and the tulips will die. To prevent this from happening, move the pot to a room with a temperature of 7-13 ° C, such as a garage or basement.
   • You can take tulips out again in early spring next year.
6. 6 Every year change potted soil. Use a shovel or garden shovel to carefully scoop up the bulbs to avoid damaging them. After that, discard the old soil from the pot and fill it with fresh soil. This will provide your tulip bulbs with nutrients and increase the likelihood that they will bloom again next season.
   • After you dig up the bulbs for the winter, store them in a cool, dark place, such as the refrigerator, until you are ready to plant again.
   • If you don't want to change the land every year, use a high quality potting mix with compost and fertilizer throughout the year. In this case, it is enough just to sprinkle the soil with compost just before the beginning of the growing season.