How to care for potted tulips. Pots of brightly colored tulips provide a burst of color in the darkening months of winter and into spring.
Tulips respond well to force, which is the process of encouraging them to bloom earlier than their natural cycle or in a climate where they wouldn’t otherwise experience temperatures cold enough to break dormancy.
This process normally takes around 10 weeks at between 35 and 48 degrees Fahrenheit. Planting tulips in pots allows you to provide this cold treatment as necessary and without killing off all your plants in the process.
How to care for potted tulips
Spring means the beginning of bulbs blooming especially tulips.
Tulips can be seen in public parks, floral shops, grocery stores, or even gifted to teachers on Teachers’ Day.
It’s peak tulip season now, so check out these fun facts about the most popular spring bulb to learn more about them.
These include tips for caring for tulips in the pot including what type of soil is best and how much sun they like.
Pick the Right Pot
Fill a 6-inch diameter pot halfway with potting soil. Place the tulip bulbs on top of the soil with the tips of their roots 1 inch beneath the rim. Space them an inch apart in the pot.
Fill up with more soil to plant all of your chosen bulbs. Now compact them using your hands, being careful not to damage any of them in the process since you don’t want any damage from taking place during shipping either.
Simply add Water
Water the soil until it becomes moist. Store the pot in a plastic bag, and seal it closed. Place the spot in a 35 to 48 F location for 10 weeks, like inside your home’s refrigerator if outdoor temperatures are too high.
Never water the soil unless the dirt becomes really dry or has been gone over ten weeks by then.
Getting ready for Blooms
After storage, take the pot from cold storage from the bag. Take out the pot once shoots have started to emerge. Set it in a warm location with full sunlight.
Once the soil surface dries, water tulips and keep watering them until you see moisture coming out after 30 mins.
Empty collected water from under the pot. Water outdoor pots daily and indoor plants can be watered twice a week.
Flowers fade after a while
Tulips should be removed once they have bloomed because they will not survive the second year of growth in the same container.
Most people are unaware that tulips actually grow from bulbs, and these can be moved to other locations if you’re lucky enough to have another sunny garden bed where they can bloom again later in the year after the foliage has started to yellow and fade.
Be sure to dispose of any bulbs that do not transplant successfully as once a tulip has spent time successfully blooming in the ground it will most likely never bloom again when planted in another pot or container.
Final Tips
It takes approximately 14 weeks for potted tulips to flower, so it’s recommended that you plant them around 14 weeks before you want blooms.
If a second flowering season is desired, apply fertilizer with higher phosphorus and potassium levels when the florets of the previous one have begun to fade away.
Potted tulips don’t require much care, because they get all the nutrients they need from the bulbs during their first flowering season.
How to care for potted tulips
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