How to Plant and Care for Potted Tulips

It’s worth keeping in mind that tulips bloom longest and best at temperatures lower than 60 degrees; at 68 degrees Fahrenheit, the blooms only last a few days. So for the longest bloom period, you’ll want to grow your tulips in the coolest part of your house. Planting tulip bulbs in containers isn’t all that different from planting them out in the garden, with a couple of important differences. The beautiful flowers of these showy bulbs come in almost every colour imaginable, from pale pastels to hot, vibrant shades. They are perfect for adding colour to borders in April and May and grow very well in pots.

Tulip fire (Botrytis tulipae) is a fungal disease that is particularly bad in wet seasons as the spores are spread by wind and rain. The symptoms include distorted and stunted shoots and leaves, and unsightly brown blotches all over the plant. If your plants are affected, remove and burn them and avoid planting tulips on the same site for at least two years. Planting tulip bulbs from November should help reduce the risk of the disease. If you’d like to get a head start on spring, you can get your tulips to break dormancy as soon as their 14 week nap is complete. This is because the ground does not hold moisture as much as pots do, ensuring that the bulbs do not sit in excess water between waterings.

How much space will usually be relative to the size and age of the bulb, but plan to look for containers with a minimum diameter of 18 inches and a minimum height of 15 inches. A pot with a wide, flat bottom works best for tulips since it’s not likely to tip over when the tulips get top-heavy with blooms. The pot should be 6 to 8 inches deep, with a tray or saucer to catch water. Ceramic, clay, plastic, or metal pots can all work for growing indoor tulips. At this point, dig out the bulbs and store them in a warm, dry location until outdoor planting time. Choosing a smaller container will probably not kill the plant, but it will not make it thrive.

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Additionally, the ground gives the plant’s roots more space to expand, creating a firmer foundation for the elongated flowers. When you plant tulip bulbs, especially potted bulbs, the concern for pests is increased. Unfortunately, pests such as slugs can easily ruin your precious tulips. Keep in mind that Tulips need a period of dormancy in order to bloom.

When working with a peat light mix, plant a bit deeper–especially in the light mixes bulbs may pop out of the soil when growing. I place seven bulbs per pot, making sure the flat side of the bulb is facing the wall of the pot. Proper arrangement of the bulbs is essential, as the results are well-balanced pots of self-supporting plants.

Growing tulips in containers, however, lets you skip most of these frustrations. In pots, tulips are eye-catching, portable, and protected. All gardeners—regardless of whether or not they’ve had success growing tulips in-ground—should give this simple technique a try. Fill your containers with potting mix purchased from a nursery, not with soil from your garden. Potting mix will give your tulips a nutritional boost, the best possible drainage, and a manageable container weight.

Many gardeners plant new bulbs each autumn to ensure a good display. If you’re growing tulips in pots, you need to plant fresh bulbs each year. Tulips make for a beautiful indoor or outdoor potted plant that can bloom yearly if planted and cared for correctly.

Prepare Containers Before Planting

In this article, gardening expert Natalie Leiker walks through how to grow Marigolds in pots or containers in just a few simple steps. At this point, place your containers in a sunny location and begin watering regularly. You should begin to see blooms in 1 to 3 weeks, depending on which variety you’ve planted and how the weather behaves. If you learn that a cold snap is coming, move them back into a protected area or bring them inside until the risk of freezing temperatures has passed. Many of us are accustomed to growing tulips in the ground. So much so, that some gardeners have the process down to a science.

While tulips can survive in a pot with the right conditions and care, they tend to thrive more in the ground. There are several methods of planting tulips that give them an excellent opportunity to grow and thrive all summer long. If you’d rather not plant your tulips in a pot, you can try one of these methods instead. Pots are held at this temperature until the required optimal chilling requirement is met. The total amount of time of all cooler stages (S) should be equal to the optimal vernalization requirement (OVR).

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The earliest delivery date for Dutch-grown tulip bulbs is September. This does not allow enough time for growing a high-quality crop. The frequency of watering depends on whether we keep our bulbs indoors or outdoors. In the first case, you need to water 2 or 3 times a week. If the bulbs are outside, watering is not necessary as long as it rains more or less regularly. Sufficient water is especially important for tulips in early spring and late winter, because it helps them to prepare for flowering.

But there are still a handful of reasons why we may choose to grow them in containers. Some gardeners just don’t have the yard space, and some of us just don’t have the energy to dig a few dozen holes in the ground. Some of us would like to brighten up a balcony or porch, and some of us just can’t wait for spring. You can create an ideal soil mixture for your tulips by mixing traditional potting soil with sand.

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It’s a good idea to plant tulips behind perennials in a border – their emerging foliage will conceal the foliage of the tulips as they die back. Improve heavy clay or sandy soils by incorporating plenty of well-rotted organic matter before planting. If your soil is especially heavy, you could add some horticultural grit to the bottom of the planting hole. Place the planter in a cool garage, buried in the ground (can use chicken wire to cover pots from animals), or in a spare refrigerator (with no fruit in it). Whether chilled outdoors or in the fridge, tulip bulbs need 8-13 weeks in a temperature range of 40°-50°F (4°-10°C) to root and develop properly. Generally speaking, tulips will fare better in larger containers that are roughly as tall as they are wide.

If they are confined too much, they will not grow properly, and a plant that doesn’t thrive will not give enough flowers, if it blooms at all. Because of this, make sure not to choose a pot that is smaller than the minimum measurements highlighted above. You can mix your own potting mix, or use your favorite store-bought mix. There are over a dozen types of tulip, with varying flower heights and shapes, that flower at slightly different times in spring. Flowering times depend on the weather conditions and can vary from year to year.

Container and Size

These flowers come in dozens of varieties, require little maintenance compared to other plants, and bloom beautifully after you plant them. However, many people wonder if you can eave tulip bulbs in pots and keep them there or if they need to replant tulips in the ground eventually. You can grow pot for tulips virtually any bulb in containers, and you can mix different types of bulbs, too. Start with a container with drainage holes so excess water can escape, and plant your bulbs in the fall. Most spring-blooming bulbs prefer well-drained soil and will rot and die if they stay too wet for too long.

• We recommend using a mixture of tall and short tulips in several different colors to create a visual contrast within your window box.
• This could be a sign of a Fusarium infestation of the bulbs.
• The best time to pot up tulips is in early fall, the same as if you were planting them in the ground.
• There’s no harm, however, in experimenting with taller or more exotic types, such as Parrot and Viridiflora.

Because they are spring flowers, in the winter you can store potted tulips in an unheated garage. If you have bulbs that you want to plant in the future, but it’s not time, place your bulbs in a paper bag and a cool place like the refrigerator. Be careful not to place them next to fruits and vegetables as they give off ethylene gas as they ripen.

They really have that wow factor that you are looking for, making their appearance in the spring a very welcomed site. Sales representatives can be very helpful in cultivar selection for your market segment. I have spent several years working with a number of suppliers before finding companies I am comfortable with. I keep records of bulb quality, reliability and customer service. Tulips are sunny plants and need plenty of light to be healthy. Tulips can also do well in partial shade as long as there is good ambient light nearby.

Today, they are a national icon and the foremost-recognized product of The Netherlands. First, we can remove the wilted part of the plant and dig up the bulbs to store them in a cool and dry place until they are planted again next year. Enjoy the blooms and don’t let the potting soil dry out. Tulips make good cut flowers and have a good vase life — they will continue to grow in the water. Avoid mixing daffodils and tulips in a vase as the daffodils let out a substance that can prevent the tulips from taking up water.