I just picked up some tulips at Fry's for $0.25 due to the flowers being done. Can I stick them in the ground now and wait for next spring or should I store them? As always thanks!
P.S. Sorry for not being around much. I have school going and am really busy with the PTO at Rose's school as well as a big part of a political action committee trying to get an override passed before the schools lose more teachers. Things should calm down soon here. Really miss you all!
Tulip bulbs
Did you buy enough for everyone?
LOL! Sorry! I bought 4 but it looks like there is more than one bulb in each, as they multiply I will gladly share =o)
Welcome back, Christina! And yay for you, working to make our schools a good place for kids to go and learn.
I've never done tulips, but my understanding is that they won't survive our summer heat. I would store them til the fall, plant them then and enjoy them as an annual in spring 2011. I'll be interested to hear if anyone has had any success with them!
Hi! I plant tulips every year. (What can I say? I'm part Dutch!) I've always bought fresh bulbs each year since I was always told that our summer heat would kill the bulbs. However...when I moved into my current house almost three years ago, I brought my just finished blooming tulips still in their pots with me and stored the pots at the side of the house figuring I would get around to cleaning them up later. Well, I ended up forgetting about them. The next year when I went out to clean up those pots finally, the pots that had been upright and rained on had tulips almost in bloom! The flowers were smaller than the first year bloom, but they were there alright! I didn't save those bulbs though because when I dug them up after bloom they were starting to mold.
This year I planted 300 tulips in my backyard border and they're all about an inch high now. I can't wait for them to all be in bloom! I'm considering digging some when they're through blooming and storing them indoors for the summer, but I might just leave them in the ground and see what happens. When I planted them, I put bulb fertilizer in the soil and when they're done blooming I'll give them another dose. My only concern with leaving them in the ground is the cold period they require. I always refrigerate my tulips and hyacinths for at least 8 weeks before planting. Guess we'll wait and see!
I would suggest that you let the foliage die naturally on your plants, then dig the bulbs up, clean them as well as possible without damaging the outer skin (if the roots are dry go ahead and brush them off too), store them somewhere indoors that's dry and coolish, then pop them in the fridge by October 1st at the latest for planting by December 1st. You can force them indoors and have bloom within six weeks (usually, depends on your indoor temps) or plant them outside in December for bloom in late February or early March. They do well in pots that get filtered all day sun or good morning sun and late afternoon shade. I generally water potted bulbs every other day; don't let them dry out completely, but don't let them soak either as they'll mold - good drainage is important in pots. Since you're attempting to re-flower, I would suggest you give them a dose of bulb fertilizer now (if the foliage is still green) and then again when planted.
Wow that was long! I guess you get the picture of just how much of a tulip fanatic I am! Good luck, and if you have any other questions on bulbs feel free to ask. Tulips are my favorites, but I grow hyacinths, crocus, daffodils, narcissus, amaryllis, alliums, and muscari too.
Julie
Great info, Julie! Thanks for the post! When you get blooms, will you please post pictures? We love pictures!
Awesome info Julie, thanks!!! I love fanatics!!! I'll do as you suggested, the foliage is still dying away and will store them after that.
On a side note, I left my hyacinth bulbs in the ground for two years and got blooms each year =o) They are starting to sprout again, here's to hoping they don't require digging up! Gotta get back to the kids, thanks again for the info!!!
I'm glad I could be of help; let me know how it turns out. I'm glad to hear about your luck with your hyacinths too. Right now I'm feeling really lazy about digging everything up and am leaning very strongly towards leaving them all where they are.
A little funny note - when I planted my tulips in the border this year, I was about four weeks pregnant and didn't know it yet. My husband left for work while I was outside and locked me out of the house! I had to scale our back wall and go to a neighbor's house to use their phone to call him at work to come back and let me in the house. I got to meet this particular neighbor for the first time while in my grubby gardening clothes, no makeup, hair thrown into a ponytail, and dirt everywhere. After calling him, I scaled that back wall again and got back to work, just to get pretty sick (that preggo thing kicking in) and have to stop. I didn't get around to planting the hyacinths and they're still sitting in a box on the back porch - they're on this Thursday's list to be planted finally! Wish me luck!
Julie
Good luck, Julie! I'm still behind on planting my bulbs up here in CO...
Must be the year--mine went in just a couple weeks ago, but I'm actually seeing some growth!
I've been hesitant to try tulips here, since they are critter food. Planted a few of the pale yellow Sancerre in fall.
Good Luck with the tulips. Do you guys need to prechill?
I think I have some specie tulips coming back again. I will know for sure when what ever is coming up blooms. No prechill here witht he species.
I see my daffs have a good lee-way of coming up. There about 5 inches or higher out of the ground. Will prolly bloom in March. Yeah!!!
Alan
ha ha ha - Marie's pop-up garden strikes again, eh?
Generally for me the tulips come up the 2nd year, but no blooms :( Unless of course I take them out and chill them in the fall, then replant. That's too much work!
Alan
Yes it has!! I posted something over in bulbs that I cannot figure out what it is for the life of me.
Ha ha ha - gotta go take a look at your mystery plant....
Quote from JSkrypt :
Hi! I plant tulips every year. (What can I say? I'm part Dutch!) I've always bought fresh bulbs each year since I was always told that our summer heat would kill the bulbs. However...when I moved into my current house almost three years ago, I brought my just finished blooming tulips still in their pots with me and stored the pots at the side of the house figuring I would get around to cleaning them up later. Well, I ended up forgetting about them. The next year when I went out to clean up those pots finally, the pots that had been upright and rained on had tulips almost in bloom! The flowers were smaller than the first year bloom, but they were there alright! I didn't save those bulbs though because when I dug them up after bloom they were starting to mold.
This year I planted 300 tulips in my backyard border and they're all about an inch high now. I can't wait for them to all be in bloom! I'm considering digging some when they're through blooming and storing them indoors for the summer, but I might just leave them in the ground and see what happens. When I planted them, I put bulb fertilizer in the soil and when they're done blooming I'll give them another dose. My only concern with leaving them in the ground is the cold period they require. I always refrigerate my tulips and hyacinths for at least 8 weeks before planting. Guess we'll wait and see!
I would suggest that you let the foliage die naturally on your plants, then dig the bulbs up, clean them as well as possible without damaging the outer skin (if the roots are dry go ahead and brush them off too), store them somewhere indoors that's dry and coolish, then pop them in the fridge by October 1st at the latest for planting by December 1st. You can force them indoors and have bloom within six weeks (usually, depends on your indoor temps) or plant them outside in December for bloom in late February or early March. They do well in pots that get filtered all day sun or good morning sun and late afternoon shade. I generally water potted bulbs every other day; don't let them dry out completely, but don't let them soak either as they'll mold - good drainage is important in pots. Since you're attempting to re-flower, I would suggest you give them a dose of bulb fertilizer now (if the foliage is still green) and then again when planted.
Wow that was long! I guess you get the picture of just how much of a tulip fanatic I am! Good luck, and if you have any other questions on bulbs feel free to ask. Tulips are my favorites, but I grow hyacinths, crocus, daffodils, narcissus, amaryllis, alliums, and muscari too.
Julie
So do you think I can just leave them (bulbs daffs) in the pots and just put the pots with the daffs in in a cool dark place until the fall and put the pots out in late fall? Wouldnt that be the same as digging them up (removing them from the pots) and repotting/planting in the fall? Thx, Nehalem neighbor.