How can I replant tulips after they bloom?

Mary Rourk
by Mary Rourk

They were bought in pots they have bloomed and only have the stalks. Do i cut and put bulbs in ground? Help

  7 answers
  • Gk Gk on Apr 10, 2019

    You can save the bulbs and plant them in the fall in your garden. They should come up in the spring and every spring thereafter! https://homeguides.sfgate.com/can-save-potted-tulip-bulbs-75129.html

  • CJ CJ on Apr 10, 2019

    I have tried planting tulips that were purchased in a pot and didn't have much luck, perhaps Gk's suggestion of planting them in the ground in the fall is better than planting them outside in the spring as I did.

    Do not cut the green parts back! Bulbs store energy produced by the leaves. Removing the leaves too soon will adversely affect next year's bloom. Take care of your tulips like any houseplant, water and keep in the sunlight as long as there is green in the leaves. You can take them outside or keep inside. Once the leaves turn brown and are easy to lift off remove and discard. You can reduce watering until late summer then allow the bulbs to dry and go dormant late in summer. Place in the ground in the fall, sprinkle with some bone meal, cover with soil and allow nature to care for them through the winter.

    Good luck!

  • Teri | T. Moore Home Teri | T. Moore Home on Apr 10, 2019

    I agree with Gk. Just wait until the fall and plant them. Bulbs are super hardy and come back year after year!

  • SM SM on Apr 10, 2019

    I have planted them at this stage. When the foliage is totally dead, cut it off. They will bloom again next spring.

  • Rosario Genis Valdez Rosario Genis Valdez on Apr 10, 2019

    I totally agree, they do come back next year if you transfer them from the pot to the ground just, not spring time, for the ground might still be frozen !!!

  • Mindshift Mindshift on Apr 10, 2019

    Cut back on watering. Let the bulbs die back naturally. Don't cut off the foliage; they need the energy from the leaves for next year's growth. In order to bloom, most tulips require a period of cold. In the south that means putting them into a paper bag and setting them in the bottom of the refrigerator for 6 weeks. Don't store them with any fruits or vegetables as the gases given off could cause rot in the tulips. The refrigerator treatment can be used if you want to force the bulbs, too. Outside, plant them in the ground in early December in the south or before the ground freezes in northern areas. Adding a fertilizer for bulbs is a good idea and mandatory if you force them.

  • Margot Lynn Margot Lynn on Apr 11, 2019

    Biu go smile