Want to know how to keep potted tulips alive? Thankfully, it’s easy to plant and grow tulips. These beautiful flowers grow and bloom at the end of winter and early spring, bringing a splash of color to winter gardens.
Top Tips for Planting and Growing Potted Tulips
Tulips can be successfully planted in pots and garden beds. Potted tulips need the same amount of care, placement, and planting times as the ones planted in garden beds if you want them to bloom in the spring.
Here are some of the tips you need to keep in mind when planting and growing potted tulips:
Planting
Choose a small pot (about 6 inches in diameter) and fill it halfway with moistened soil. Place the bulbs on top of the soil with the pointy ends an inch beneath the pot’s rim. Space the bulbs an inch apart from one another and then top it off with potting soil.
Water
Water the tulips’ soil until it’s moist, but not soggy. Place the pot inside a plastic bag, seal it, and store it in a cool, dry place with an ideal temperature of 35 to 48 degrees F. You can even place them in a refrigerator if the outdoor temperatures are too warm. Only water your tulips when the soil is dry to the touch.
Preparing for blooms
Take the pots out of the storage and remove the bag once you see shoots grow. Place the pots in a sunny location with a temperature of 50 to 70 degrees F. Water your plants when the surface dries and water until you see it drain at the bottom of the pot.
Let it drain for 30 minutes before taking the drip tray underneath the pot. Indoor plants need to be watered once or twice a week, while outdoor pots may need daily watering.
After the blooms fade
Remove each tulip flower once they’ve bloomed and get rid of other bulbs that didn’t. Since tulips don’t usually survive a second year when grown in pots, you can transplant them to a garden bed.
Other Tips to Keep in Mind
Here are some of the tips to keep in mind when taking care of potted tulips:
Choose the right pot for your flowers
One thing you need to ensure is that you choose the right pots for your plants. These pots should have proper drainage because if your flowers sit in water for a long time, they’ll most likely rot. You can also use the bark for additional drainage. Place the bark at the bottom of the pot allowing air to flow and prevent rotting.
Give them proper TLC
A group of tulips is more eye-catching than a single bloom. For the best results, you can plant them an inch apart from each other or add a different type of flower, like daffodils, in between. Remember not to overwater your tulips, add fertilizer, and make sure they get enough sunlight. Once your flowers bloom, the same rules apply when cleaning the bulbs and leaves.
Never overwater
For indoor potted tulips, there are two things you need to remember: do not overwater them and place them near a sunny window to ensure proper growth.
Why Should You Grow Your Plants Inside a Hobby Greenhouse?
Greenhouses provide many benefits for your plants and here are some of them:
Protect your plants from insects and larger animals
Aphids, caterpillars, thrips, spider mites, as well as rodents, moles, squirrels and deer would love to munch on your leaves, flowers, and produce. To keep your plants safe from these critters, you can place them inside a hobby greenhouse. It’ll also help to add screens and traps to further prevent them from entering your greenhouse.
A constant supply of carbon dioxide
A greenhouse allows you to control the air movement inside, so you’ll be able to continually supply carbon dioxide to your plants. While outdoor plants get plenty of carbon dioxide, carefully placing fans throughout your greenhouse presses the air closer to the foliage to improve photosynthesis. If your plants receive enough carbon dioxide, they’ll produce larger leaves, stronger stems, and they may even flower and produce fruit early.
But keep in mind that there should be enough ventilation when you’re trying to increase carbon dioxide levels. Otherwise, your plants will use the CO2 to transfer oxygen into the air.
Control the temperature
Outdoor temperatures easily fluctuate, subjecting your plants to stress, which could halt their growth. You can customize your greenhouse by adding heating and cooling systems, air ventilation, and other equipment that can help alter the growing environment inside the greenhouse.
Protect your plants from bad weather
A greenhouse keeps your plants safe from harsh weather conditions, such as thunderstorms, heavy rain, high winds, and excessive heat. Bad weather can easily damage your plants if left unprotected, especially the most delicate ones. The walls of your greenhouse can conveniently shield your plants from the effect of extreme weather changes.
Final Thoughts on How to Keep Potted Tulips Alive
It’s important to know how to keep potted tulips alive because these beautiful flowers can easily liven up any space. These flowers respond well to forcing – a process that encourages flowers to bloom earlier than usual or to flower in warmer climates where winter cold cannot break the dormancy. Once your tulips bloom, make sure to give them proper TLC by watering them, feeding them, and making sure they get enough sunlight.