How to Plant Potted Tulips
- 1). Fill a container part way with potting soil purchased from a garden center. Or, make your own with 1 part garden soil, 1 part perlite and 1 part peat moss. Fill with enough soil so when the bulbs are placed on top of the soil, the tips are 1/2-inch from the rim.
- 2). Layer the bulbs on top of the soil with the tips facing upward. Set the bulbs close to one another but not touching. In general, five to seven tulip bulbs will fit in a 6-inch pot.
- 3). Fill the pot with more soil until the bulbs are covered but their tips are sticking up out of the soil.
- 4). Water the tulips slowly; when the water seeps out the drainage holes, stop. You can also set the container in a pot of water and when the water is absorbed all the way to the soil's surface, remove it.
- 5). Chill the bulbs for 12 to 16 weeks in an area that is between 40 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit. In an outdoor trench (cover with 3 inches of straw), in the basement or in a refrigerator may be good locations for you. If you place them in the refrigerator, put the pot in a sealed plastic bag first because ripening fruit can let off a gas that will sterilize your bulbs and prevent them from blooming. To circulate new air in, open the bag once a month for a couple hours.
- 6). Remove the potted tulip bulbs from cold storage and set them in an area with indirect light that is between 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. This is only temporary, until the shoots turn green, usually in five to six days.
- 7). Move the potted tulips to a sunny area that is ideally between 60 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit. If you place the bulbs outdoors, bring them inside if temperatures are predicted to dip below 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the soil moist, and they should bloom in three to four weeks.