Expert: Kenneth Joergensen - 10/19/2006

Question
My neice has requested yellow tulips for her July wedding(2007) I read your
previous comments on forcing them so my question is -can tulips be kept after
they sprout and before they bloom in the refridgerator say, from April til early
july? I was planning to plant them in November then cut them just before they
bloom and try to keep them until it is time to make her arrangements.

Answer
Cut flowers do not last long, so your best bet is to control the time to flower. As a general rule: it is easier to speed up the process (within reason) than slowing it down, so access to a refrigerator specifically for this purpose (such as one that you keep in your garage and which you can dedicate temporarily for this purpose) is recommended.

Plant the tulips in pot and moisten the soil. The soil should be damp but never saturated/soaked (e.g. no standing water).

After planting the bulbs need their cold treatment, which varies from 12 to 16 weeks, (14 weeks is a good choice .. remember that you can always speed up the process) by temperatures between the 35 to 45 degree F. I would go with a target of 35F. You can keep them longer, but not much longer.

As mentioned, ideally use an old household refrigerator or as long as you do not have any fruit or vegetables, at the same time as you have the bulbs in it because the fruit and vegetables releases ethylene gas which harms the bulbs.

Remember, the bulbs must be stored dark and cool.

After approximately 14 weeks take the bulbs indoors and place them in a cool sunny location around 50 to 60 F

As soon as the bulbs start to grow and their leaves begin to expand the pots or containers can be moved to a warmer location. The warmer the temperatures the faster the flowers will bloom (do not give more than 75-80F)

Once flower heads start to show color, it works the way that to prolong blooming time place the container where they get good light (no direct sun) but as cold as possible. Place cold at night, if possible, to extend flowering time. This is going to be your biggest headache in July as temperatures are probably so hot that they will bloom fast before you get them ready for the wedding.

You could place the bulbs (unplanted) in the fridge at 33F until end of February/early March. Then pot up and place in refrigerator at 35F with moist soil for 13-15 weeks and then bring out about 2-3 weeks before wedding. If you notice that growth is too fast (leaves fold out completely and flower stalks enlarge) then you can move to colder room (if available). Remember: it is easier to speed up the process after leaves appear than it is to slow it down.

Despite the advice given above, my recommendation would clearly be for you to buy cut tulips from a florist as the timing at home in early summer will be extremely hard to control, and I would just hate if you ended up with flowers 2 weeks before the wedding, or inadequate growth on the day itself. It is not an easy task for target a specific date.

-- Kenneth