Expert: Kenneth Joergensen - 4/6/2006

Question
I was recently given a pot of tulips, a beautiful yellow. Living in Florida I don't think they will bloom outside because of the wet summers.  Is there any way I can replant them in a pot next year?  How can I preserve them over the summer and winter?

Thank you for your help.

Answer
Tulips are not easy to keep for another season, and especially in Florida this is very very difficult.

Tulips need a vernalization period (cooling period) of 15-18 weeks below 40F in order to bloom next year.

Most tulips, however, are hybridized to the point where they only last a few seasons. This is especially true with tulips purchased in a pot. Even giving the best of conditions you could maybe get another year of blooms, but there is also a risk that you only get leaves and no flowers. The problems start with the bulbs splitting into two smaller bulbs which are too small to flower (this is how tulips propagate, e.g. mulitply in nature).

If you want to give it a try you would need to do following.

- cut flower stem off but do not cut the leaves

- grow the leaves cool but sunny for the next few months to ensure that the bulbs get plenty of time to recharge energy for next year. 4 weeks at 50-60F is ideal. You can give the bulbs higher temperatures, but typically the foliage lasts a shorter period of time (less time to recharge) but work with what you have. Water every week with a liquid houseplant fertilizer at full strength.

- Once the leaves have died back entirely, gradually start to withhold water. In 2-3 weeks you should no longer be watering.

- Dig up flower bulbs another 4 weeks later. If they have split into smaller bulbs (less than golf ball size) then you might as well dischard them. If the bulbs are still large, then you can store them dry and cool. I prefer to store them in the fridge in an onion sack (for ventilation). Keep cut flowers and fresh fruit out of the fridge as the ethylene released can sterilize the bulbs.

- 3 months before you want flowers again, plant in flower pots and put the pots in the fridge at temperatures of 35-36F. This temperature will keep the plants from growing but you will accomplish the vernalization (cooling) requirement.

- Remove pot from fridge 15-18 weeks after start of cooling and then place cool and sunny (50-60F). In 4-6 weeks leaves will start to grow and you will get flowers shortly after.

Of course, most people dischard tulips now and buy a new pot next year (a lot easier).

In cooler climates, like my New Jersey, we leave the tulips in the ground and the cold winters will handle the vernalization automatically. You can not do this in Florida, however (too warm). However, you can then grow a number of tropical plants of which we can only dream !!!

-- Kenneth