If you need to Dig up your bulbs:
- Snap Seed pod off after bloom
- Let Tulips Die Down, let leaves die off naturally
- Dig Up after leaves have died off
- Store in a cool dry place with air flow
1. Snap Seed pod off
When you take the flower head, seed pod off the stem you are letting the bulb know that it can start taking nutrients from the leaves back for a healthier bulb.
Healthy BulbsBad Bulbs
After blooming and the plant have dried down, the bulb keeps track of heat units. When they receive enough, a flower is formed for the coming season (for tulips, sometime in late July).
Flower bulbs are nature’s natural computer chips. They record the season’s temperature, moisture and air quality and when certain requirements are met, specific things happen. For example, when you plant your bulbs in the fall, a certain amount of moisture is needed for the roots to emerge. During the winter, most spring flowering bulbs need a certain amount of cold units before they will bloom.
2. Let Tulips Die Down
To best care for your bulbs, the leaves MUST be left alone until they are dry. The foliage manufactures the food that is being stored in the bulb for NEXT year’s flower.
Bulbs are actually a storage organ that helps the plant inside survive dormant periods.
- Sprinkle the seeds of wallflowers or Forget-Me-Not’s over your bulb planting in the fall. These fast growing plants will cover the leaves of the bulbs once the flower is gone in the spring.
3. Dig Up
June is a good time to lift tulips. Once the foliage on the plant has turned brown and dried, the bulbs are ready to be dug. Use a garden fork rather than a shovel to help minimize the risk of digging through any bulbs.
Tulips in cooler locations (hardiness zones 8 and under) do not have to be dug every year. To keep tulips healthy and productive, dig most tulips every three years.
Tulips do not like to be crowded, the more bulbs in their hole the smaller the bulbs become each year, and the fewer flowers that are produced.
Small bulbs produce only leaves, but if replanted and cared for, the small bulbs grow into larger bulbs that produce flowers the following year. In other words, if you have lots of leaves and little flowers it is time to dig up the bulbs and spread them out so they have room to get big enough to produce a flower.
If you only have a few leaves and small flowers the bulbs are probably getting too much water over the summer.
4. Store
Once the bulb is lifted from the ground clean off the old roots, they should separate easily from the cluster of bulbs. Separate all the bulbs; there may be different sizes and numbers under each plant.
Different varieties of tulips produce bulbs in different amounts and sizes. Of course, some years the weather may also affect your production. It is important that the bulbs are completely dry before storing or they will rot. To dry bulbs, put on a mesh tray in the shade outside for a day or two before storing them.
Store the bulbs for the summer in mesh bags, for plenty of air circulation, hung up in a cool place. An open box of wood or cardboard can be used also, but mice may more easily invade an open box.
The bulbs are alive and will suffer damage if stored in plastic or in boxes filled more than five inches in depth with bulbs. Good air circulation in storage is also important and never ever store in an airtight container. Keep the temperature below 90 F for best flowers in the spring.
