The Tulips are Blooming!

Not such a novel thing for those in zone 8 and above; but down here in zone 9b, it’s quite a feat! So, how did a central Floridian come up with these beauties?

By forcing them. Tulips need winter to come up in the spring.  My 150 total count of tulips wintered for 5 weeks in the crisper drawer.

Giving up valuable fridge space was a debate, with the holiday season approaching (they entered the drawer mid November) I wasn't sure I could afford the space.   I also didn't want the hubby to mistake them for onions or garlic, but he's not much of a drawer digger or cook so no tulip soup ever transpired.  Luckily,  one less crisper drawer through the holiday season didn’t end up being an issue, and I’d say the result was worth the wait!

How to force Tulips:


~  Make sure you order in the fall (bulbs aren’t available year round and you need to winter them 
     pretty soon after they arrive)


~  Choose a reputable online dealer; you’re not going to find tulip bulbs anywhere in retail stores in 
    FL; I ordered mine from White Flower Farms.


~  Make sure you have dedicated space for wintering them; they can’t get wet while sitting in their 
    drawer. 


~  Chill time:   I wouldn’t cut it shorter than 5 weeks of “winter” – I have another batch that were 
    planted with 8 weeks of "winter".  More than 10 weeks may be a little too much "winter", plus you 
    need them in the dirt outside before we get into consistent weather that tulips consider hot (80+ 
    degrees).

Two options for planting: Direct in Ground or Potted

Direct in ground: make sure you dig deeply. These bulbs need around 6” of soil/mulch mix on top of them. Expect them to take about 3-4 weeks to begin to surface. They can be planted pretty close together as close as 4-5 inches apart, but not two in same hole, if digging individually. Once you place bulb in hole, pack the dirt down. I dug 50 of my small holes, set in the bulbs, covered them, and then walked up and down on top of where I planted them to really tamp the dirt down.

Potted: you need to have at least 3” of soil underneath the bulb for root formation. You can plant very closely together (within a quarter inch of each bulb) but no closer. Cover bulbs completely; 2" of soil on top of bulb is sufficient.  Potted tulips will begin to surface more quickly than in ground, about 2.5 weeks or so. If your pots are inside, be sure not to over water them as you don’t want the bulbs to rot. The soil should be damp, but not muddy or dripping. A good watering method for indoors is to add a few ice cubes to the dirt every other day or so, letting them melt into the soil.