NEVER Plant Tulips Like This | 5 Common Tulip Planting Mistakes, by Petal & Pod on YouTube. 19 min 17 s.
- Video length
- 19 min 17 s
- Time to do it
- 45 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Pick bulbs that feel firm and heavy, with no soft spots, mould or dark patches. Skip any that are light, squishy or already sprouting.
Wait until the soil has cooled in fall, roughly when nights drop near freezing and about six weeks before your first hard frost. Check your local frost date or ask a garden center.
Plant bulbs about three times their own height deep. In heavy clay go slightly shallower, in sandy soil slightly deeper, and keep the pointed end up.
Test drainage before you plant. Dig a hole about 30 cm deep, fill it with water and see if it drains within a few hours. If it stays soggy, pick another spot or raise the bed.
For pots, use a deep pot with drainage holes and fill it with fresh potting mix. Set bulbs in a cluster of one color rather than single lonely rows, spacing them about two bulb widths apart.
Mix early and late blooming varieties in the same bed or pot so you get flowers over a longer stretch of spring.
Cover the planted area with chicken wire pinned down with garden pegs, or use wire bulb cages in pots. Add a thin layer of mulch on top.
Water once after planting and then leave the bulbs alone unless the soil gets very dry. Do not waterlog the pots over winter.
In spring, let the green leaves stay on the plant until they turn yellow and die back. Do not cut them early or tie them up.
Tips and common mistakes
Planting too early in warm soil makes bulbs sprout before winter and gives weak flowers.
Soggy soil rots bulbs faster than cold does, so fix drainage before you plant anything.
Squirrels dig up freshly planted bulbs within days, so pin the wire down right after planting.
Keep bulbs away from pets, since tulip and daffodil bulbs can make them sick.
Questions
How deep should I plant tulip bulbs?
Aim for about three times the bulb's height of soil above the top. In heavy clay go a little shallower and in sandy soil a little deeper.
Can I plant tulip bulbs in pots on a balcony?
Yes, use a deep pot with drainage holes and fresh potting mix. Cover the top with wire so animals cannot dig the bulbs out.
When should I plant tulips in fall?
Plant once the soil has cooled, around six weeks before your first hard frost. Your local garden center or extension office can give you the date for your area.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
