How to handle tulip bulbs and plant them in pots, by Lotus Garden on YouTube. 2 min 1 s.
- Video length
- 2 min 1 s
- Time to do it
- 20 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Check each bulb and discard any that are soft, mouldy or damaged. Firm, papery bulbs give the best flowers.
Choose a pot at least 20 cm wide with drainage holes. Cover the holes with crocks or a layer of gravel so water can escape.
Fill the pot about two thirds full with free-draining potting compost. Break up any lumps as you go.
Place bulbs pointed end up, spaced about one bulb width apart. Do not let them touch each other or the pot sides.
Cover the bulbs with compost to about twice their own height. Leave a 2 cm gap below the rim for watering.
Press the compost down gently and water until it runs out of the drainage holes.
Put the pot somewhere cool and sheltered, and keep the compost slightly moist through winter.
Move the pot into sun when green shoots appear, and water when the top of the compost feels dry.
Tips and common mistakes
Plant tulips in late autumn, when the soil is cold, to reduce the risk of bulb rot.
Never let the pot sit in a saucer of water, or the bulbs will rot.
Squirrels dig up bulbs, so cover the pot with mesh or a layer of grit until shoots appear.
Questions
How deep should I plant tulip bulbs in a pot?
Cover them with compost to about twice the bulb's height, roughly 10 to 15 cm deep. Leave a small gap below the rim so you can water without spilling.
Can I leave tulip bulbs in the pot all year?
You can, but flowering is usually best in the first spring. After the leaves die back, lift the bulbs and store them dry, or tip them out and start with fresh bulbs next autumn.
How many bulbs fit in one pot?
Space them about one bulb width apart, so a 20 cm pot holds around five to seven bulbs. Crowding them too tightly limits the flowers.
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.
