Hi, I bought a pot of tulips which have started blooming indoors. Can you tell me when would be the right time (e.g. in a week's time) to plant them outdoors? Could you also tell me the ideal indoor temperature for tulips? Do I need to prune them before I plant them outside? If so, could you please tell me how to go about the process? I'm planning to plant them directly in the soil. Do I have to fertilze the soil before and/or after planting the tulips. Which fertizer should I buy? Thankyou. I'm new in Canada and new to the plants available here, hence the rudimentary nature of my questions! regards, Mary Ann
Mary Ann I would wait until they finish flowering. I would then set them outside to harden up to your outdoor tempuratures if different than inside tempuratures. Don't take off any foliage as the bulbs need it to build energy for next years flowers. Dig a big enough hole so that you don't disturb the roots when planting and put some bone meal in the bottom of the hole. Water in well. Tulips are very tough so should make an easy transition to your garden. Hope this helps. Les
I think it is time to question the routine use of bonemeal, and the question being about tulips makes this as good a time as any. Tulips are indeed tough, and given the right growing conditions should do well in almost any garden. That is, they prefer sun, a well-drained site, and as said by lhuget, the foliage left to die naturally. It is getting pretty warm in Vancouver so if you absolutely have to get them out of your house you can really put them out almost any time, although the best time is when outside temperatures are approaching indoor temperatures. Even if we get a snap frost and the flowers are damaged this year though, the bulbs will survive to bloom another year. One qualifier perhaps is that some of the new fancy varieties are not good repeat bloomers - only time will tell how reliable they are in future years. I challenge the need to use bonemeal because (a) I have heard that some cases of mad cow disease in the UK were traced to its use in gardening, and (b) I really don't think most plants need it.
KarinL you may be right on about bone meals nutritional value. Many feel that the use of bonemeal is outdated and that now it loses most of its nutritional value in the manufacturing process. I use it simply because it works for me and has for a long time (I'm old as dirt). I use it when planting and after flowering every year. That's all the fertilizer I use on the spring bulbs other than what they get from decaying mulch. As long as they keep returning in their glory I doubt I will change this use. I do use the mix with blood meal now though. I guess an old dog can learn new tricks. Les
Thank you so much, both Karin and Les. Your suggestions are extremely helpul. I did buy a book on gardening but nothing like hearing it from plant lovers. mary ann
You're welcome... By the way I can't recall actually if it was bone meal or blood meal that the mad cow disease was traced to. Both are of course from cows. I've never fertilized anything at all, other than with compost, and it seems to grow just fine. That's where my scepticism about the need for fertilizer comes from! Of course in some areas the soil is more challenging, but generally not in Vancouver.