Hi, We have a potted tulip plant. four of the eight bulbs have flowered. we live in Massachusetts. daily temp in March is low 40's, night high 20's. What do I do with this plant? The flowers are so bloomed that are almost falling off. Do I wait till they have all flowered and bloomed and then what? Thanks
Here is some information from our commercial growers in the next valley re after care http://www.tesselaar.net.au/growingguides/tulipbulb.asp Liz
Probably best to toss them after the blooms are finished. They expend so much energy from being forced into bloom, that they rarely re-bloom: http://www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden/AAMG/bulbs/SavingForcedBulbsAfterBloom.html
Sorry did not realise that was the case. Oh well maybe you can try them but don't force them this time let them do their thing. The farms sell them by the bags here and normally they are not forced that I am aware of. If they were mine I would have fed them a little bone meal as they were finishing with the flowering and kept them in a sheltered spot and not let them dry right out so they can take up food for next season. They may not flower next season but I bet if they do grow leaves and are fed they will the following. Might be a nice little experiment to try. Liz
So it doesn't matter that they are bulbed? That's it? Once they've bloomed, they're done? How sad. My daughter is developing a green thumb from school and she bought the plant thinking she could plant the bulbs for next season. Not so? That's stinks.
I would plant the bulbs and give it a try and feed them even if they don't flower they probably will the season after. Liz
Absolutely, it is worth a try to keep them for next year; that can be done in a pot or in the ground. Let the foliage die down naturally, then remove it when it's brown. It's probably best to cut off the spent bloom so they don't form seed heads. If the bulbs are not too crowded in their pot you can leave them as they are for next year; if it's a tight fit or you want them elsewhere, any time after the foliage dies down until late summer is the time to move them. They have the best chance of blooming again if they are in a sunny spot, but I have several potted tulips that do bloom in part shade. I'm not sure if you have them indoors or out right now; they should be outdoors. If they are not, then you could probably put them out anytime - not sure about that though. You could also wait till it warms up a bit.
