How to Keep Potted Tulip Buds From Opening

Add a touch of spring with a pot of flowering tulips.

Pots of colorful tulips are a welcome sight in winter. Tulip bulbs planted in foil-wrapped pots are popular gifts for Easter and Mother's Day. Although tulips naturally bloom in the spring, gardeners use a technique known a forcing to make tulips flower months earlier. In the fall, tulip bulbs are placed into cold storage. In winter or early spring, the bulbs are potted and moved to a warmer location. The tulips blossom within several weeks. Heat and light promote flower production. Extend the blooming time of potted tulips by controlling how quickly their buds open.

Instructions

1. Water your pot whenever the soil feels dry. Remove the pot from its saucer and place the pot in a sink. Slowly add water until it trickles out of the drainage hole. Allow the water to drain for several minutes before replacing the pot on its saucer.

2. Keep bulbs away from sources of heat. Do not place potted bulbs near heating vents, fireplaces, portable heaters or radiators. Avoid leaving your pot in a warm kitchen.

3. Move potted bulbs to a cool location every night. A temperature of 60 degrees F will help slow the blooming process. Place your pot in a cool room, an unheated basement or an attached garage. Avoid exposing your bulbs to temperatures near or below freezing.

4. Keep your pot away from direct sunlight. Buds open more slowly in rooms with indirect light. If flowers bloom too quickly, move the pot to a darker room for several days.

5. Chill a small pot of bulbs in a refrigerator. Adjust the shelves so you can fit the pot inside without crushing the tips of the flower buds. The air in refrigerators is extremely dry. Check the soil in your pot every day to ensure it is moist.

6. Move a refrigerated pot to a cool, dark room for several days. Allow tulips to adjust before displaying them in a warmer location. A rapid transition from cold to warm can damage flower buds.

Tips & Warnings

• Pots of tulip bulbs sold as gifts are often wrapped in decorative foil. If foil covers the entire pot, it may block the drainage hole in the bottom. Remove any foil covering this hole so water can freely flow out of the pot.

• Keep your potted tulips away from fans and breezes. Moving air can easily knock over a small pot, damaging buds, flowers and stems.

• For a display of tulips that lasts several weeks, use more than one pot of bulbs. Store them in a cool location. As the flowers in each pot fade, replace the pot with a fresh one.

References

• Iowa State University Extension Service: Forcing Tulip Bulbs Indoors
• University of Minnesota Extension: Forcing Bulbs for Indoor Beauty in Winter
• University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension: Forcing Spring Bulbs

Resources

• Fine Gardening: Planting Spring Bulbs in Containers
• Country Living: Forcing Bulbs Indoors