How to Grow Tulips in a Pot

Although they appear delicate, tulips can easily be grown in pots or other containers. Follow these guidelines to learn to grow these beautiful flowers in a pot.

Things You'll Need

• Tulip bulbs
• Potting soil
• Potting containers
• Fertilizer
• Burlap

Instructions

1. Buy tulip bulbs and good quality potting soil mix. Purchase tulip bulbs in the fall, no less than 6 weeks before the first frost.

2. Choose a high container in which to plant the tulip bulbs. Use large, bright colored pots made of natural materials like terracotta.

3. Plant your tulip bulbs in the container from September to October. Plant numerous bulbs depending on the size of the pot. You can plant 4 bulbs in a 6-inch pot and up to 15 bulbs in a 25-inch pot. Make sure there's about one-half inch of soil below the bulb and about an inch of soil covering the top of the bulb.

4. Place the planted bulbs outdoors in a cool shady spot outdoors. Keep containers adequately watered especially for the first few weeks to avoid stunted and shriveled flowers. Regularly water the plants because the pots do not maintain moisture as well as ground soil.

5. Fertilize and feed the plant after it begins to flower. After flowering, remove any dead flowers and allow the leaves to die and fall off the plant.

Tips & Warnings

• Protect potted tulips from frosty winter nights by keeping it in the garage or by wrapping pots with burlap or straw. You also can cover it with plastic bags.

• Do not use peat-based mixtures to grow tulips.

• Avoid black plastic pots because they absorb heat.