How to Dig Up Tulip Bulbs for Replanting

Gardeners desiring a flowerbed full of vibrant tulips must plant the tulip bulbs the previous autumn. Unlike some other kinds of flowering bulbs that continue to produce beautiful flowers year after year, a gardener must remove tulip bulbs from the soil and replant them to ensure continued blooms. Some gardeners do this every summer after the tulips are finished blooming and other gardeners do this every second or third year.

Things You'll Need

• Tulip plants
• Pruning shears
• Trowel
• Shallow basket or tray
• Peat moss
• Paper and pencil

Instructions

1. Allow the tulip plants to finish blooming. Continue to wait until the foliage withers and turns yellow. It is essential that the tulip bulbs receive the continued energy from the foliage to prepare the blooms for the next spring.

2. Use the trowel to carefully dig down and remove every tulip bulb. Find all of the bulbs by locating the yellowed foliage.

3. Trim the foliage from the bulbs approximately 1 inch from the tops of the bulbs. Wash off any soil that is sticking to the bulbs.

4. Place 1 to 2 inches of peat moss on the bottom of the basket or tray. Add the bulbs on top of the peat moss in a single layer. Ensure the bulbs do not touch each other.

5. Label the bulbs and place the basket or tray in a cool, dry location throughout the summer months.

6. Replant the tulip bulbs in the autumn when the soil temperature is approximately 60 degrees.

References

• Tulip Bulbs