How to Plant Tulips Indoors

Plant tulips indoors for winter color.

Instead of waiting for spring and summer tulip blooms, enjoy them throughout the winter by forcing bulbs -- a technique that forces the spring plants to grow earlier than normal. Plan to get tulips blooming about four months after you begin the forcing process. Planting successively can keep tulips growing in your home throughout the winter; begin potting tulip bulbs in September and plant every two weeks thereafter for continual color.

Things You'll Need

• Tulip bulbs
• Container
• Sand
• Potting soil
• Peat moss

Instructions

1. Purchase appropriate tulip bulbs. Bulbs need to be firm and high-quality, without soft spots, and at least 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Varieties of tulip bulbs that work well for forcing include Triumph, Single Early, Double Early and Darwin Hybrids, suggested by the Department of Horticulture at Iowa State University.

2. Choose a container for the bulbs. It needs to be clean and have drainage holes, but any material will work, including plastic, ceramic, clay or metal.

3. Fill the container nearly full with a mix of sand, potting soil and peat moss. Place bulbs atop the soil so that the tops of the bulbs are just below the edge of the container. The flat side of the bulb should face the edge; when it grows, its foliage will form a border.

4. Fill in the rest of the container with the planting mix, but do not cover the tips of the bulbs. The soil should remain about 1/2 to 1 inch below the container's rim so it won't spill over when you water the bulbs. Water thoroughly after planting.

5. Store the potted bulbs in a cold place, with temperatures of 35 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. The roots need to start growing in this cold environment before you place the bulbs in the sun where its leaves will grow. If the leaves grow first, the flower development will be stunted. Expect to keep the bulbs in cold storage for 12 to 16 weeks, until yellow shoots emerge from the bulbs.

6. Place the potted bulbs in a cool place with temperatures of 50 to 60 degree F for four to five days. When you see the yellow shoots turn green, move the pot to a bright location with temperatures of 60 to 70 degrees F. Water well, and expect flowering to occur in three to four weeks.

References

• University of Minnesota Extension: Forcing Bulbs for Indoor Beauty in Winter
• Iowa State University Extension: Forcing Tulip Bulbs Indoors
• Oregon State University Extension: Plant Bulbs Indoors
• Purdue University Cooperative Extension: Forcing Bulbs for Indoor Bloom