Tulips and Daffodils have always screamed Spring to me. I’m not sure how to explain the feeling of seeing those first open blooms in the early Spring it almost feels like a reset. After a long, dark, cold and dreary Winter season they are a much welcomed sight. But, to get Spring Tulips you’re going to have to do some grunt work in the late Fall. You’ll thank yourself in the end.
WHEN TO PLANT
We live in zone 7B, SE Oklahoma and because the weather can be so unpredictable we tend to have a large planting window. In our zone we can typically plant sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas and sometimes even later.
Tulip bulbs need a certain number of “chill hours” and sometimes our Oklahoma Winters are super cold and sometimes its warm all the way up until Christmas. If your zone stays fairly warm or is just as unpredictable as ours, you can opt into purchasing “pre chilled” bulbs. Tulips bulbs need cold weather exposure for 12-16 weeks prior to planting in order for them to bloom successfully in the Spring. Purchasing pre-chilled bulbs just ensures that your tulips have had that exposure and will blooms reliably.
When planting tulip bulbs the soil temperature at 6-8inches deep needs to be consistently in the 50ish degree range. Soil Temperature averages can be found on the Mesonet among a million other useful tools.
WHERE TO PLANT
Plant Tulips in a sunny area with preferably at least 6 hours of sunlight a day. Choose an area with good drainage to prevent the bulbs from rotting due to excess moisture. If you are in an area like ours with clay soil, you can amend the soil by adding sand or compost.
HOW TO PLANT
In order to plant the bulbs you have two options: the easy way or the hard way. Just kidding but seriously if you want to do the least work when planting Tulip bulbs then dig a trench. Dig a long trench as wide as you would like and about 6-8inches deep. At this point, you can add in some compost or bulb fertilizer into the trench.
Another way you can plant Tulip bulbs is by digging individual holes with a trowel or bulb planter but like I said that sounds like a lot of unnecessary work.
So, back the trench idea. Once you have prepared your trench. Toss all the bulbs in. Once you have all the bulbs ready you can begin the place them. You will want to place them pointed end up, root end down. Tulip bulbs are easy to plant because there really isn’t any hard rules on spacing. They can be planted “shoulder to shoulder” as close as they can be or what is called the “egg crate method” which is what I prefer.
The egg crate method is done my placing the tulip bulbs close but not touching, like eggs in an egg carton. You can plant as many rows as your trench is wide and long. After you have your bulbs in place make sure they are no more than 6-8inches deep. Any deeper than that there stem length may be affected. Cover will soil.
I have two 2ft by 12ft trenches I split 1000 bulbs between.
HOW TO CARE FOR TULIP BULBS
Once planted, water them in. This will help with root development. It is important not to over water bulbs as they can become waterlogged and mushy. If your area is receiving any rain or snow, then I wouldn’t worry about watering the bulbs until closer to Spring.
Finally, add an inch or two layer of mulch or straw in order to help prevent the soil from freezing. It will also help act as a weed suppressant later one.
Now, all you have to do is wait for those first Spring blooms to make an appearance. This typically takes 3 to 4 months.
This years Tulip bulbs were planted on December 22, 2024 so I am hoping to have by Mid March. Fingers crossed. Last year, we planted on December 4, 2023 and had our first bloom the first week of March.
WHERE TO BUY BULBS
Personally, my go to places online to shop for bulk Tulip bulbs is Holland Bulb Farms and Tulip World. There are a lot of other great places to pick up small quantities of bulbs like Lowes or Tractor Supply.
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