Planting Tulip Bulbs

There are many varieties of tulips, from which you can choose which ones to plant. Some of the most beautiful tulip flowers are the red Emperor and the Florentine. So are you ready for planting your favorite variety of tulips? Then, follow these stepwise instructions for planting tulip bulbs.

How to Plant Tulip Bulbs
The instructions for how to take care of tulips in pots or lawns are same. Here, are the instructions about buying the tulip bulbs, choosing the site for planting the bulbs, and instructions for planting and caring of the bulbs.

Buying Tulip Bulbs

• First select the bulbs among the types of tulips which you would like to grow, you can buy them at a nursery or online. You can get a catalog of tulips from the nursery, to check which ones you like the most.
• The bigger the size of the tulip bulbs, the better and superior the flowers will be. So, select the larger bulbs.
• Select healthy high-quality bulbs, which don't have any bruises or soft spots and make sure you don't select any soft or shriveled bulbs, as these bulbs tend to be rotten from the inside.
• Purchase the bulbs before 6 weeks of the plantation period. Wondering, about the right time for when to plant tulip bulbs? The appropriate time is late fall or early winter period.
• After buying the bulb, storing tulip bulbs should be the top priority and should be done immediately in a cool, dark and dry place.

Choosing the Site

• It is important that you select the suitable planting site for tulip planting. The place should get around 6 hours of direct sunlight and should be free of any weeds or stones. You can grow the tulips in lightly shaded areas too.
• The soil for planting the tulips needs to be loose, well-drained and well-aerated.
• The area where you will be planting, should have an appropriate area. For example, area of a rectangle = length x width, so for 50 bulbs = 2.5 feet x 2 feet = 10 square feet. Similarly, you can calculate the area for the number of bulbs you wish to plant.
• Stick to the above proportion of area for planting tulip bulbs in containers or the ground.

Planting the Tulips

• Take a towel and dig a big hole for all the bulbs, the hole should have depth twice the length of a bulb.
• Add some rock phosphate at the bottom of the soil and mix it lightly with the soil.
• Loosen the soil, and start planting the bulbs with their tips pointing upwards.
• Plant all the bulbs in a random pattern, and keep minimum 6 inches space between them.
• Replace the soil gently on the bulbs, making sure you don't move the bulbs.
• Finally press down the soil with your hands.

Caring Instructions

• Water the soil only if the soil goes dry, as over watering can lead to water logging of the soil, and cause the bulbs to rot.
• There will be enough rain and moisture, during the autumn and winter time for the tulips.
• In case you want to water the tulip bed, use a watering can, instead of a hose for watering, as the water flows softer from the can compared to the hose.
• If you are living in a place where it gets severely cold, use a ground frost cover for protection.
• Make sure you don't tread the soil after plantation of these flower gardens, as this can cause damage to the growing points of the bulbs.
• If previously you have experienced squirrels eating the bulbs, plant some pest-repelling plants like narcissus among the tulips when planting tulip bulbs in pots or ground. You can also install a chicken wire around the tulip bed.

These were the steps on gardening for planting tulip bulbs. So, wait for the spring season and watch the bulbs bloom into amazing tulip flowers!