Can Potted Tulips Be Planted in the Ground?

Pot Culture

• The tulips require care after they stop blooming so the bulbs store the nutrients needed for the following year's growth. Potted tulips may not bloom for a year or two after transplanting, especially if the bulbs don't refuel. Placing the pot in a location that receives six to eight hours of direct sunlight provides the light needs for the plant. Cut off the old flower stalks once the blossoms fade to prevent seed formation, which weakens the bulb. Keep the soil moist and fertilize weekly with a quarter-strength application of a soluble fertilizer.

Planting Time

• The foliage remains green for approximately six weeks after the flowers fade. Transplanting occurs as soon as the foliage yellows and dies back naturally, indicating the bulbs have entered summer dormancy. Winter-forced tulips may die back while the ground outside is still frozen, making it difficult or impossible to transplant. If immediate transplanting isn't possible, dig and store the bulbs in a mesh bag. Hang the bag in a cool, dark area until the soil thaws enough to plant in spring. The bulbs may remain in storage until early fall planting, but they are less likely to survive that long out of the soil.

Transplanting Method

• Tulips grow in areas that receive full sunlight in spring. A bed with well-drained soil that isn't prone to standing water from rain or snow melt is preferable. Improve less than optimum soil with compost prior to planting to improve quality and drainage at the site. The bulbs go in the soil with the pointed side up. Plant them so the bottom of the tulip bulb sits approximately 3 to 8 inches beneath the soil surface, or at a distance three times the bulb's width. Tulips do not require wide spacing and can sit as close as four to six inches apart.

After Care

• The tulips are dormant at planting so require very little care the first summer. Mulch over the bed in fall to provide some winter protection to the bulbs. Tulips begin sending out roots in fall, so it's necessary to provide enough water to prevent the bed from drying completely in the weeks leading up to the first frost. The tulips send up foliage in early spring, but transplanted potted tulips may not bloom the first spring after transplanting. Applying a bulb fertilizer as they begin to leaf out provides the nutrients necessary for the bulbs to restore themselves.