How to Care for a Tulip Plant in a Pot

When tulips begin sprouting, spring isn't far behind. Tulips come in an array of colors and flower sizes from 4 to 36 inches. Growing in them pots is preferable in some ways to planting them in the garden. Pots drain better and the bulbs are generally safe from gophers and other burrowing animals. Plant your tulip bulbs from October through December for spring blooms.

Pruning shears
Fertilizer

Instructions

- 1
  Provide the potted tulip plant with five to six hours of direct sunshine a day. Place it in a sunny window.
- 2
  Clip the flower heads when they die but allow the foliage to turn yellow and die back before cutting it to the soil.
- 3
  Move the tulip pot to an area that remains cool and dry while it is dormant over the summer. While it is dormant, it should not receive supplemental water.
- 4
  Add fertilizer to the tulip pot in the spring, as soon as there is new growth. Use a fertilizer that is high in nitrogen, such as 9-9-6. Water the tulip before and after applying fertilizer. Apply the fertilizer at the rate and in the manner suggested on the label.

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Bulbs