How to Remove Bulbs After the Tulip Blooms Fade

Tulips usher in spring with their dramatic display of large, cup-shaped blooms. Although the blooming period is somewhat brief, tulips are beloved by many gardeners since they add a punch of color to winter-ravaged beds and grow reliably year after year. The key to keeping tulips productive for many years is the removing and storage of the bulbs, which are later replanted in fresh soil with plenty of space between them. However, tulip bulbs must only be removed after the foliage dies back in summer since the leaves are required to store nutrients for the next year's blooming period.

Garden fork
Mesh sack or paper bag

Instructions

- 1
  Wait until the large, fleshy leaves of the tulip plants wither and turn solid yellow before removing the bulbs from the ground.
- 2
  Insert the tines of a garden fork 8 inches deep into the soil about six inches from the edge of the tulip plants. Pull back on the handle of the garden fork to pry the bulbs up. Set the soil-covered tulip bulbs aside.
- 3
  Carefully remove the tulip bulbs from the soil. Pull off and discard the withered, yellow leaves from the tops of the bulbs.
- 4
  Spread out the tulip bulbs on a shaded table or porch to dry out. Leave the bulbs to dry for one hour. Turn the bulbs over and let them dry another hour.
- 5
  Place the tulip bulbs in a mesh sack or paper bag. Store them away from heat, light and moisture until autumn.
- 6
  Plant the tulip bulbs in autumn before the first frost. Determine the proper spacing and planting depth for your tulip bulbs according to the species or cultivar. As a rule of thumb, most bulbs should be planted to a depth equal to twice their diameter and spaced one bulb-length apart.

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