How to Force Tulips to Bloom

Plant the Bulbs

• 1

  Purchase tulip bulbs from a garden center or mail-order company. Choose bulbs that are large and firm. The best tulip varieties to use when forcing are Triumph, single early, double early and Darwin hybrids.

• 2

  Choose a clay or plastic planting pot with adequate drain holes. If you plant four or five bulbs, use a 5-inch-diameter pot. For six or seven bulbs, use a 6-inch-diameter pot.

• 3

  Thoroughly mix equal parts soil, sphagnum moss and perlite or vermiculite. Fill the bottom of the pot with a 1-inch layer of fine pebbles or gravel. Add the potting mixture until the pot is three-quarters full.

• 4

  Place the bulbs on the soil so the flat sides of the bulbs face the wall of the pot. When the leaves emerge, the lower, floppy ones will hang over the pot's edge.

• 5

  Place additional soil mixture around the bulbs, but do not cover the tops. The bulb tops should be sticking out above the soil mixture. Ensure---for watering purposes---that the level of the soil mixture is 1/2 inch to 1 inch below the rim of the container.

• 6

  Water the container well.

Chill the Bulbs

• 7

  Find a good location outdoors where you can dig without harming other plants. It should also be in a location where water will not flood the hole.

• 8

  Dig a trench 15 inches deep and fill the bottom with a layer of fine pebbles or gravel.

• 9

  Place the pots rim to rim in the trench. Cover them with at least 2 inches of loose, dried leaves, straw or sphagnum moss.

• 10

  Cover the mound with plastic sheeting and anchor it with soil or bricks.

• 11

  Leave the pots in the trench anywhere from 10 to 17 weeks. While the bulbs are in cold storage, it is best if the temperature remains around 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Force the Blooms

• 12

  Remove the pots from the trench once they have developed roots and yellow sprouts are showing, which may take anywhere from 10 to 17 weeks. Bring them inside and place them in a cool, partly shady location with a temperature of 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. For a sequence of blooms, remove the pots from cold storage in two-week intervals. Moisten the soil mixture.

• 13

  Leave the pots in the cool location (50 to 60 degrees F) with low to medium light until the shoots turn green. This usually takes four or five days. Gradually move them to a warmer, brighter area with a temperature of 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

• 14

  Turn the containers regularly so the tulips grow straight and upright. Keep the soil mixture moist. The tulips should bloom three to four weeks after removing them from cold storage. Keep them in cooler areas to help them last longer.

• 15

  Discard the bulbs after the plants bloom or plant them directly into the garden after the foliage has died back. The procedure is hard on the bulbs, so the tulips may not bloom again.