How to Care for Tulips Inside the Home

Plant your tulip bulbs in September or October in sterile plastic pots and free-draining compost. The University of Minnesota recommends a mixture of three parts garden loam, two parts peat moss and one part sand. Bury the bulbs so that the pointed growing tip sticks out above the surface of the soil. Orient the bulbs with their flat side facing the outside of the pot. This means that the largest leaf produced by each bulb will be on the outside of the pot, producing a more attractive display. Water your bulbs as soon as they are planted.

Place your pots of tulips in an unheated attic, outdoor cold frame or in the refrigerator for at least 12 weeks or until they develop yellow shoots. Keep them in complete darkness with their soil moist during this period.

Move your bulbs into a room no warmer than 50 degrees Fahrenheit and place them on a north or east facing windowsill that receives indirect sunlight. Keep the soil moist. By moving pots out of cold storage at weekly intervals you can have tulip flowers in your home throughout the winter.

Move your tulips to a bright location such as a south facing windowsill once the shoots have turned green. Keep the soil evenly moist and turn the pots every other day to encourage even growth. Your forced tulips will flower within a month.

Keep your tulips out of direct sunshine and move them into a cool room at night to extend the life of the flowers.

Remove the flowers once they have faded but keep watering your tulips. Leave the plants on a bright windowsill until the leaves have turned yellow. Forced tulips can be planted out in the garden but are unlikely to flower the next year.