How to plant potted tulips

Among the most popular flowers to decorate our home are tulips. You don't have to have a garden to have these beautiful plants, We can also sow them in pots. But how to plant potted tulips?

We will answer this question by explaining step by step what to do. But before that, we will also say when is the best time to plant tulip bulbs.

When are tulip bulbs planted?

Before explaining how to plant tulips potted, we must know when is the best time to do it. This will depend mainly on where we are. It is not the same to plant tulips in the northern hemisphere as in the southern hemisphere. As you well know, the months change with respect to the seasons.

North Hemisphere

Let's start with the northern hemisphere, which includes all the countries that are above the equator. Among them are the European countries, the United States, Cuba, Morocco and the Dominican Republic, among others. We can generally plant tulip bulbs for half a year, from September to January. But the best time for this is autumn.

Basically we must remember that the best time to plant tulips is when it is not very hot anymore, but avoid that it coincides with the frosts. In the event that we plant them too far in advance, the soil may remain somewhat hot, thus hindering the correct growth and development of the bulbs. On the other hand, if we plant the tulips too late with frost, the bulbs will not develop and if they do it will be very little. But if we choose autumn for this task, the bulbs will start to bloom in April or May and will grow much better.

We have already explained when to plant tulips in the northern hemisphere, it now touches the southern hemisphere. What both have in common is that the best season to carry out this task is autumn, but beware, the months change. If we are in a country that is below the equator, such as Chile, Peru, Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay and Paraguay, among others, there fall takes place between the months of March to May.

But what is the ideal time to plant tulips in the southern hemisphere? Well, from April until the end of June at the latest. If we sow these pretty flowers during these months, they will bloom in September and October.

How to plant potted tulip bulbs?

In order to plant these pretty flowers properly, we must first know how to choose and treat the bulb. When buying one, it is best to make sure that its touch is slightly hard and consistent. In addition, it should have a thin skin, similar to that of an onion. In the event that we notice something soft or wrinkled, it is most likely that it is not in good condition, so we can rule it out. We must also know that this type of bulb does not support very well being out of the ground for a long time. Therefore, the best we can do is plant it in the same week that we buy it.

It should be noted that it is more advantageous to purchase tulip bulbs that have been grown in our residential area, or at least in the same country. When imported from other places, the climates there may be different, so the plant would also have different cycles. Therefore, it would not be able to grow well or flourish. In order for tulip bulbs to develop properly, you need cool soil. Therefore, the best time to sow them is in autumn, when the temperature of the earth is more or less stable and is below fifteen degrees.

It remains to be noted that we also have to interrupt the dormancy of these bulbs. To achieve this and help them grow, it is of utmost importance that they are cold before sowing them.

How to plant potted tulips step by step

It is true that tulips can grow in pots, but for this they need quite specific conditions. Now we are going to explain how to plant potted tulips step by step. But first we will need a number of things:

• Pots with a depth of 38 to 45 centimeters so that the tulips can grow well.
• Tulip bulbs, if possible grown in our area.
• Substratum.
• Flexible plastic or wire potting net.

When we have them all, it's time to get down to work:

1. Putting soil in the pots, without filling them to the top.
2. Put all the bulbs together forming a circle and touching each other. It is important not to sink them too deep into the ground, only up to twice their size. Then we cover them with soil.
3. Put a net on the ground to protect the bulbs from pests. If we don't have a flexible plastic net, we can create it ourselves using potting wire. This is usually covered with green plastic. For this we have to cut four pieces whose size corresponds to the pot. Then we join them all to form a circle. Once we have this ready, we have to cut a few pieces of wire and screw them around the circle until it looks like a type of net and that's it. Remember that it doesn't have to be perfect.
4. Water after planting is finished. But we must be careful, because the bulbs do not usually require a lot of water. We will not water them again until spring begins.
5. Place the pots with the bulbs in a dark place. It is important that there is no heating and that the temperature does not drop below zero degrees. In very hot places it can be difficult to grow tulips, unless we have a greenhouse.
6. Check the pots and water them lightly a few weeks before spring begins.
7. Move the pots to a light location when the bulbs begin to sprout. They will end up blooming just like being planted directly in the ground.

Regarding irrigation, it is very important don't water them too much. Moistening the soil a little when we notice it dry is enough for these vegetables.

If we have made our tulips bloom, we can be more than satisfied with ourselves and enjoy their beauty in our home. But if we want to repeat this experience, it is worth knowing how to preserve tulip bulbs.