How to Plant Tulips in The Spring – And Still Get Them to Bloom This Year!

“No, fall is the season to plant tulips,” you will think. Correct, but how about if you are late? Can you still grow iconic flowering bulbous perennial as late as spring? The answer is yes, but you will need to adapt the method to this season. So, don’t despair yet if you haven’t managed to plant any (or enough) Tulipa bulbs in your flower beds yet – you still have some time to have their blooms coloring your garden!

I also have a tip that may save you money while getting more tulips in your garden…

The trick to plant tulip bulbs in spring and get them to blossom in the same season is quite simple, as long as you know how this famous flowering perennial behaves and what it wants.

The Secret to Planting Tulip Bulbs in Spring and See Them Blossom in the Same Season

Ask yourself, “Why do we plant tulips in fall, and they just lie underground through winter without doing anything?” You see, apparently there is no reason why you shouldn’t start them in spring… Or is there?

Yes, there is, tulips need 12 to 14 weeks of chilly temperatures to sprout! They originally come from central Asia, at the feet of the Himalayas, and countries like Turkey, Iran, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, where winters are very cold indeed. So, when they feel that the weather is turning from frosty to warmish, they understand that it’s time to “wake up”.

And you are in luck, because tulip bulbs like this final dormancy period to have temperatures between 35° and 45°F (2.0° to 7.0°C). And what’s a refrigerator’s average temperature? Bang in the middle, about 40°F or 4.0°C!

I bet you can see where I am heading now…

How to Get Your Tulip Bulbs to Sprout When You Plant Them in Spring

Do you have a refrigerator? Then use it to chill your tulip bulbs, and then you can plant them in spring! And here is how to do it.

• Store your tulip bulbs in your refrigerator for 12 to 16 weeks.
• Place them in breathable or mesh bags (you can add some sawdust to keep them dry).
• Do not put them near fruits, especially apples and bananas. They produce ethylene gas, which prevents bulbs from sprouting!

That’s it; check on them regularly and wait.

“Hey, but I am late now!” is what you are thinking now…

You Don’t Have 12 to 16 Weeks to Chill Your Tulip Bulbs? Here’s the Solution!

You could say, “Well if I had had all that time, I would have planted my tulips bulbs in my garden directly last fall!” True, but, again, you are lucky! You see, people like to grow these stunning perennial flowers all over the world, including in hot climates, where you never get a single day of frost…

So, you can buy pre-chilled tulip bulbs! Yes, you can find them online, and till quite late in the season, because if you plant them in fall in temperate regions, in tropical and subtropical ones, you must do it in winter. Actually, by spring you may even get them at a discount!

The rest is simple…

How to Plant Tulip Bulbs in Spring

After you have chilled the bulbs (or bought them pre-chilled) you can plant them almost like you would in fall:

• Prepare the soil, which should be well drained, fertile and organically rich (preferably loam based).
• Use a dibber or bulb planter and plant them 6 to 8 inches deep (15 to 20 cm) and 4 to 6 inches apart (10 to 15 cm).
• Cover without compacting the soil.
• The only difference is that in spring you will have to water them, unlike in fall.

Your tulip bulbs will sprout when they feel the warm and humid conditions. And if you plant them in early spring, they will be in bloom by mid-April or May.

A Few Final Tips to Make Sure That Your Late-Planted Tulip Bulbs Will Blossom in Spring

Planting tulip bulbs as late as March is usually safe, meaning that you will enjoy their blossoms within the season. However, if you want to give them a helping hand to “catch up”, I have a few more little tips for you…

• Do not mulch at first, but apply a good layer as soon as you see the tulip leaves come out of the soil.
• Help them along a bit with a slow-release granular bulb fertilizer, with NPK 9-6-6. It will help them grow the roots faster. Do it as soon as you plant them, so they have time to absorb it.
• Also give some Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) to your tulip bulbs when you plant them or soon after. You only need a tiny amount, like a flat teaspoon per plant – or even less.
• When the leaves are mature, and they need to start producing flowers, give them some rock phosphate or bonemeal, they will help them flower.
• Finally, you don’t want the bulbs to “slim down too much” because they have grown so fast and given you massive blossoms despite your delay in planting them, so…
• Deadhead your tulips as soon as they stop dropping petals, cutting them just under the flower head.
• Fertilize your tulips after they bloom; you can use a balanced 10-10-10 NPK fertilizer, or., again, bone meal; it will help them fatten their bulbs underground after the flowering effort.

This way, your tulips will recover and fatten up their bulbs, and you won’t waste them. In fact, you will use them again next year. I strongly suggest you uproot them when all the leaves have yellowed and store them for summer in a cool, dark, well ventilated place, and you can plant them again in fall.

Late with Planting Tulips? Don’t Panic; You Can Still Do It in Spring!

So, if you are late with planting tulips, now you know how to do it in spring, and still enjoy their gorgeous flowers. Or maybe you have a few gaps in your garden? Then take advantage of pre-chilled bulbs, they may even be on sale in March!