How to Lift & Store Tulip Bulbs
- 1). Wait until the tops of the tulips have turned yellow or brown. According to Todd Weinmann of the Cass County Extension in North Dakota, this occurs around late June or early July, although the time may vary depending on your region.
- 2). Use a spading fork to gently lift the bulbs from the ground.
- 3). Rinse soil from the bulbs and spread them in a shaded place to dry. While washing the bulbs, discard any that appear to be diseased or damaged. Weinmann also recommends sorting bulbs by size since this gives a clue about the size of the flower you will have the following spring. Small bulbs will produce short stems, while flat bulbs are still maturing and won't produce any flowers the next year.
- 4). Store bulbs in a cool, dry area, hung in a paper bag or spread on a tray. Do not pile bulbs more than a couple layers high since this causes bulbs to heat up and rot, and do not store them in the same area where you are storing fruit. Make sure that air can flow around the bulbs.
- 5). Move the bulbs to the refrigerator six weeks before planting if you live in an area where you will not have a prolonged, cold winter. According to the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, this will simulate the cold winter that tulips need to produce successive years of blooms.
- 6). Plant the bulbs in late December or early January if you live in a warm region and at the end of fall if you live in an area that will receive a cold winter. Plant bulbs in an area where they will receive full or partial sun, about six inches deep, with the root end pointed downward. Space bulbs four to six inches apart.
