Growing tulips in pots is something that is pretty easy to do. Indeed, the tulip is a bulb plant that easily adjusts to this type of growing. The only requirement is to prefer short-stemmed varieties.
Within this category, you might want to try a few of the many species of botanical and early tulips.
Choosing the right pot, the adequate substrate, planting guide and care… Here are the 5 key points to know so that your potted tulips can thrive.
Tulip copes equally well with being planted in either a pot or a garden box. The best tulip pot size is at least 8 inches (20 cm) across, with a depth of 6 to 18 inches (15 to 45 cm). Make sure that whatever you choose, there’s a drainage hole at the bottom. Note that the larger the pot, the more bulbs you can plant. This will give you many more flowers!
As for what type of material to use, tulips will grow fine in terra cotta pots, and they’ll do well in ceramic and plastic pots, too. Terra cotta is preferable, though, since it allows for better breathing for the soil than plastic does – a key factor in avoiding stagnant moisture.
The container decides how many bulbs you can fit, and therefore how full the display will look. Here is what the article’s measurements work out to in practice.
| Pot | Size | Bulbs it holds | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smallest workable pot | At least 8 in (20 cm) across, 6 to 18 in (15 to 45 cm) deep | A few bulbs only | A drainage hole at the bottom, whatever the material |
| Medium container | 10 in (20 cm) wide | 2 to 9 bulbs | Terra cotta breathes better than plastic |
| Large pot or garden box | 20 in (50 cm) wide | Up to 25 average-sized bulbs | The bigger the pot, the more flowers |
Whichever size you settle on, gravel or clay pebbles at the bottom keep the drainage working.
The tulip is a plant that hates stagnant water, especially during the cold season As a result, it must absolutely be planted in well-draining substrates. Best is to go for a blend with the following proportions: very good soil mix, ¼th regular garden soil and ¼th river sand.
To give the plant the nutrients it needs, feel free to add a bit of ripe compost to the mix.
Use coarse river sand or horticultural grit rather than fine builder’s sand, which packs down and traps the moisture tulip bulbs cannot tolerate.
Never mix fresh manure into the substrate: it burns the bulb scales and invites rot.
Start with fresh mix rather than reusing compost that held bulbs before, since tulip fire (Botrytis tulipae) can persist in old substrate and plant debris as long-lived sclerotia.
Tulips like a neutral to slightly chalky substrate, so avoid ericaceous compost entirely.
Plant into moist, free-draining compost and water in once after planting, then keep it on the drier side, since a dormant bulb left in waterlogged compost can rot before it roots.
First of all, it helps to get the timing right: plant your tulip bulbs in the pot in fall, anytime in October or November. This will ensure proper blooming in the following spring.
Over winter, it’s best to set your potted tulips outdoors (bulbs need a stint in the cold to bloom), except if you live in places where the cold is particularly harsh. In this case, simply find the coolest possible spot that doesn’t freeze.
When comes spring, and for the whole summer and fall, move your potted tulips to a sun-filled terrace or balcony. Indeed, whether it’s growing in the ground or in a planter, a tulip will always love full sun! It favors lush growth and blooming.
Tulip bulbs need roughly twelve to sixteen weeks below 48°F (9°C) before they will flower, so a sheltered but genuinely cold spot beats a heated porch.
Stand the pot on feet or bricks so the drainage hole never sits in a puddle.
Water your tulips regularly, but avoid drenching the pot entirely: this washes nutrients out of the pot. Moreover, we’ve seen that tulips hate overly moist soil: it makes freezing damage much worse in winter.
Of similar concern is the type of water you use: best is rain water, or even filtered water. Tap water is generally too full of calcium carbonate for this bulb flower.
Occasionally, provide your tulips with special bulb flower fertilizer: it enhances the blooming. Appearance of the first leaves is the best time to fertilize.
After the blooming, cut the wilted flower stem but leave the leaves until they also turn yellow. This is the time to pull the tulip bulbs out, and to store them in a dry and ventilated space for them to keep until fall again comes around.
More on tulips:
