Tulips are some of the most popular flowers in the world and many people like to grow them.
If you have just had your tulip bulbs bloom in water, then you might be wondering what you should do with them now.
Regrowing your tulips will be possible and you can keep your bloom-maker bulbs healthy for the entire year if you go about things in the right way.
In this article, you’re going to be able to learn all about what you should be doing with your tulip bulbs after they have bloomed.
You can examine what to do with tulip bulbs after they have bloomed in water as well as what to do with bulbs that have bloomed in soil. This will give you the best idea of how to regrow your tulips efficiently and reliably.
Regrowing Tulip Bulbs in Water
It’s possible to regrow your tulip bulbs in water but it’s best to let them recover in soil first.
You don’t have to go this route, though and some people even refrigerate tulip bulbs in a paper bag for up to three months before moving forward.
When you’re ready to plant your bulbs, you’re going to want to get a vase and fill it with about two inches of rocks.
The rocks are there to help hold the bulbs up while the roots will still be able to receive water.
You want to fill the vase with water until it is around one inch away from the bottom of your bulb. After this is done, you should place this vase somewhere that is cool and dark for a month.
For this to work out correctly, you’re going to need to change the water pretty regularly. Once per week should work out nicely and you won’t want to go much longer than that.
Pay attention to see if you notice any sprouting.
After the bulbs have started to sprout, you’re going to be able to bring them out normally again. You can start caring for the tulip bulbs as you did before they bloomed the first time.
If everything went as planned, then you can keep repeating this process after your bulbs have matured again.
Sometimes it is tough to get things to work out perfectly when using this water method, though. Certain people have had great success with this and others can only get it to work right sometimes.
This is why using soil to regrow tulip bulbs is generally a lot easier but this doesn’t mean that it can’t be done.
Many people simply find the hydroponic method to be a lot easier to get into even if it doesn’t take sometimes.
You can read on to learn more about what to do if you’d like to use soil. It’s worth knowing about both methods so that you can make an informed decision.
Regrowing Tulip Bulbs in Soil
If you want to have the best shot at regrowing your tulip bulbs, then using soil is going to be your best bet.
It can certainly work out if you would rather do it hydroponically but many prefer the soil method due to its reliable nature.
With this method, you’re going to be able to clearly figure out what to do to get your tulips to regrow time and time again.
To start, you’re going to want to clip the dead flower off of the stem once your tulips have finished flowering for the first time.
The foliage that remains can just be allowed to die off naturally while keeping the stem in a glass vase with water. Eventually, the foliage will dry out and you should see new bulbs forming.
You want to go ahead and cut the foliage but you’re going to leave the roots alone.
Do your best to store your bulbs in a place that is both dry and cool until the first week of November. Once the time is right, you’re going to want to plant your tulip bulbs in your garden.
It’s worth noting that the first week of November is a good time to plant tulip bulbs on average. Depending on what zone of the world you live in, it might be recommended to plant tulip bulbs as early as September.
For the best results, consult information about your area of the world and what the best time to plant tulips will be for your specific location.
Once you have planted the tulip bulbs, you’re going to want to make sure to use good soil and compost. Also, the tulip bulbs need to be watered thoroughly once you’re done planting them.
Your tulip bulbs will grow well in full sun so long as you have soil that has good drainage. It’s always best to make sure that you’re able to get the right drainage before moving forward.
Try to get your tulips set up so that they can drain properly when they have been watered so that you don’t encounter issues with watering them too much. As long as you’re paying attention to this, the soil method is going to be easy to pull off.
Enjoy Your Tulips
It’s going to be much simpler to know what to do with your tulip bulbs after they have bloomed now.
You know that you have options and that you can regrow your tulip bulbs over and over again. Overall, the method that makes use of soil is more reliable but this doesn’t mean that using purely water is a bad idea.
Just try to make a choice that will make sense for you and what you want to do.
You’ll be able to have a good time regrowing your tulip bulbs and it doesn’t take a lot of effort outside of checking in on your tulip bulbs now and then. So long as you have safe places to store your tulip bulbs while they’re recovering, everything should work out swimmingly.
Tulips are very beautiful and you can keep enjoying them even after they have bloomed. If you’d like to regrow your tulips, then this little informative guide should have proven to be helpful.
Have a good time with your tulip regrowing process and don’t be afraid to switch methods if you’d like to try things out differently.
Growing up with a mom who filled her home (inside and out) with all sorts of plants, Lisa got her start in gardening at a young age. Living now on her own with a home and yard full of plants (including an indoor greenhouse), she shares all the gardening tips she’s gained over the years.
Dada
Sunday 19th of March 2023
In teh hydrophonic way, where do the nutrients come from?
Lisa Bridenstine
Friday 24th of March 2023
You do not need to add any nutrients, they will grow with just water.
Happy Planting! Lisa
Nancy Cumagun
Sunday 12th of March 2023
what to do if my tulip bulbs have mold on them while they are in water?
Lisa Bridenstine
Friday 24th of March 2023
Hi Nancy, It depends what type of mold and how bad it is. If it hasn't caused any damage to the bulb and it's not black mold, then you should be able to simply rinse the mold off and change the water in the vase as needed.
Happy Planting! Lisa
Kathy
Sunday 15th of May 2022
My blubs were in water when I got them. The blooms were beautiful. The blooms have died off. However, the bulbs split in half. The offspring bulbs have something that looks like a stem growing out of it. The foliage is turning a pale green.
What do I do next?
Sam
Tuesday 8th of March 2022
I must be a real dummy lol i still have no clue what to do
Mercedes
Thursday 3rd of March 2022
Thanks for the great info. The flowers have fallen off and have been left with the foliage which is turning yellow/pinkish. I’ve been changing the water in the vase every few days, as it gets a musty smell. The brown shell of the bulbs have fallen off and the white meat of the bulb is also turning a bit pinkish. Not sure how to proceed in terms of what to do if I want to plant the bulbs in the garden for future growth. Do I pull them out of water and let them dry out? Thanks for your help!
Diana
Tuesday 8th of March 2022
@Lisa, what are the "dry methods" ??? Diana
Jacquie Ohare
Thursday 3rd of March 2022
@Mercedes, Did you receive a answer to your question Jacquie
Lisa
Thursday 3rd of March 2022
Hi Mercedes, Does the bulb have any mold on it? I am wondering if that could be causing the musty smell. If so, you can gently clean it and make sure that the bulb doesn't have any soft spots.
You can keep the water about an inch below the bulb and continue to replace the water and keep it in a cool/dry place. The foliage should die off over time.
This is just one method for saving the bulbs, you could also use a dry method of saving them if you prefer.
Happy Planting! Lisa