Tulips: How To Raise And Store Them?

When flowers finish blooming, they should be deadheaded or removed from their stems. Use clean pruners to sever the stems near their points of origin without damaging the surrounding foliage. Angle the cuts downwards to facilitate water runoff. To store tulip bulbs, dig around each bulb, loosening the soil and being extra careful not to cause any damage. Once the soil is loosened, cut the stem off of the bulbs once the flowers have died, but do not cut the leaves.

1. Deadhead tulips when they have started to go over. Store them in a cool, dry, airy, and frost-free place like a basement or garage.
2. Lift tulip bulbs with a hand fork once the foliage has turned yellow a month or so after flowering. Remove the foliage and pull.
3. Dig a trench about 8 inches deep around the plant, making the trench several inches larger than the plant to prevent hurting the bulbs. With your fingers, lift the bulbs. Store them alongside their parent bulbs in paper bags in a cool, dry, airy, and frost-free place.
4. Cure and store in a cool, dark, dry location with at least 12 weeks of 40 to 50ºF temperatures.
5. As winter turns to fall, lift bulbs too early to allow them enough time to feed them enough to flower well the next year. Store them in a dark, cool, and dry place that is well ventilated, with constant temperature.
6. Store tulip bulbs in a refrigerator or cooling unit between 35 degrees F and 48 degrees F for at least ten weeks. Lift the bulbs carefully using a small handheld trowel or a garden fork, with the foliage still attached.