transplanting tulips

by kathy
(selah wash yakima)

my tulips are in a container and up out of ground 3 inches can i transplant them now into another container? and will they still bloom this year

Doug says yes, you can transplant them carefully and yes they will bloom this year. How you handle them in the container determines whether you get to keep them in bloom again (see articles on potted tulips).

But yep, you can do this if done carefully with a minimum of root disturbance at this early time in the spring

Dug Up Tulip Bulbs - Boost Them?

by Beth
(Youngstown, OH)

I live in Ohio and dug up my tulip bulbs. Now what? Do I try to boost them or let them go dormant and dry out?

Doug says he doesn't understand. "boost them" - they're dormant (or should be) and will simply sleep till you plant them in the fall. Nothing you're going to do will make them stronger now.

Store cool and dry for the summer and then replant.

Transplanted tulips - they died

by claudia
(ca)

I have a few questions.....I live in Orange County (CA) and I have just purchased containers with about 6 bulbs in one container with the roots tangled together and they had full grown flowers....I separated them and replanted them a few days ago but now they have all fallen and look like they are dying......what should I do? if I trim them all back will they rebloom in the spring time? Should I cut just the flower to help a new one come in? help :)

Doug says that your first mistake was in digging up and dividing those tulips. You never dig up and divide a root mass while a plant is in bloom. That's a sure way to kill off plants. Bulbs - in pots- with matted root systems - are no exception. You put the roots into shock and the upper parts of the plant suffered.

The second part of this bad news is that there's no way to get those plants to recover and rebloom this year. You get one bloom with tulips per year. Sorry. :-(

And to add even more of a problem, because you live in an area where winter is a foreign word, (you need 14-16 weeks of 40F temps to get a tulip to set flower buds) you're not likely to get those tulips to rebloom. They're done.

So - my advice is to toss 'em out or compost them. They're toast. Sorry.

Next time, enjoy the potted tulip flowers in the pot.

transplanting tulips that are under trees

We recently bought a house in the hills and just recently found tulips growing in a raised bed under some pine trees. They only have the leaves and have not bloomed yet and it is almost middle of June. Can I move them now. Can they tolarate shade or do they have to have full sun.

Doug says that they require full hot sunlight and will never bloom under a pine tree. Move them after the leaves start to yellow off for best results or mark them and move them in the fall for even better results.

transplanting and moving tulips

by Peggy
(Muskegon, MI USA)

When can I transplant tulip bulbs, I have some that I want to move now?

Doug says that you *can* move a tulip right after it finished blooming but you will lose some of them in the move (the odds are you'll lose some anyway - particularly if you're not careful with the roots). When you dig them, disturb the roots as little as possible (good luck with that by the way) :-)

BUT - it is far better to let the bulb leaves turn yellow and then dig up the bulb and move it then.

If I wanted to move bulbs, I'd dig when the leaves turned yellow, let dry and sit on a shelf till fall. (cool and dry) Then I'd plant them outdoors in the new spot in the fall.

moving and replanting

by Robin
(Toledo, OR USA)

My tulips have bloomed and I need to cut the stem down as I read here a bit ago. I need to relocate them, so I want to know if I can replant them now for next year or if I need to store the bulbs till fall or spring.

Doug says you can dig them now and immediately replant or wait till the leaves have yellowed, dig and store cool and dry till fall when you replant then.

Digging tulip bulbs up at the end of the season

by Andrew
(Charlottetown, PE)

Should the bulb be taken out of the ground, at the end of the season, before the frost comes or can the bulb be left in the ground?


Doug says that tulip bulbs are fine to be left in the ground year-round once they're planted.

transplanting

by Carolyn
(Snowville, UT)

Can I transplant tulips to another bed after they have bloomed. Some of the flowers are dead but others still look nice. Will they come back next year?

Doug says - yes you can transplant tulips. If you do it carefully after they've bloomed you won't lose too many.

Will they come back? It depends on how carefully you move them and how you grow them this summer. If you do it all very well, yes, they'll survive to come back. Will they bloom? It depends on too many factors - but you have to grow them well or they won't

moving non-blooming tulips

by Patricia P
(Ingleside, ONT)

I had poor results with my tulips this spring as they did not produce flowers, but only leaves. Now that the blooming period is over, I want to dig up those tulips, but the leaves are still green. What can I do? They are taking precious space I want for other plants.

Doug says dig them up and move them. What's the problem? They didn't bloom, won't until you build up the energy so what are you losing? Move 'em green. Dig and replant at the same depth.

Yes, you may lose one or two and yes, they won't likely bloom next year but you're no worse off than you would be if you left them in place. :-)

I am moving and dug up my tulips

(yarmouth, ma 02664)

I dug up my tulips 2 days ago an how i have some mold growing When should i replant them? Can i replant in spring? How to store it and should i leave it in dirt? I left some dirt w/ the tulips

Doug says that the answers to most of these questions are on the website.

Mold means you didn't dry them but left damp soil on them. They should be dried for a few days in the sunshine to let them "cure" and then the tunics (the brown part) should be left on the bulb to protect it after the dirt is brushed off.

Store cool and dry.

Replant as soon as possible. Mid-October is fine. Storing for the winter means the bulbs will likely die.

Transplant tulips in Spring?

by Rosemary
(Stroudsburg, PA,Monroe)

If you transplant tulips in March to a new location, will they bloom that year?

Doug says that *if* there were going to produce a flower in their old location, and *if* you do it carefully so you don't kill the bulb, then yes, they should bloom. This year's bloom is already down there and waiting to explode. The question is whether you can move it early enough so you don't shock and kill the entire plant. Earlier the better I would think (I've never done this)

If you do this, do let us know how it worked out for you