Best time to Plant tulips

[Seedling]

When is the best time to plant tulips here in CT. I just bought 60 bulbs..Should the dirt be soft in a lot of sunlight? How far apart can they be? ..Please provide details but most importantly when to plant. Thanks!

[Robert D Bard]

I can't answer this for certain but I can give some things I have learned. They have to go into frig for some peroid of time to get cold enough or they will not bloom. Ours did fine the first year. We put them in in Nov or Dec and they spent a few weeks in the frig. They came up in the spring and were beautiful and since then we get plants but no blooms. I thought after sleet storm last year we would be fine but just green plants. We aqre going into 4th year this winter and I am planning on covering area with compost and then put bags of ice on the area every time it gets even a little bit cold and see if I can force them.
Anybody got aq better idea.
Robert D Bard

[dragonfly]

I have planted them a couple of times here in the DFW area, and they don't seem to have a problem blooming, but they just don't seem to thrive here. I've never chilled them in the fridge before planting- just plant in late Sept or early October. I've decided that they do much better in colder climates, so I'm sticking with daffodils, irises and lilies. I do recommend buying top quality bulbs for tulips to get the prettiest flowering. I've bought cheap ones and expensive ones, and the more expensive ones definitely seem to do better and look better.

[Leslie Finical Halleck]

In CT you should be pretty close to planting time. I would imagine that end of September or October would be your month for planting spring blooming bulbs. Here in Texas, it's best to wait until December (daffodils can be planted earlier).

Tulips require what is called a vernalization period. That means they need a specific amount of time ( about 8-10 weeks) at temperatues consistantly below about 45-50F. The bulb will not form a flower bud until after this cooling period, and then a return of warmer temperatures. A spike of warm temperatures during that 8-10 week period can actually reverse the process (devernalization) - resulting in no blooms. This is why it is best to wait until December here in Texas to plant them. In climates that do not acheive an adequate period of cooling naturally, you usually have to store the bulbs in the fridge for 8-10 weeks before planting (usually what we have to do here in Texas), in order to have flowers.

Some bulbs have actually been pre-chilled before you purchase them. If they have not been exposed to warm temperatures, then you can plant them here without chilling, and you'll have blooms. (you can actually purchase "pre-chilled" bulbs from some catalogs.) Bulbs that are sold in the local nurseries here, and from mail order catalogs for that matter, are typically stored in refrigerated warehouses until they are shipped. So during that period of time, they may actually acheive their vernalization before you even buy them at the store. That may explain why you do sometimes get blooms down here in Texas without pre-chilling them yourself. Hyacinth also require vernalization. Most daffodil do not, but can actually perform better if pre-chilled. (many spring flower bulbs can benefit from chilling.)

Obviously, there are some differences between the species, based on where they are endemic (what latitude). Some species have a minimal vernalization requirement, and so may actually rebloom if left in the ground here in Texas, depending on the winter (such as some of the smaller species tulips.)

If you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. For plants that are native to cooler climates, it is suicide to bloom too early - the flowers can get frozen, thus ruining any possibility of reproduction. Tulips have adapted to not put their energy into producing a flower bud until warm temperatures return after long enough period of cold. Make sense?

[Seedling]

Thanks for your posts! It will be my first time planting so I will put 30 in the freezer for 8 weeks, and leave the other 30 at room temps below 70.
I will then plant them in October as it is still warm in this nasty northeast weather!

[Leslie Finical Halleck]

Wait!! Don't put them in the freezer! That can kill them. You need to put them in a breathable containter (paper bags are best) and place them in your vegetable crisper in the refrigerator. That will do the trick.

[Seedling]

I guess IM lucky because I forgot to put them in the freezer and just did it 2 hours ago, and now I reread all the posts.. I will take them out. I think I might plant them now anyway..Temps will drop under 70 for highs next week...Winter is around the corner I think.