Question about bulbs.....

[kbarrett]

I received 2 bags of tulip bulbs for Christmas from my gardening friend/ neighbor. I'm not able to plant them this time of year (frozen ground) but I recall reading something about refrigerating or freezing bulbs then planting them in spring.
Does anyone have any suggestions on what I need to do to see these bulbs flower this spring?


Thanks!

 

[beavis]

Don't freeze the bulbs, but you can place them in a refrigerator to simulate dormancy...

Speaking of bulbs...

Just noticed my Daffodils starting to pop out of the ground already.....

 

[Greenthumb18]

kbarrett,
yeah just put them in the fridge untill spring, i have bulbs in the fridge that i just put a few weeks ago, just wait until your area will allow weather thats non-freezing for at least a good week, then you can always mulch to protect the bulbs from freezing.

Good luck, hope this helps!!!!!!

 

[vfem]

Bulbs in the fridge work great...

I actually got a ton of seeds for the first time that say I have to leave them in the fridge for at least 4 days before planting indoors. I did it with my Larkspur and then put them in a pot. I got a BUNCH of sprouts that just came up in the last couple of days. I forgot to refridgerate my engilsh daisy seeds... and I haven't gotten one to sprout :/

They really do depend on that chill.

 

[kbarrett]

Thank you all for the replies! Now all I need is for spring to hurry up & get here
:rose

 

[vfem]

Thank you all for the replies! Now all I need is for spring to hurry up & get here
:rose

LOL! It feels like spring here... just knowing January is around the corner is making me want to cry.

 

[patandchickens]

If you have a frostfree fridge (most are, these days) put the bulbs in the vegetable crisper or in a partly-but-not-completely-closed tupperware container so they don't dry out too much; and check them every few weeks for mold (rub it off with a cloth, dry or lightly dampened in a dilute bleach solution if you happen to have dilute bleach out for other purposes at the time).

If you want the bulbs to be perennial for many years (rather than just a year or two and then chuck 'em) they will get off to the strongest start if you decapitate the flower stalks as they start to come up. No flowers this year = better survival/flowering in future years. Of course for those in climates where tulips aren't going to perenniate anyhow, or for varieties that don't last well, this is counterproductive.

Have fun,

Pat