How to Propagate Tulips After Flowering: The Correct Method

Tulips belong to the lily family and are bulbous herbaceous flowers. Tulips bloom from March to May each year, but if the growing techniques fall short of what is required, it will be very difficult for them to bloom again from March to May the following year. Therefore, propagation and care after tulips finish flowering is especially important.

After a tulip flowers, the new bulb underground develops rapidly, and the mother bulb that served as the planting bulb disappears. So after the tulips fade, the flower stalks should be cut off immediately, and the leafy bulbs should be planted in pots (or in the ground if you have a small yard). When planting, first add a base fertilizer, preferably soybean cake crumbs and bone meal, to encourage the growth of the small bulbs split off from it. The new bulb develops from the lateral buds in the leaf axils of the mother bulb's fleshy scales; once the apical bud of the mother bulb forms a flower bud, the lateral buds sprout. During the period when you are encouraging these lateral buds to sprout, apply a thin fertilizer two or three more times, and water regularly to prevent the soil from drying out.

In summer, tulips enter a semi-dormant period. At this time, dig out the small bulbs from the pot, let them dry, and then store them. According to the growth principle of apical dominance, the first lateral bud below the terminal flower bud develops most vigorously and can become a good flowering bulb, while the lateral buds below it are progressively weaker. Wait until September to October, then replant the good flowering bulbs in pots and apply a base fertilizer. Those planted in the ground in winter can overwinter in the open; potted ones should be placed outdoors in a warm, sunny spot, and the potting soil should be kept on the dry side and protected from moisture. In this way, after the Start of Spring the following year, it will grow new leaves from the soil, and during this period apply a thin fertilizer twice more. By March or April, it will bloom again.