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Tulips are resilient flowers that burst into blossom in the spring. Tulips typically grow best with bulbs left in the ground all year, but your climate may not allow this. You might need to keep your bulbs so they’re prepared to bloom the next season if you live in a region with warm winters or purchased them in the spring.
If your tulip bulbs last longer, you must know how to store them properly. You must take several steps, including cleaning the bulbs with a paper towel, fertilizing them during bud break, and storing them in a refrigerator or cool, dry place.
How to Store Tulip Bulbs
Taking the Bulbs Out
After the flower fades, use pruning shears to trim the stems from the bulb. After your flower bloom, remove the flowering stem from the bulb with a pair of pruning shears. This reduces the amount of energy the lightbulb uses beyond what is necessary. Trim as closely as you can to the bulb’s base.
Keep your tulips’ leaves on. They aid in storing energy for the upcoming season.
Your tulip’s leaves will take about six weeks to turn yellow and die after its blooming phase. Once the leaves start to yellow and die, remove bulbs. The bulb is now obtaining the energy from the sun to bloom in the upcoming spring season.
You can dig the bulb out of the ground or a pot once all the leaves have fallen off.
The leaves will wither if the bulbs are overwatered. A little rain is fine, but the bulbs will begin to rot if the ground is excessively saturated.
Use a garden shovel to remove the bulb from the ground by loosening the surrounding soil.
At the bulb’s base, cut away the leaves and roots. Since the leaves are dead, they should be simple to remove by hand. If not, trim the leaves and roots with a pair of pruning shears or strong scissors. Try to avoid injuring the bulb by cutting as near as you can.
Get rid of any soil or worms that could be there. Utilize a paper towel to wipe the dirt off the bulbs. With a dry paper towel, wipe the bulbs’ outside. The bulbs dry more quickly as a result.
If the bulb’s outer layer is browned or demonstrates signs of rot, the bulb may be dying; thus, gently massage it with a paper towel to remove it.
For two days, dry the bulbs on a tray in a cool, dry area. Keep the bulbs out of the sun for two days in a dry area. The tray will work best if it is kept in your garage or a shaded place outside.
Bulb storage in the sun or wet environments will cause the bulb to retain moisture and deteriorate.
Any infected or discolored bulbs should be discarded. Examine the bulbs you’ve gathered for any discoloration indicating decay or disease. Tulip bulbs should not appear mushy or withered; rather, they should appear full and hard.
With a sharp knife sterilized with common household cleaners, such as diluted bleach, rubbing alcohol, or white vinegar, small areas of rot can be removed.
Keeping Bulbs Safe
Each bulb is wrapped in newspaper. Each bulb should be individually wrapped in newspaper. The newspaper assists in keeping the bulbs at a constant temperature and storing some moisture.
The bulbs can also be kept in sawdust or sphagnum moss.
Bulbs should be put in a mesh bag. Air may reach the bulbs while stored, thanks to a mesh bag. Instead of getting a new mesh bag, you can reuse an old onion bag.
You can also use a paper bag or a cardboard box to keep the bulbs out of the light.
For up to 12 weeks, keep the bulbs in the dark, dry area. The bulbs can be kept in a garage or cellar if the temperature doesn’t dip below freezing. Keep the bulbs away from light to prevent them from sprouting too soon.
If you reside in a warm region, keep the bulbs in the refrigerator’s crisper drawer. You might need to cool the bulbs in a refrigerator if the temperature does not drop below 50 °F (10 °C). To prevent the fridge light from shining on the bulbs, store them in the crisper drawer.
As they generate ethylene gas that could destroy the flower inside the bulb, avoid keeping tulip bulbs with apples or other fruits.
While you store your bulbs, keep an eye on them. Every two weeks, look for any rotten or shriveled bulbs. Remove and replace any rotten or moldy newspapers or storage items immediately.
Use a spray bottle to refresh the bulbs if they appear wrinkly or smaller than previously.
Tulips can be planted in the early spring to blossom, but they are often planted 6 to 8 weeks before the first frost. Before the first frost, plant the bulbs in the fall. If your winters are chilly, plant the bulbs in September or October. Plant your bulbs in late February or early March if you need to cool them.
What are the Benefits of Tulip Bulbs?
Despite its use in celebrations and as decorations, the tulip has many other advantages for humans. The medicinal uses of tulips are not widely known. Did you ever realize that tulips have therapeutic benefits for us? Tulip advantages have been well known for a very long time.
Let’s examine some of the tulip’s therapeutic qualities. Applications for tulip medicine include possessing diuretic qualities and antiseptic qualities. The health advantages of tulips include being the best treatment for coughs and colds, lowering the risk of cancer, and treating sinus pain, hay fever, and headaches.
The plant used for cosmetic purposes: Tulip benefits also include cosmetic applications. Tulip is used in creams, hand lotions, and essential oils and is best for dry, sensitive skin. Numerous beauty products use tulip extracts.
The best treatment for a cough and a cold lowers cancer risk and is used to treat headaches, hay fever, and sinus pain. It has antibacterial qualities.
The benefits of using tulip blossoms as a poultice include rapid relief and a calming effect for burns, bug bites, bee stings, and other skin problems. 2 to 4 blossoms should swell in hot water. The flower petals should be placed in a towel dipped in hot water. To crush the leaves, roll the towel. Apply crushed petals to the affected area to quickly relieve irritation from a skin rash, bee sting, or insect bite. Use the hot towel to hold the leaves in place for 10 minutes.
Why Is Springtime So Popular for Tulips?
Tulips are well-liked for a variety of reasons. Although many kinds of spring flowers are currently in stock, spring tulips appear to be the most in demand. Different factors could be at play. Tulips in the spring have a very important history. Tulips are popular because of their aesthetic appeal. They have a pretty head and a strong, green stem. Tulip flower arrangements are popular among florists because they have such a stunning presence that they can practically stand independent even. However, many people complain and moan about; spring tulips being among the most gorgeous flowers available doses. Tulips were once thought to signify prosperity and luck in the spring. Therefore, it is very easy to understand why tulip flower arrangements have grown immensely popular.
Reference: The initiation and growth of tulip bulbs
How to Freeze Tulip Bulbs?
Although the bulbs require a chilly period, Thompson warned against freezing them. Please place them in the fridge, not the freezer. Put the bulbs in a top-opening opaque plastic bag, then place the bag in the crisper drawer. The bag has to be open, so you have some air circulation. That will prevent your bulbs from drying out and shield them from the light that comes in through the door every time you open them. If the bulbs become wet, mildew and fungi may develop and cause the bulbs to die.
According to David Clark, a botanist and national garden speaker, a paper bag will also work when storing bulbs in the refrigerator this fall. However, if you have apples in your refrigerator, be careful not to store bulbs there. Ethylene gas, released by apples, can destroy the developing flower inside the bulb. Plant the bulbs in pots, give them water, and then put the pots back in the refrigerator after the bulbs have been in there for a few weeks. While they are chilled, don’t water them once more. View additional advice on how to plant spring bulbs in your garden here.
Conclusion
One of the most important steps in preparing tulip bulbs for storage is to keep them in a cool, dry place. Avoid placing them in sealed plastic storage bags or containers to prevent rotting. Most gardeners opt for paper or mesh bags. You can also use a cardboard box or styrofoam egg carton. Ideally, the storage area should have an average humidity and be at a temperature below 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
The process of preparing tulip bulbs for storage is easy and simple. First, you need to remove the foliage from the plants. This is necessary because the foliage provides nutrients to the bulb. When the leaves have turned yellow, remove the bulbs from the plant and keep them in a cool, dry place. The bulbs can then be used in your garden next spring.