Storing tulip bulbs can be somewhat tricky, as you will notice that you will have to watch out for a lot of things. The most common reason why tulip bulbs tend to die while in storage is due to humidity, high humidity can easily rot even the healthiest bulbs.
To store tulip bulbs, make sure to prepare the bulbs first by drying them for 1-2 weeks and then by sprinkling them with fungicide powder to protect them from fungi and rot. You should store the tulip bulbs in a well ventilated, dry, dark room at 55 F ( 12 C ) or below temperatures. Avoid storing the tulip bulbs with fruits and vegetables as these release Ethylene gas that will trick the tulip bulbs to sprout while in storage.
How you store the tulip bulbs will determine if they will flower, how strong the plants will be, and even if they will start producing offsets, which are small bulbs. Tulips are perennial plants, that will survive even freezing winters, but as these bulbs are really prone to rotting in the soil during the winter, a lot of gardeners simply dig them up and store them for the next year.
By storing you can ensure that your tulips stay strong and healthy, but only if you store them correctly. If you want to know how to take care of tulips in the garden and in the vase then check out my recent article How To Take Care Of Tulips ( Garden & Vase ).
How To Store Tulip Bulbs
After the tulip flowers have withered and the foliage has turned yellow, carefully dig up the bulbs from the ground. Remove any excess soil and gently separate any bulblets or offsets from the main bulbs, as they can be stored separately. Allow the bulbs to dry in a cool, dry, and well-ventilated area for about a week. Once dry, clean off any remaining debris and inspect the bulbs for any signs of damage or disease.
Place the bulbs in a breathable container, such as a mesh bag or a cardboard box with ventilation holes, and store them in a cool and dark location with good air circulation. A temperature range of around 45-55°F (7-13°C) is ideal for long-term storage. Avoid storing the bulbs near fruits or vegetables, as they release ethylene gas that can negatively affect the bulbs. Regularly check on the bulbs during storage to ensure they remain firm and free from mold or rot.
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When To Harvest The Tulip Bulbs For Storage
The ideal time when you can harvest and store the tulip bulbs is in the late spring or early summer, but only once the foliage has died back naturally. Under no circumstances harvest tulip bulbs that still have green leaves, wait until the leaves turn brown and only then it is safe to harvest them. Harvesting the tulip bulbs can be done in the early fall as well before the first frost.
If your local summers tend to be fairly rainy, then harvest them in the late spring – early summer. If your local summers tend to be rather dry, and the winters fairly wet, then you should harvest the tulip bulbs in the fall. If you want to know how to propagate tulips then check out my recent article How To Propagate Tulips ( Bulblets & Seeds ).
Dig Up The Tulip Bulbs And Clean Them
You can dig up your tulip bulbs with a shovel or a garden fork, make sure to dig around 4 inches away from where the actual bulbs are, this way you do not damage them. Under no circumstances pull out the tulip bulbs by pulling on their stems, even if the stems are decayed. Clean off the tulip bulbs with a clean rag, do not use any water, remove all the soil, and inspect the bulbs.
Some tulip bulbs will have a brown outer layer, and in some cases, it looks like it is peeling off. Do not peel off this layer, as it will be a lot easier to store them with it.
Divide The Tulip Bulbs If Needed
Most tulip bulbs will create small offsets or bulblets after the first or the second year in the ground, this is one of the ways they multiply. These offsets can be stored like regular tulip bulbs, just keep in mind that it can take up to 4 years for these small bulblets to actually flower. If your tulips have been growing in the ground for several years already, then you will find a lot of bulbs growing on top of each other.
Bulbs that are clumped up have to be divided, you can easily divide them with your hands, or if you have a larger clump then you can use a spade or shovel. If you don’t know what to do with the tulip bulblets then check out my recent article What To Do With Tulip Bulblets ( Top 7 Uses ).
Drying The Tulip Bulbs
Drying the tulip bulbs before putting them away in storage is a crucial part of storing the bulbs. A lot of people simply skip this part and then wonder why their bulbs rot or even sprout in storage, it’s due to the excess water in the bulbs. Bring your tulip bulbs indoors, and place them somewhere that they can easily dry, like in the kitchen for example. Generally speaking, it will take anywhere between 1-2 weeks for the tulip bulbs to fully dry.
Prepare The Tulip Bulbs For Storage
Once the tulip bulbs have dried it is time to prepare them for storage, you will need a good fungicide powder for this step. Sprinkle the tulip bulbs individually with the fungicide powder and wait around 24 hours before you put them in storage. The fungicide powder will stop fungus from growing on the tulip bulbs, which is the main reason why tulip bulbs tend to rot in storage.
Although a good fungicide powder is very effective at protecting the tulip bulbs from fungi, but if you store the bulbs in a humid environment, no amount of fungicide will be able to keep them safe.
Where To Store The Tulip Bulbs
Where you store your tulip bulbs will determine their actual survival rate, and there are a couple of things to consider before you commit to a storage location. Temperature. light, humidity, ventilation, pests, and Ethylene should come into the factor when choosing the storage location.
Temperature: Tulips should be stored in a place where the temperatures are 55 F ( 12 C ) or below but not freezing. These low temperatures are needed to keep the tulip bulbs dormant, if the temperatures get higher than 55 F ( 12 C ) for several weeks then the tulip bulbs might sprout in the storage. You can easily store your tulip bulbs in the basement or even in the fridge as they usually have stable and well below 55 F ( 12 C ) temperatures.
Do not store the tulip bulbs in the freezer, as even after drying the bulbs there will still be some water in them, and once this freezes it could damage the bulbs.
Light: It is extremely important to store the tulip bulbs in a dark place, without any kind of light. If the room where you are storing the tulip bulbs gets even a couple of hours of indirect sunlight, then the bulbs might sprout prematurely.
Humidity: High humidity can easily be fatal for stored tulip bulbs, oftentimes fungi will start growing on the bulbs if the humidity is too high. It only takes a couple of bulbs to start rotting due to fungi, which eventually could rot the entire batch of bulbs. Even if you have sprinkled the tulip bulbs with fungicide you should still avoid storing them in a humid environment.
Ventilation: Ideally tulip bulbs should be stored in a well ventilated place, where humidity can not build up. If you have dried your tulips correctly, moisture can still build up if there are fruits and vegetables stored in the same place. Under no circumstances store the tulip bulbs in a plastic container with a closed lid, as all the bulbs will rot, instead make sure that air can circulate around the bulbs.
Pests: Rodents love eating tulip bulbs, especially in the winter when there isn’t a lot to eat. If your storage location has rodents, then avoid storing the bulbs there, even if the rodents do not eat the bulbs entirely, they could still damage them.
Ethylene: Ethylene is the gas that is produced by ripening fruits and even vegetables. The problem with Ethylene is that it can trick tulip bulbs into sprouting in the storage. Avoid storing the tulip bulbs with any kind of fruits, and vegetables, especially onions.
In What To Store Tulip Bulbs
Tulip bulbs are usually stored in paper or mesh bags, because these will allow air to circulate around the bulbs, thus limiting the chance of the bulbs starting to rot. Cardboard boxes can also be used but make sure to wrap the bulbs in paper first. You should also wrap into paper the tulip bulbs if you choose to store them in the fridge.
Taking Care Of Tulip Bulbs While In Storage
Once the tulip bulbs have been placed into storage, you should check on them from time to time. The most important things to check are humidity and temperature, as high humidity can make the bulbs rot, and high temperatures can make them sprout. I would avoid picking up every single bulb and inspecting them, but you should pick a couple of random bulbs and inspect them once every two weeks.
Give the bulbs a good sniff, the ones that are rotting from the inside will look healthy on the outside but they will still smell rotten. Healthy tulip bulbs are firm to the touch, and rotten ones are soft and mushy.
Key Takeaways
- To store tulip bulbs harvest them in late spring or early fall, clean them, divide them, dry them for 2 weeks, and sprinkle them with a fungicide powder. Choose a storage place that has low humidity, good ventilation, no pests, and no light at 55F (12C) or below temperature.
- The most common reason why tulip bulbs die in storage is because they rot, usually, this is due to high humidity and or fungi growing on the bulbs.
- If your tulip bulbs have sprouted in storage, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are dead.