How to Transplant Tulips Before They Bloom

Cultivate the soil in a new, sunny location. Till the area with a rototiller, if possible, about 8 to 10 inches deep. You can also use a hoe to help loosen the soil. At this time, integrate 3 or 4 inches of leaf mold, compost, peat moss or another organic material into the soil so it is rich and loamy. If your soil contains a lot of clay, mix in 1 part sand with 1 part organic matter into the soil.

Remove the first bulb with a hand trowel to help you estimate about how deep the rest of the bulbs are planted. Tulips are generally found between 5 and 10 inches under the surface of the soil, depending on how deep they were originally planted and how much they have settled and grown since.

Lift the rest of the tulip bulbs out of the soil carefully, digging down about an inch farther than their estimated depth. Use a garden fork to minimize any damage to the bulbs. If the foliage has already grown, handle them carefully and dig up one tulip at a time and replant it immediately before moving on to the next plant.

Replant the tulips at same depth as they were planted before if the foliage has already emerged from the ground. Otherwise, plant bulbs that are approximately 1 inch in diameter about 5 inches deep and bulbs that are 2 or more inches in diameter 8 inches deep, according to the University of Kentucky. Sprinkle 1 tbsp. of bone meal into each hole to help feed your bulbs. Space bulbs about 4 to 8 inches apart, with smaller tulip bulbs planted closer together.

Water in the tulips with 1 inch of water and cover the bed with approximately 2 to 4 inches of mulch. It is important to keep the soil moist until the tulips recover and begin to grow again and bloom.