How to Make Forced Tulips Bloom Again

Set the tulip in a window where it receives full sunlight after its flowers fade. Cut off the old flower heads with shears but leave the foliage and stems in place.

Water the soil in the pot when the top 1/2 inch feels dry. Water with a soluble balanced plant food at the rate recommended on the package once every two weeks.

Cut back the foliage to within 1 inch of the bulb after it yellows and falls over. The foliage dies back within six to eight weeks of when the blooms fade.

Plant the tulip bulbs outdoors in a sunny, well-drained garden bed after frost danger passes in spring. Sow the bulbs with the pointed end up at a 3-inch depth, spacing multiple bulbs 4 to 6 inches apart.

Mulch over the bed with a 2-inch layer of bark or pine straw in fall. Resume watering and fertilization of the tulip bed in spring when the first leaves push through the soil. The tulips may take up to two years before they resume blooming.