When Should You Uproot Potted Tulips?

Feed the Bulbs

• If you want to try replanting your tulips, don’t uproot the bulbs until the plant has completed its entire life cycle. Snip off the dead flowers to prevent the plant from expending effort on making seeds. You can trim down the stem, but leave the leaves alone. Fertilize with some water-soluble flower food at the ratio of 1 tablespoon per 1 gallon of water, or according to package directions, then stop watering and let the soil dry out. The foliage will yellow, a sign that carbohydrate energy has drawn down into the bulbs, providing them with nourishment that allows future growth to be activated by photosynthesis.

  This necessary process isn’t pretty. It’s OK to move the pot to a less visible spot. When the leaves come off with a gentle tug, remove them and throw them away. You can leave the bulbs in the pot as is, or transfer the soil-and-bulb chunk to a brown paper bag. To prevent rot, don’t use a plastic bag.

Chill the Bulbs

• Perennial bulbs that bloom outdoors from March to May in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 to 8, tulips require at eight to 12 weeks of cold hibernation to rest and replenish. Move the bulbs to a dark, cool spot in an unheated garage, basement or similar area where temperatures range between 35 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

  If you live in a warm climate, the bulbs can chill out in your refrigerator. The vegetable crisper is a great spot. Just be sure there’s no fruit in the fridge. Fruit emits gases that will prevent bulbs from flowering.

Plant the Bulbs

• In late September, retrieve your bulbs. Discard any squishy or fuzzy ones. Firm bulbs can be planted 6 inches deep in your garden or re-potted in fresh potting medium for a possible return appearance in spring.

Calculated Risk

• If you enjoy garden challenges, replanting is worth a try, but it is a gamble. The odds are against tulips that were coaxed into early bloom. This process, called forcing, is used to bring the flowers to market for Valentine’s Day or as a do-it-yourself cure for the winter blahs. The artificial growing cycle sucks all the energy out of the bulbs. They may be depleted.

  Chances are better if your tulips bloomed between Easter and Mother’s Day, in accordance with the natural scheme. Many hybrid varieties have been bred for color and size at the expense of longevity -- even bulbs planted at the correct time in the conventional way may only come back for one or two years. So-called “species” tulips, those varieties closest to original tulips, are most likely to bloom again.