How to Care for Mylar Tulips

Plant your Mylar tulip bulbs in fall, around the first frost of the year, to give the bulbs the cold germination period they need. Plant the bulbs after nighttime temperatures drop to around 50 degrees Fahrenheit, but before the ground freezes. Tulip bulbs require this cold resting period to take root and germinate.

Find a site that gives you the right sun and drainage conditions for Mylar tulips. Allot 3 to 4 inches of space per tulip bulb, and make sure that each bulb gets at least four hours of sun and quick drainage. The bulbs must get efficient drainage year round or they will rot and die.

Mix the soil in your planting sites to give the tulip bulbs a loose, airy planting site. Dig up 6 to 10 inches of soil and add 3 to 5 inches of organic compost or peat moss. This addition enriches the soil for growing and prevents the soil from hardening. Mix bone meal or bulb fertilizer into the tilled soil to encourage rooting and establishment.

Plant Mylar tulip bulbs at a depth two to three times the length of the bulbs. Give each bulb 3 inches of space and make sure they are not touching underground, as that may lead to crowding and disease. Always plant bulbs with their pointed end facing upward.

Water the bulbs until the soil is wet to a depth of 5 or 6 inches, and leave them for the winter. Water the bulbs with this much water only during dry periods of the winter.

Give the bulbs more fertilizer in the spring, one to two months before the last frost of the season, to encourage growth. Always follow manufacturer directions in regard to fertilizer quantity and application. Increase waterings to 2 inches of water a week at this time, and maintain this level of watering throughout the summer.

Allow the Mylar tulips to go through their natural process during the summer. Each bulb produces one flower for garden color or cutting, with several long leaves. Let the leaves yellow and die on their own at the end of the summer, as they collect nutrition for the bulbs at this time. Cut the foliage off only after it dries.