Tulip bulbs decline in vigor rather quickly. Weak bulbs produce large, floppy leaves, but no flowers. To maximize the number of years tulips are in bloom, choose planting sites that receive at least 6 hours of direct sun per day and have well-drained soils. Promptly remove spent flowers after the tulips are done blooming.
Another less likely possibility for non flowering tulips is a lack of nutrients. All flower bulbs, not just tulips, need phosphorus in order to form flower buds. If your soil is lacking phosphorus, your tulips will not bloom every year.
Another question we ran across in our research was “Do tulips need phosphorus to bloom?”.
All flower bulbs, not just tulips, need phosphorus in order to form flower buds. If your soil is lacking phosphorus, your tulips will not bloom every year.
Should you cut the leaves off of a tulip plant?
Tulip foliage is best left to completely die back before removing it. So long as it’s green, it’s still manufacturing sugars that are stored in the bulb and used as energy to produce the next year’s flowers.
In general, large, firm tulip bulbs are usually viable, whereas small, dry or shriveled bulbs are not. Once the blooms fade on your tulips and the leaves start to turn brown, you may be tempted to cut them off. If you do that, you may be preventing the flower from blooming again next year.
What is eating my tulip bulbs?
Although squirrels and moles are often blamed for damaged flower bulbs, the most common culprit is the field mouse, according to the University of Illinois Extension. If enough of the bulb is consumed, the tulip may leaf out but fail to bloom.
Another popular query is “Why are my tulip bulbs rotting?”.
I learned too much water in the soil can cause tulip bulbs to rot away. Again, in this case, the bulbs have to be replaced. Choose a planting site that drains well and does not collect standing water for your new tulip bed. Home gardeners in some climates dig up their bulbs and store them in a cool, dry location to be planted again when the time is right.
A frequent query we ran across in our research was “Do tulip bulbs need a lot of Sun?”.
One way to think about this is tulips need lots of sun in order to produce blooms. I had some bulbs that were in an area that got shadier each year because of trees overhead getting bigger. No blooms, 1 or 2 leaves.