My Tulip Bulbs - storage, when to plant
 

Hi everyone,

I just bought a couple of large bags of tulip bulbs at my local
costco. They were very reasonably priced, and they look to be very
high quality. They're packed in sawdust filled bags, and look very
nice.

I live in the arizona desert, and it's still plenty hot here. I have
been keeping the bags of bulbs in the house since i bought them, and
it's warm in here during the day - 84 degrees or so when i'm not home
and the A/C is set high.

I'm wondering, first, if it's too hot in the house to store them
properly - should they be in the fridge for a while? Is the heat going
to hurt them?

Secondly, when should I plant them? They are Triumph Tulips, in case
that matters...

Thanks for the help!

I believe it's recommended in the desert, as it is in the deep south, to
chill (refrigerate) tulips for at least 6 weeks, or they won't bloom - they
need good chilling to succeed (consistently colder than 40 degrees) - the
highs of 65 or 70 in January in Phoenix, Tucson, or Palm Springs, while
chilly to someone who has lived in the desert for a while, is balmy weather
to a tulip.....lol
"D. Sutton" wrote in message
...
Hi everyone,

I just bought a couple of large bags of tulip bulbs at my local
costco. They were very reasonably priced, and they look to be very
high quality. They're packed in sawdust filled bags, and look very
nice.

I live in the arizona desert, and it's still plenty hot here. I have
been keeping the bags of bulbs in the house since i bought them, and
it's warm in here during the day - 84 degrees or so when i'm not home
and the A/C is set high.

I'm wondering, first, if it's too hot in the house to store them
properly - should they be in the fridge for a while? Is the heat going
to hurt them?

Secondly, when should I plant them? They are Triumph Tulips, in case
that matters...

Thanks for the help!

gregpresley wrote:
I believe it's recommended in the desert, as it is in the deep south, to
chill (refrigerate) tulips for at least 6 weeks, or they won't bloom - they
need good chilling to succeed (consistently colder than 40 degrees) - the
highs of 65 or 70 in January in Phoenix, Tucson, or Palm Springs, while
chilly to someone who has lived in the desert for a while, is balmy weather
to a tulip.....lol

As greg said, chill the bulbs "at least 6 weeks". Ten to
twelve weeks is perferred. A good place to "chill" the
bulbs is in the crisper of your refrigerator. Be sure that
you check them every few weeks for rot. One bad bulb can
spoil a whole bag of bulbs.
--
Bill R. (Ohio Valley, U.S.A)

Digital Camera: HP PhotoSmart 850

For pictures of my garden flowers visit
http://members.iglou.com/brosen

Remove NO_WEEDS_ in e-mail address to reply by e-mail

On 9/17/04 12:12 PM, in article , "Bill R"
wrote:

gregpresley wrote:
I believe it's recommended in the desert, as it is in the deep south, to
chill (refrigerate) tulips for at least 6 weeks, or they won't bloom - they
need good chilling to succeed (consistently colder than 40 degrees) - the
highs of 65 or 70 in January in Phoenix, Tucson, or Palm Springs, while
chilly to someone who has lived in the desert for a while, is balmy weather
to a tulip.....lol

As greg said, chill the bulbs "at least 6 weeks". Ten to
twelve weeks is perferred. A good place to "chill" the
bulbs is in the crisper of your refrigerator. Be sure that
you check them every few weeks for rot. One bad bulb can
spoil a whole bag of bulbs.

And don't put any fruit (especially apples?) in the fridge. You'll kill the
buds.

Cheryl

D. Sutton wrote in message . ..
Hi everyone,

I just bought a couple of large bags of tulip bulbs at my local
costco. They were very reasonably priced, and they look to be very
high quality. They're packed in sawdust filled bags, and look very
nice.

I live in the arizona desert, and it's still plenty hot here. I have
been keeping the bags of bulbs in the house since i bought them, and
it's warm in here during the day - 84 degrees or so when i'm not home
and the A/C is set high.

I'm wondering, first, if it's too hot in the house to store them
properly - should they be in the fridge for a while? Is the heat going
to hurt them?

Secondly, when should I plant them? They are Triumph Tulips, in case
that matters...

Thanks for the help!

In mild-winter climates (much of California; in Arizona, pretty much
anywhere below the Mogollon Rim), standard tulips have to be forced.
It's easy. Give them at least six to eight weeks, or as long as four
months, in the least-cold section of the refrigerator (if you can
devote your vegetable crisper to them, that's best of all), then plant
them out. They should sprout almost immediately and bloom in a small
number of weeks.

--
Chris Green