tulips suffering
 

My mother bought some tulips to plant in an area that was already
designated for other things... so they were put in pots out in the
sun... they were forgotten about by me, while I was setting up the rest
of the garden, and since nobody else was thinking of them, they dried
up.... Then they were watered, and subjected to a 3 day rainstorm that
knocked them down - as well as the fact that there weren't drain holes
in the pots, so they were overwatered. One of these several things
made the parts above ground die.

My question is - living in south Mississippi, there is enough growing
season to start over... how should the bulbs be prepared to do this? I
am not familiar with bulbs, so I really have no clue as to what to do...

Tulips are not good perennials in Mississippi. They need 6 - 8 weeks
of real winter cold, so you would need to buy any new tulip bulbs in
the fall, chill them in a paper bag in your fridge 6 - 8 weeks, then
plant outside or in pots. They will then bloom. Once the leaves have
died back in late spring, you either dig them up to store or toss.

As for your current set, I doubt there's much life left.

On 23 Apr 2005 11:31:30 -0700, "Bear Drummer"
wrote:

My mother bought some tulips to plant in an area that was already
designated for other things... so they were put in pots out in the
sun... they were forgotten about by me, while I was setting up the rest
of the garden, and since nobody else was thinking of them, they dried
up.... Then they were watered, and subjected to a 3 day rainstorm that
knocked them down - as well as the fact that there weren't drain holes
in the pots, so they were overwatered. One of these several things
made the parts above ground die.

My question is - living in south Mississippi, there is enough growing
season to start over... how should the bulbs be prepared to do this? I
am not familiar with bulbs, so I really have no clue as to what to do...

Hi Bear Drummer,

If I'm understanding you the bulbs sprouted, didn't bloom, got drowned and now are laying flat? I would suggest that you take them out of the pot and plant them in the ground now. If you leave them in the soaking wet soil you risk them rotting. Plant them 8" to 10" deep. Let the foilage turn yellow before you remove it even if they don't bloom as this will feed the bulbs for next year's blooms. You may want to plant them where something else that is coming up will cover their yellowing foilage.

Newt

My mother bought them already blooming... they are in 6 inch deep pots
right now... they were dehydrated, then overwatered - and the stems
have turned yellow... I am hoping that there is still something I can
do to save the bulbs, either for later this year, or next year...

fran was correct. Tulips will not come back in southern mississippi. Even if
the bulbs are not rotted (which is unlikely), they need to be stored dry and
relatively cool over the summer, and then chilled in the refrigerator for
6-8 weeks in late fall before planting in december. No one in his right mind
bothers to do this...LOL. Nurseries in the south will sell them pre-chilled
if you really want them. But you can grow amarylis outside as a perennial
bulb, and they are so much more spectacular. Northern gardeners would
sacrifice much to be able to have amaryllis blooming in their outdoor
gardens - but it just isn't in the cards. Neither are tulips in southern
mississippi, without a tremendous amount of effort every year.
"Bear Drummer" wrote in message
ups.com...
My mother bought them already blooming... they are in 6 inch deep pots
right now... they were dehydrated, then overwatered - and the stems
have turned yellow... I am hoping that there is still something I can
do to save the bulbs, either for later this year, or next year...