Keeping potted flowers healthy

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paradoxbox
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Keeping potted flowers healthy

Post by paradoxbox »

Picked up a couple of tulips and some other springtime plants a few days ago.

Anyone have any tips for keeping potted plants like tulips flowering as long as possible, and then when the flowers do die off, what should be done to make sure the bulb stays alive?

Also how about propagation of the bulbs, anyone done it with tulips?

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Zasso Nouka
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Re: Keeping potted flowers healthy

Post by Zasso Nouka »

Not kept tulips in a pot so take this with a large grain of salt. I imagine that it is currently living off of nutrition stored in the bulb from last year but it would probably help to give it some sort of general fertiliser once a week even now so that it can replenish those stores and start to build up more for next year.

Can't offer any advice on prolonging the flowering but once it has finished cut off the flower so the plant puts it's energy back into the bulb rather than trying to make seed.

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Eric in Japan
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Re: Keeping potted flowers healthy

Post by Eric in Japan »

I clip the flower and bring it inside for the table. Then the bulb can get back to storing up nutrition for the next year.
SF Gate talks about propagation here:
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/propagate- ... 37399.html
"... so, the cucumbers said to the cabbage, `Lettuce Go.`"

Zakiyama
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Re: Keeping potted flowers healthy

Post by Zakiyama »

A little late, but thought I would add my tulip experience.
The only problem I had growing them in pots was that the regular potting soil became too water-logged and the bulbs started to rot. I repotted them mixing in some sand and fine gravel, and they perked up, flowered, and multiplied more than the ones I had planted in the ground

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