Tulips

Question

So I’ve never planted tulips before but I saw some at Home Depot and thought why not. I followed the package directions that said you could plant up till December, so I planted them on Nov. 6. Then I was reading online to find out when they will come up, and I found out that they may need chilling. I live in San Antonio, Texas. Will they get enough chill hours, or have I doomed them to fail? Also, the package didn’t mention needing chilling, so maybe they were pre-chilled already. Any ideas or info is helpful.

Thanks, Sean.

Answer 1

Your bulbs won't be likely to get enough chill hours in the ground in San Antonio. Unless you are able to contact the company to find out whether the bulbs were pre-chilled, the best option is to dig them up and chill them in your refrigerator for six weeks, then plant them again. You should plant them by late December or early January, so you can use a shorter chilling period than the 12 weeks listed in the below article.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/bulbs/bgen/chilling-flowering-bulbs.htm