Dug up my tulips....

[higgledy]

I am just moving them to a new place in my yard. I cut off the yellowed leaves. Do I pull the thick brown layer from the bulbs? Do I seperate the bulb clusters?

Thanks, Phil

[Doug Kanter]

Just plant them. Don't peel or separate anything. They know what they're doing.

[Andrew Ostrander]

Removing the brown layer doesn't matter. If the bulbs are small and in clusters you will get clusters of small plants next year, with small flowers. Standard advice is to separate the clusters and plant each bulb by itself with lots of growing room so that it can grow and the flowers will be a good size. The bulbs will not grow any more this summer, so whatever size they are now will determine the size of flower you will get next year, but giving them growing room will let them grow for the year after, if you are in a climate where tulips survive (not too warm). Keep the bulbs dry and out of the ground until normal tulip planting time in your area then plant them. Plant only the large ones if you want only large flowers next year.

[Tom Randy]

Are they perennial tulips? If not don't bother, chuck them out and plant new ones come fall. They don't do well the 2nd year I find.

[William Wagner]

I treat them like annuals. Seems the warm summer weather is not a good thing for tulips.

Bill

[Bill R]

ALL tulips are perennial. If your tulips don't do well in their second year it is because you are not feeding the bulbs correctly in their first year.