Feeding tulips: when, how & best tulip fertiliser

Tulips can rebloom every year – if they are properly fertilised. Let us show you what to consider when feeding tulips.

For a long time it was thought that bulb flowers, such as tulips (Tulipa), could do without fertilisation. This may be true for the first few years, but once all the reserves from the soil are used up, their flowering power quickly decreases. Long-lived tulip varieties in particular, which produce numerous flowers every year, should therefore be fertilised regularly so that you can store enough reserve substances in the bulbs for the coming flowering season. In principle, tulips are not very demanding when it comes to location, but if you take good care of your favourites, you are guaranteed to be rewarded with a bright sea of flowers.

To ensure that your tulips do not lose their splendour, you should support their development from the start with an appropriate supply of nutrients. Let us explain when to fertilise your tulips and what best to use below.

When to fertilise tulips

In principle, many tulips thrive on nutrient-poor sites with well-drained soils. But if you want to do something good for your plant, you can mix some compost into the soil when planting in autumn (September/October). This ensures optimal conditions right from the start. Depending on the time of planting, the flowers will open as early as next spring, between late March and early May. Regular fertilising before and during flowering in the spring optimally supports the tulips’ growth. Simply work a primarily organic fertiliser lightly into the soil every two weeks. It is best to use a slow-release fertiliser such as our Plantura Flower Food for this purpose. This promotes active soil life and sustainably improves the soil structure.

In the period after flowering, no further fertilisers are necessary. You can give your tulips a final dose of fertiliser in the autumn (September). The fertiliser granules are then decomposed by microorganisms from the soil and provide the plants with sufficient nutrients for some time before they take a well-deserved winter break. Alternatively you can also cover your tulips with a layer of compost. This is not only an ideal winter shelter, but immediately provides sufficient nutrients after the onset of decomposition over the winter months, ready for new shoots in the spring.

When to fertilise tulips

• When planting, you can add a little fertiliser or compost into the soil.
• Before flowering, incorporate fertiliser into the soil every two weeks
• Final feed in autumn (September)
• If necessary, cover with compost over the winter

Pro tip: After a few years, the soil can become “tulip tired”. Therefore, it is best to plant the tulip bulb in a different location or equip the bed with fresh soil every few years.

What is the best fertiliser for tulips?

A wide variety of materials and products are available for feeding your tulips. We explain the advantages for the use of organic fertilisers and what other options there are for providing a supply of nutrients to your tulips, below.

Flower Food, 1.5kg

• Perfect for flowering plants in the garden & on the balcony
• For healthier plants with beautiful & long-lasting blossoms
• Long-lasting fertiliser that is free from animal products - child & pet friendly

£9.99

Shop now!

Feeding tulips with primarily organic fertiliser

You may already have some natural fertilisers suitable for tulips at home. Before planting, you can work a little mature compost or rotted horse manure into the soil. However, the nutrients are released relatively slowly through decomposition via microorganisms.

If you do not have your own compost pile, a slow-release fertiliser like our Plantura Flower Food is an optimal choice. This kind of plant food is also usually better than compost or manure for fertilising tulips in pots on a balcony or terrace. In general, there are some advantages for using primarily organic fertilisers with slow-release effects.

What are the advantages of using fertilisers with slow-release effects?

• Long-term nutrient supply for your tulips through a continuous decomposition via microorganisms
• Promotion of active soil life and sustainable improvement of the soil structure
• Particularly gentle for plants, animals and people, by not using chemicals

Our Plantura Flower Food is predominantly made from organic raw vegetable materials. The balanced composition of the fertiliser ensures optimal nutrient supply to your tulips. A high proportion of nitrogen promotes plant growth as well as leaf formation. Sufficient phosphorus ensures abundant flowering later in the year and extra potassium content reduces the sensitivity of tulips towards frost. To ensure that you provide your tulips with the right amount of nutrients, we have prepared detailed fertilisation instructions for you.

Flower Food, 1.5kg

• Perfect for flowering plants in the garden & on the balcony
• For healthier plants with beautiful & long-lasting blossoms
• Long-lasting fertiliser that is free from animal products - child & pet friendly

£9.99

Shop now!

Plantura Flower Food: instructions & dosage for tulips

1. When planting: work about 100 g/m² (8 heaped tablespoons) of our Plantura Flower Food into the top soil layers.
2. Water freshly planted tulips well, so that the granules can dissolve.
3. In autumn (September) fertilise again with about 80 g/m² (6 heaped tablespoons).

Professional tip: You can dissolve fertiliser granules in a little water and administer to the tulips when watering.

Fertilising tulips minerally

If you skipped autumn or spring fertilisation and your tulips have already begun to sprout, many amateur gardeners like to resort to Blaukorn liquid fertiliser to supply the plant with fast-acting nutrients. The advantage of mineral fertilisers is that the nutrients are in pure form and thus directly available to the plant. The time-consuming process used by microorganisms is therefore not necessary. At the same time, however, the easy solubility of nutrient salts also increases the risk of overfertilisation. In the worst case scenario, improper application can even leach the fertiliser into deeper soil layers, where it can because contamination to the groundwater. Organic fertilisers act much slower than mineral fertilisers, but they are much kinder to the environment and promote the development of your tulips more sustainably.

Feeding tulips with home remedies

Dried coffee grounds are a popular home remedy for fertilising flowers. This waste product can be easily incorporated into the top soil layers. Besides abundant nitrogen, coffee grounds also contain phosphorus and potassium. However, you should not fertilise your tulips with coffee grounds too often, as this will lower the pH of the soil into the acidic range in the long run. If you have your own wood-burning stove, you can also use the resulting ash as fertiliser for your tulips. It is very rich in potassium, but at the same time contains lime and trace elements. In addition, ash helps to counteract fungal diseases and rot.

Only tulips that are completely comfortable will reward you with delightful blooms year after year For more information on tulip care, see our dedicated article.