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Tulips in wrong pot

EmerionEmerion Posts: 459
in Plants
Hello, I was expecting crocus in this 8”/20cm pot. As you can see, it’s tulips instead . They aren’t dwarf ones, but are small because they are crowded I think. I was redoing a border last year, and these were no doubt in the pot “temporarily”, and I forgot. I’ve never tried to move tulips when in active growth. Would this be a bad idea?
Carmarthenshire 
If at first you don’t succeed, have some cake. 

Posts

  • PalustrisPalustris Posts: 4,116
    No problem as long as you do not disturb the roots too much. I have about 20 pots of Tulips to go in when the soil is a bit warmer.
  • yorkshireroseyorkshirerose Posts: 574
    I've moved tulips whilst in growth without causing any harm to them/ Gently tip them out of the pot on to your hand to avoid damaging the growing points. Take care not to break the roots and transfer them into the required pot and cover with compost.
    A gardener's work is never at an end  - (John Evelyn 1620-1706)
  • EmerionEmerion Posts: 459
    thank you ! 
    Carmarthenshire 
    If at first you don’t succeed, have some cake. 
  • didywdidyw Posts: 2,940
    I planted what I thought were pink tulips, along with some darker pink tulips in the bed I wanted them in, then when I went to pot up the red tulips in a pot realised I had already planted them in the 'pink' bed!  I dug up what I thought were the red ones but will just have to wait until they begin to flower.  At which point I will carefully lift them, as described above and get them in their proper pot.  Doh!
  • LTobyLToby Posts: 224
    edited February 2021
    Yes, you can move them.

    From my own experience, sometimes we get confused during the planting of bulbs, when they come out, they were in the wrong area. So what I started doing is by marking them during their blooming season, then in the following Spring when they begin growing I transplant them to where I wanted them to be, among contrasting colours, they continue to grow and enjoyed their presence at new location when they bloomed. An FYI, when I transplanted them, I always took most of the soil around their bulb and relocate them as a whole, they will then continue to grow as undisturbed - the ones that get only few soil will not bloom in the same year but will flower in the next year. 
    Aberdeenshire, Scotland
  • FireFire Posts: 17,116
    Transplant if you like, but I also think your tulips will be fine it hat pot. The bulbs can be planted very tightly and they will be fine.
  • shane.farrellshane.farrell Posts: 207
    I agree with Fire. Let them do their thing this time. I have pots stuffed with multiple  layers. Maybe you thought they were crocus as they were a smaller bulb/variety? When I have things I want to move I use a coded system with cable ties. E.g. I got several free bags of daffs with orders recently and I had no idea what they were so I planted in pots and now they have flowered I put 0-4 mini cable ties loosely on each flower stem to denote which variety. Can also be used on mixed tulips etc. Use the lowest numbers on the most numerous.
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