Summarize the following:
Bulbs need to be 'tricked' into believing they have survived winter in order to start flowering. This means they need to experience a sustained cold environment whilst they are dormant. The ones you buy commercially are likely to have been chilled for you. If you are supplying your own bulbs, you'll need to recreate this cold environment yourself. You can place the bulbs in a fridge salad drawer, but keep them well away from fruit, especially apples, because they emit gases that will inhibit the bulbs' later flowering. You can also try using a cool cellar if you can achieve an ideal temperature of between 30 and 50 F. Your bulbs need to stay at this cool temperature for around 4 months. Not all commercially purchased tulips will stand forcing. Check the label when you are shopping for bulbs. As a general rule, shorter tulip varieties tend to do better than taller varieties when forced. The essential thing is to select good healthy bulbs that are large and firm. Reject any bulbs that seem rather small or are soft or mushy. After chilling or purchase, store your bulbs in a cool dry and dark place until you are ready to force them. You don't want your bulbs to dry out completely, so keep them out of drafts. Inside a paper bag in a cool cupboard is ideal. You don't always have to get a specially designed vase to force tulips. The most important thing to remember is that the bulb should not touch the water, otherwise it will rot. The bulb does need to sit right above the water though, so the roots can grow down into it. You can get special glassware vases for forcing bulbs in garden stores or online. You can try filling a receptacle, like a tall vase, with a few handfuls of decorative pebbles or glass beads. Then fill with the vase water. The bulb should sit on top of the stones but still not touch the water. The bulb roots will need a few inches of water to grow down into. If you're improvising with your own vessel, just remember that the tulip needs to sit above the water but shouldn't touch it. Fill your receptacle with a few handfuls of pebbles or glass beads. Top it up with cool water and place the tulip bulb on top. The pointed part of the tulip bulb should point upwards. The base of the bulb should not touch the water, but the water should be just a few millimeters below the bulb. It's fine to force several bulbs in the same vase, but avoid the bulbs touching in case one rots and spreads the infection to its neighbor. Remember, bulbs may swell during forcing, so give them about an inch of space each.
Trick the bulbs using a cold environment to make them flower. Pick large, firm bulbs of short tulip varieties to have the best chance of flowering. Store bulbs in a cool, dry, dark place after the chilling process. Choose a properly-sized vase. Try the alternative stone-filled vase method. Place your bulb on top without touching the water.