Tulip planting and care outdoors in spring

Every amateur florist should know the peculiarities of growing tulips in the open field. These lovely flowers are among the first to delight in spring. But if earlier, in the Soviet years, Dutch tulips lit up with scarlet lights in flower beds, and then "yellow" ones were added to them, today the choice of varieties is unusually large. You can pick flowers of any shade - from white to black, and any shape. Early, middle and late tulips in their flowering will replace each other and delight the owners for a long time with a bright flower bed.

And, of course. flower garden owners want tulips to grow normally, develop and not get sick. What needs to be done for this? So, tulips - planting and care in the open field for these "firstborn of spring".

Choosing bulbs for planting

Bulbs can be either your own, grown on your site, or purchased - of certain varieties. The main thing is that they are healthy. First of all, they are carefully examined.

Bulbs that have begun to rot or are affected by fungal diseases are thrown away.

The rest are sorted by size.

Tulips will grow from large bulbs, which will bloom in spring. Small plants will form, the flowering of which should be expected next season.

Time and timing of planting tulips

Plants are usually planted outdoors in spring or fall. The same is true for tulips.

In autumn

This is the best option for planting plants in central Russia. Tulip bulbs are planted in their designated place from mid-September to mid-October. Of course, the terms can be lengthened if the autumn is warm, and shortened in the event of an unexpected onset of cold weather. The soil temperature should not fall below + 7-10 C, otherwise the root system of the bulbs will not have time to take root, and the flowers will freeze.

But if you follow the rules, planting tulips in the fall will allow you to get strong and healthy flowers next spring.

In the spring

Tulip bulbs can be planted in spring, when the ground has warmed up to the same + 7-10 C. This usually happens in the second half of April or early May. You should not rush to plant so that tulips do not die during frosts.

How to plant tulips correctly?

Tulips are relatively undemanding plants. Therefore, even a novice florist can cope with planting them.

Soil requirements

Tulip bulbs prefer relatively light, slightly alkaline soil. Sandy soil will not work - such soil will have to be enriched with peat or humus, but sandy loam will do just fine.

Heavy clay soils are also not very suitable for tulips - moisture stagnates in them, which can lead to rotting of the bulbs. It is best to add river sand when digging a bed with such soil. As drainage can be used: crushed bark, sawdust, foam crumbs.

It is good to sow the area intended for them with green manure plants a year or two before planting tulip bulbs, and then dig them up along with the soil. This way you can be sure that the necessary nutrients have been introduced into the soil.

Seat selection

The place for tulips should be sunny enough. These plants are demanding for light. In shaded areas, they stretch out, the flowers become small, the petals quickly crumble.

If tulips are to be grown in a flower bed next to tall plants, you should consider this moment and make sure that the tulips are not in the shade.

Tulips grow poorly on slopes - the area should be flat. Stagnation of water in the garden is also contraindicated.

Landing in open ground

Before planting in open ground - prepare the garden. If the soil is acidic, the soil is sprinkled with lime. Humus is introduced a couple of months before planting. But here, too, you cannot overdo it: tulips are plants that are better undernourished than overfed.

So what are the main rules?

• The bed should be about 15 cm high, at least 1 m wide, the distance between the beds is ideally about 50 cm.
• Furrows are made in the beds, the depth of which reaches the height of 4 bulbs. Furrows are spilled abundantly with water. And the bulbs are kept in a weak solution of potassium permanganate before planting in order to disinfect.
• It is advisable to sprinkle the furrows with river sand; you can use foam crumbs.
• The bulbs are planted at a distance of 6-7 cm from each other.
• Furrows fall asleep.
• The beds are covered with a layer of mulch. You can use compost, sawdust, crushed bark.

If the winters in these places are frosty, tulips - during autumn planting - are additionally covered with a layer of rotten foliage. It must be remembered that it is impossible to use manure that has not yet quail when caring for tulips. The bulbs will suffer from fungal diseases.

Tulip care

After planting in autumn - tulips will no longer require maintenance until spring. You can remember them in March, when the snow begins to melt in the sun. Many growers consider this time to be optimal for the first fertilization. Together with melt water, they will penetrate deep into the soil, and just at the right time - when tulips begin to develop and gain color.

Watering and feeding

Caring for tulips is easy. These plants love water, so they need to be watered regularly and in sufficient quantities. It is undesirable to use a garden hose for this purpose; it is better to take an old watering can. For 1 sq.m. about 20-30 liters of water is introduced. It is recommended to use water that has settled, warmed up to about air temperature.

Today, Nature stores sell a variety of tulip-friendly fertilizers. Among them there are dressings that dissolve in water, or are used dry.

Experienced flower growers feed tulips three times per season.

The first time, as already mentioned, dry fertilizers can be applied directly to the snow. They should include nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, in a ratio of 2: 2: 1.

The second time the tulips are fed when the buds become visible. Here, the same microelements are used, that is, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, only the ratio is different: 1: 2: 2.

The third time fertilization is applied when most of the flowers in the garden begin to shed their petals. Now tulips only need phosphorus and potassium in equal proportions.

It must be remembered that nitrogen is contained in ammonium nitrate, and superphosphate is the best source of phosphorus.

You can also use complex fertilizers, which include manganese and zinc.

Loosening

Slightly loosen the soil in the tulip garden soon after planting. This will help the bulbs take root better.

In the spring, the beds are loosened when the soil begins to dry out. This provides air access to the plant roots.

Features of care after flowering

It may seem that after the end of flowering, tulips are immersed in a deep "hibernation" until the next season. But no, they still need care.

After the tulips have faded, you need to cut off the stems and water the plants well for a couple of weeks. This period also includes the third, final feeding.

Then the yellowed leaves are cut off at the root.

When to dig up tulip bulbs?

This is done around mid-July. In early tulips - you can dig out the bulbs 10-14 days earlier than in later ones. It is important that the day is warm and dry. Dirt is removed from the bulbs, and then they are treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate and dried.

Storage conditions

Now the florist has to carry out important work, on which it depends - whether his bed with tulips will be good next year.

For storing the bulbs, it is advisable to have boxes in which a net is reinforced instead of the bottom. The bulbs are sorted first by varieties, and then by size - by adults and children, laying them separately - in 1-2 rows.

Each bulb should be carefully inspected to ensure between the healthy ones there was no rotten or affected by the fungus - it will infect the rest. Bulbs that have received mechanical damage, for example, cut by a shovel blow, are also thrown away.

At the end of the process, plates with the names of varieties are fixed in the boxes.

For a couple of weeks, the bulbs are stored at normal summer temperatures in a well-ventilated room. The "crop" should dry well.

In late summer and early autumn, the temperature can be reduced to + 18-20 C. At the same time, the bulbs continue to be periodically examined, immediately removing the diseased.

It is advisable to plant tulips in a new place every autumn, and return to the previous garden bed in 3-4 years.

Protection against diseases and pests

To prevent tulips from getting sick with a number of diseases, you need to provide them with good care. For example, if the drainage is sufficient, the bulbs will not rot in the warm season and will not freeze in the cold.

With proper watering, when no water gets on the leaves, sunburn spots will not appear on them.

Special preparations will protect tulips from attack by pests such as aphids or slugs. A flower grower should get a sprayer to treat the ground part of the plant. Granules of the "Thunderstorm", which reliably fights slugs, are scattered over the garden. Traps help from the bear.

Among the infectious diseases of tulips, the most common are gray rot and typhulosis. Flowers are treated with drugs such as topsin or foundationol. This should be done before the tulips have blossomed, or after the end of flowering.

Viral diseases are even more dangerous. As a result of them, the so-called "variegation" may appear, as a result of which the variety will be completely lost. Such tulips are dug up and destroyed.

Thus, even a novice florist will be able to successfully plant and grow any varieties of tulips. It is only important to adhere to the basic rules. Growing tulips is a fascinating process that many growers are enthusiastic about.

The blooming of tulips heralds the triumph of spring. If the site is decorated with tulips year after year, planting and caring in the open field is the key to this success. Perennial bulbous plants native to Asia have long been the subject of admiration both in their homeland and in the Old World, where they got in the middle of the 16th century.

Thanks to the universal love for these flowers, a hundred years later, Holland began to be called the land of tulips, and today tens of thousands of varieties of these spectacular, but quite affordable plants are distributed around the world.

Dates of planting tulips in the ground

Tulips of cultivars bloom in spring or in the first half of summer. Therefore, the optimal planting time is autumn. In 3-4 weeks, the bulbs acclimate and form the root system, but do not form the aerial part. This allows the tulips to winter well, and with the arrival of warmth, give strong foliage and open large corollas.

When determining the date of planting tulips, it is important not to be mistaken! If the bulbs enter the soil too early, they can produce foliage. And the coming winter will catch the plants by surprise. The aboveground part will freeze, the underground part will weaken and will not be able to guarantee spring bloom. Late planting threatens that tulips will not have time to take root, severe frosts will kill them or spoil them.

How to choose the optimal time? When to plant tulips in the ground in different regions?

Experienced flower growers advise to pay attention not to the calendar, but to the weather outside the window. The best start for plants is to plant in soil that has cooled to 10–12 ° C.

In the middle lane, such conditions develop by mid-September. To the south, tulips are planted later, to the north, the dates are shifted to the end of August.

If, for some reason, tulips did not hit the flower beds in the fall, you can plant them in the spring. Unfortunately, in this case, the plants have less time to prepare for flowering and accumulate nutrients for the next year. To obtain the desired result and to simplify the care of tulips in the open field, it is better to germinate the bulbs in peat pots filled with a loose nutritious substrate before planting. Before planting, the bulbs are cooled for 24 hours in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator.

Tulips are transferred to flower beds when it gets warmer and the soil warms up to +15 ° C. This method can be used in all regions, including areas where tulips outdoors do not survive the winter.

Planting tulips for outdoor cultivation

For bright flowering, garden tulips require:

• sun or transparent partial shade;
• nutritious, necessarily loose soil with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction;
• wind protection;
• moderate watering.

A site suitable for growing tulips is dug up on a full bayonet, loosened, breaking clods, weeds are selected and nitrogen and potash fertilizers are applied, for example, humus and wood ash. Dense, heavy soil is mixed with sand, peat.

Under tulips, as well as under other bulbous crops, you should not add fresh organic matter, which is often a source of bacterial rot and fungal diseases.

The depth of the open field furrows depends on the size of the bulbs. Therefore, they are pre-sorted, along the way separating sick and damaged specimens. And healthy ones are immersed in a dense pink solution of potassium permanganate for half an hour and thoroughly dried.

Under adult large bulbs, furrows are made with a depth of 20 to 30 cm, pouring a 10-cm drainage cushion of coarse sand on the bottom. The children are planted, slightly pressing, into the holes with the same drainage, but half as small, that is, to a depth of 7-10 cm. When the soil is leveled, the plot is mulched.

Caring for tulips after planting in open ground

Tulips will respond only to constant and competent care with massive disclosure of bright flowers. Bulbous crops, as a rule, are unpretentious, but still require attention from the appearance of the first leaves until late autumn. Caring for tulips after planting includes:

• watering, especially plentiful during a set of buds, mass flowering and within 2 weeks after its completion;
• removal of weeds around plantings;
• careful not to damage the root system and bulbs, loosening;
• triple feeding of flowers.

After watering, the soil under the plants should be moist at a depth of 30–40 cm, that is, at least 10–40 liters of water should be consumed per square meter, depending on the type of soil.

Fertilizers in liquid or granular form are part of post-planting tulip care. They are brought in three times:

1. In the phase of the appearance of the first shoots, using a mixture of 2 parts of nitrogen, 2 parts of phosphorus salts, 1 part of potassium compounds;
2. By the time the green buds appear, feeding the plants with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in a ratio of 1: 2: 2;
3. After flowering, using potassium-phosphorus formulations, completely abandoning nitrogen.

When talking about caring for tulips, we must not forget about a simple but useful procedure. When the flowers wither, they are cut out along with the peduncles. This will prevent the bulbs from wasting the energy that is precious for the growth of the bulbs.

If boxes with seeds are formed and ripen on the stems, there is no need to wait for large bulbs, and the children will not be able to gain significant mass.

Before growing tulips, you need to know that a culture can be in one place for no more than 4 years. Then the risk of accumulation of dangerous bacteria, fungi and soil pests increases, the bulbs naturally age and require replanting. The bulbs remaining in the soil gradually go deeper, so the next year it is more difficult for the sprouts to break through to the surface. As a result, the flowers become smaller, the peduncles become weaker and shorter.

The tulips are dug up when the leaves completely wither and fall off. It is useful to shed the freed area with a solution of phytosporin, potassium permanganate or any available fungicide. Plants that remain in the soil for the winter, in order to avoid freezing, are densely mulched with peat, sawdust or covered with spruce branches.

Video about the correct planting of tulips

A flower bed with tulips will be colorful and healthy if the gardener chooses the right place for its organization, prepares purchased or his own bulbs and soil for planting, selects the optimal planting time, provides high-quality care for the planted flowers and the entire flower bed.

The content of the article:

• Preparing purchased bulbs
• Preparing your bulbs
• Soil preparation
• Spring planting tricks
• Tulip planting time
• Flower garden care
• Choosing a site for a flower garden

Few amateur florists do not have at least a couple of tulip varieties in their collection. These flowers are easy to care for and come in a wide variety of shapes and colors, which makes them such a desirable flower bed decoration. Every spring, millions of flower beds bloom across the country, where these wonderful plants are planted. And while it is believed that there is no better time to plant them than early fall, experienced gardeners know a few tricks on how to plant tulips in the spring to make them bloom.

Preparing purchased bulbs

If the bulbs were at your disposal in the fall, then it is better to plant them in the fall. The optimal time for this is September - early October. If the planting material fell into your hands in late autumn or winter, there is no point in planting it in open ground, even if the weather permits.

It is recommended to store the bulbs in a cool dry place until spring, such as in the refrigerator (but not in the freezer). Under the influence of low temperatures, special chemical and physiological processes take place in them, which then contribute to better germination and flowering of plants. Even if you purchased the bulbs just in time for planting, they still need to be kept in the cold for at least 12 hours for them to germinate better.

In late February - early March, after wintering, the planting material must be disinfected in a weakly concentrated manganese solution. Bulbs should be held in it for half an hour before planting tulips in a pot at home (only in spring they can be transplanted into open ground). The distance between the bulbs can be minimal.From above, they are covered with a five-centimeter layer of earth and so left in a warm (heated) room for about a month until sprouts appear. Only then can tulips be planted outdoors.

If the spring is early and the snow has melted in March, you can try planting the bulbs directly in the open ground. But in this case, be prepared that in the event of more or less severe frosts, the plants may die, and if this does not happen, then the flowers will appear much later in any case than those of those tulips that were planted in the fall.

It should also be noted that if you decide to plant blooming tulips in the spring, then it is better to just transfer the pot to the flower bed and leave it that way. In extreme cases, you can carefully remove them from the pot, trying not to disturb the clod of earth, since otherwise the plant will not be able to take root and die.

Preparing your bulbs

If you use bulbs obtained from your own flower garden as seed, they should also be pre-planted. Before planting tulips in spring, they must be subjected to the following procedures:

• The bulbs dug out of the flower bed must be peeled from the tough outer skin and the bare bulb must be examined for defects and diseases. In addition, the "naked" bulb is able to more efficiently obtain nutrients from the soil.
• Further, the planting material is degreased and disinfected. To do this, you can use the already mentioned potassium permanganate solution or a special preparation. An alternative to chemistry is celandine solution, in which the bulbs should be kept for about half an hour. This will help kill fungi and bacteria that can damage the bulbs.
• When planting bulbs in pots, it is recommended to use only a clean substrate, since soil taken simply from a flower bed may contain putrefactive bacteria. By the way, it is also recommended to completely replace the topsoil in the flowerbed itself for the same reasons.

Soil preparation

So, we have already answered the question of whether it is possible to plant tulips in spring. You can, if you know some tricks. But in general, the process of spring planting is not much different from the autumn one. The most important thing in the spring planting of tulips, as well as roses, lilies, or any other flowers, is the correct preparation of the land plot.

The soil in the flower bed must be dug to the depth of the shovel bayonet, that is, by about 25 cm.To increase the permeability of the soil (do not forget that tulip bulbs do not tolerate high humidity), it is recommended to add coarse sand to it. Also, do not forget about fertilizers, in particular about humus (but just do not use fresh manure).

For preventive purposes, the flower garden can be treated with a light fungicidal solution that will kill fungal diseases contained in the soil. If the problem is found already on adult plants, it is recommended to treat it with a solution of twenty grams of working substance per 10 liters of water.

Spring planting tricks

In open ground, adult large bulbs are usually planted one at a time, but last year's "kids" can be placed in groups of five to ten in one hole. Since the stems of tulips rise high enough above the ground to create a continuous carpet of ornamental plants on the flower bed, low-growing flowers (for example, forget-me-nots or daisies) can be planted on them, or ornamental grasses - host, astilba, or bruners.

Planting depth also depends on the size of the bulbs used. Large ones are located at a depth of 10-15 cm, small ones - 7-8 cm.The distance between the planted plants should also be about 8-10 cm.The distance between the rows should be more - 20-25 cm.

When placing the bulbs in the garden, they must be carefully placed in the hole, but in no case pressed into the soil, as this can damage the root system, which at best will slow down the growth of shoots.

Since tulips do not tolerate excess moisture, make sure that the flower bed is sloping. It is unacceptable that there are pits and depressions in the flower garden that can accumulate rainwater.

It is also worth telling another tricky way to plant tulips in the spring in the country. Dutch professional flower growers practice the so-called "floor method" of planting bulbous flowers, which is now adopted by many domestic gardeners. This method allows you to simultaneously plant several types of flowers with different flowering periods in the same flower bed. Planting technology is extremely simple and involves planting bulbs at different depths. For example, tulip bulbs are first planted, covered with a five-centimeter layer of soil, and then, for example, hyacinths are planted on top. Another layer of earth is placed on top of the hyacinths and, say, crocuses are planted in it. As a result, you get a flower bed, where three types of flowers bloom and fade at once, and you just admire them and do nothing.

Tulip planting time

Now let's take a closer look at the question of when you can plant tulips in the spring so that they give strong shoots that can bloom beautifully. This issue is no less important than the preparation of the flower bed, since the survival of the plants depends on how optimal the planting time was.

As mentioned, tulips are best planted in the fall between early September and mid-October. However, since we are talking about spring planting, then its own rules apply, and there is its own optimal period for planting in open ground.

If the bulbs are planted too early and they germinate before the night frost period ends, the young shoots, and possibly the entire bulb, will die. If you delay planting longer than necessary, the plants will germinate normally and nothing will threaten them, but there is a high risk that they will not bloom this year.

It is believed that tulips can be planted in open ground when the ground at the planting depth warms up to 9-10 degrees Celsius. Depending on the region, this can be from mid-March to early May.

Flower garden care

Since spring planting is not a biological norm for tulips, the issue of high-quality and timely plant nutrition becomes even more urgent. Whether tulips planted in spring will bloom largely depends on this. In order for the shoots to give beautiful flowers, and then form strong viable bulbs, they need to be fed three times:

1. For the first time, fertilizers are applied immediately after germination.
2. The second feeding is carried out shortly before the beginning of flowering, which will require a lot of energy from the plants.
3. The last time tulips are fed immediately after flowering, when the active formation of new bulbs begins.

For feeding, you can use complex fertilizers created specifically for tulips. If this method does not suit you for some reason, you can apply fertilizers separately. In particular, tulips can be fed with nitrogen (ammonium nitrate, ammonium nitrate, etc.), potassium sulfate, phosphorus (superphosphate, calcium phosphate, bone meal).

Choosing a site for a flower garden

In conclusion, it is worth talking a little about where exactly tulips should be planted. These flowers have certain preferences for growing conditions, so by providing them with such conditions, you can achieve truly amazing results. In particular, when choosing a landing site, keep in mind that:

• Tulips love light and don't like shade. Make sure there is no shade on the flower bed during the day, neither from trees, nor from buildings or other structures.
• Blooming tulips are afraid of strong winds. To prevent the buds from crumbling ahead of time, protect the flower garden with a barrier of some shrubs or create a low fence from the most windy directions.
• In excessively moist soil, the bulbs rot. If the soil on your site is oversaturated with moisture, raise the flower bed 25-30 cm above the general ground level and create drainage in it by pouring a layer of rubble, broken brick or at least coarse sand under it.

Tulips are spring flowers that are one of the first to delight the eye, blooming in flower beds near summer cottages, gardens or in the courtyards of multi-storey buildings. These are quite unpretentious plants, but the largest and brightest buds bloom only if they are properly and carefully looked after. Whichever types and varieties of tulips you choose, follow these simple rules and tips for growing them, and every year the flowers will be even more beautiful.

When to plant tulips outdoors in spring

It is very important to choose the optimal time for planting tulips. Tulips are planted in autumn, and it should be borne in mind that they will need 3-4 weeks for rooting. Late-planted tulips in spring will be stunted and produce small bulbs, and the flowering will be less decorative. Planting too early can force the flowers to germinate in the fall, and the resulting frost can kill them. The best time to plant is determined by the temperature of the soil at a depth of 10-12 cm: when it reaches +10 ºC, it is time to plant tulips. This usually happens in mid-September.

Fresh articles about garden and vegetable garden

Choosing a place for planting tulips in open ground in spring

The place where you plan to plant flowers should be well lit, protected from the effects of cold winds. A flat area is needed so that water can penetrate deeply - below the fertile layer of the earth. The root system of the plant penetrates to a depth of 65-70 cm, therefore it is important that the groundwater does not rise too high - this will cause the death of the bulbs. The predecessor is also important - the culture that grew on this site earlier. Beans are preferred. Fertile, loose and fertilized soil is a guarantee of beautiful flowers with large bright buds.

Preparing the soil for planting tulips outdoors in spring

The following physical characteristics of the soil influence the cultivation of tulips:

• fertility;
• humidity;
• air capacity of the soil (the maximum amount of air that can be contained in the soil);
• looseness.

The best conditions for growing tulips are characterized by soil with the following properties:

• contains a large amount of humus;
• has a neutral reaction of the environment (how to check the level of acidity of the soil, read here.);
• is cultivated (processed to increase fertility).

If you choose sandy soil, keep in mind that it dries quickly and is not insufficiently supplied with nutrients. All soil imperfections can be smoothed out by regularly watering it, feeding and fertilizing it.

Clay-type soil requires periodic loosening and the introduction of organic substances: river sand, peat, manure, etc., with which you can improve its water and air permeability. Recommended! When using peat for planting tulips (as a top dressing), be sure to add lime or chalk to eliminate its acidifying effect.

Planting tulips outdoors in spring

Only healthy and high quality bulbs are suitable for growing. Before planting, all bulbs must be carefully inspected in order to identify contaminated material in time.

If you are going to plant bulbs that you have grown on your own, they must be etched in a 0.5% solution of potassium permanganate within 30 minutes. Planting material purchased from a specialized store or garden center is fully prepared for planting.

For planting tulips, it is necessary to prepare beds 1-1.2 meters wide with longitudinal or transverse furrows. The length of the ridge can be of any size.

The prepared bulbs are carefully pressed into the bottom of the furrow so as not to damage the root system, they are covered with earth.

Planting depth depends on bulb size and soil type.

On light soils, tulips are planted deeper than on heavy ones. A distance of 20 cm is kept between the rows.The bulbs are planted every 9-10 cm.

Many growers plant tulips with a tube. To do this, take a metal tube 5 cm in diameter with a piston that can be fixed. Having chosen a column of earth of the required depth, an onion is lowered into the hole, and the earth is pushed out with a piston. This method has many advantages. Correctly planted bulbs will be protected from damage and hands will not freeze.

Plastic baskets are also used to plant tulips. This method is simple. The bulbs are carefully laid out along the bottom of the basket, the container is placed in the prepared recess and sprinkled with earth. Flower bulbs will not be lost in the soil. They can be dug up at any time.

Fresh articles about garden and vegetable garden

When tulips are mass-planted, a 10-15 cm thick layer of soil is removed in a prepared area, the bulbs are laid out and sprinkled with earth. With this planting method, you can make a floral pattern using tulips of different colors.

Tulip planting video

Features of growing and caring for tulips

In order for the abundant flowering of tulips to delight others for the longest possible time, it is necessary to provide the plant with proper care. Tulips are an unpretentious crop that needs minimal attention from a grower.

Watering tulips outdoors

The tulip is a moisture-loving plant, but its short roots are not able to independently absorb moisture from the deep layers of the soil.

This means that timely watering of plants is an important condition for agricultural technology. The frequency and amount of watering is regulated depending on the soil composition and weather conditions. It is enough to make sure that the soil does not dry out.

The main condition is to provide generous and systematic watering during the period of budding and flowering of tulips. Watering during flowering will noticeably increase its duration. It is necessary to water the plant for several weeks after the end of flowering.

The crop should be watered at the root, avoiding contact with the leaves, which can lead to sunburn.

Weeding and loosening the soil for growing tulips outdoors

In a flowerbed with tulips, loosening is carried out regularly, especially after watering, in order to avoid the appearance of dry crusts and cracking of the soil. This agrotechnical method helps to preserve moisture and enrich the soil with oxygen. It is also imperative to remove weeds in time. Soil mulching is a great alternative to weeding and loosening.

Fertilization for growing tulips in the open field

Top dressing of tulips with fertilizers is carried out in the active growing season three times. This is done immediately after watering:

1. The first fertilization is performed when the plant has reached a length of 5 cm. The crushed top dressing is distributed between the rows and embedded in the soil. It is best to perform this procedure in the morning. For this, nitrogen fertilizers, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers are used in a ratio of 2: 1: 1.
2. The second feeding is performed during the bud formation period. Fertilizers are dissolved in water and applied to the soil through the grooves. This time, the proportions should be 1: 2: 1.
3. For the third time, tulips are fertilized during the flowering period, but no later than 1.5 weeks after the previous one. It is carried out according to the principle of the second feeding.

Important! On large-scale plantings, fertilizers are applied only in dry crushed form. They are poured over the wet soil surface after watering, then embedded in the soil when loosening.

Reproduction of tulips in the open field

Tulips reproduce by seeds and vegetatively, with the help of daughter bulbs.Seed propagation is used only by breeders, since daughter plants do not retain the varietal differences of their parents. The seeds are sown directly into open ground or in greenhouses and grown for two or three years in one place, protecting the seedlings from the winter cold, then the ripe bulbs are dug up, stored until autumn and planted as usual. Such tulips will bloom only after five to six years, but the flowers will be inconspicuous, and only in the eighth or twelfth year do tulips grown by the seed method peak decorativeness.

Fresh articles about garden and vegetable garden

Diseases of tulips and how to treat them

Most often, these flowers affect diseases such as:

Gray rot. The infection spreads very quickly. All parts of the plant are covered with a brown bloom. Then the leaves take on a grayish tint. In order to avoid this trouble, it is imperative to treat the bulbs with 0.2% foundationol or a dark solution of potassium permanganate before planting (keep for half an hour). When the first signs of the disease appear, the flowers should be treated with a 0.5% solution of copper oxychloride. Re-processing is performed after 10 days.

Sclerocial rot. In case of infection, the plants first appear white and then a felt bloom, after which they rot. Diseased tulips should be removed, and the soil around healthy ones should be dug up by adding tiazone to it.

Fusarium rot. Flowers in diseased plants are pale in color and wither immediately after cutting. The roots of infected tulips die off. In order to prevent disease, you should carefully examine the planting material. In addition, it must be processed by soaking in a 0.2% benlate solution.

Pests of tulips

Sometimes tulips are attacked by insects. This can be, for example, an onion mite. In order to prevent its appearance, the bulbs are treated with a three percent solution of rogor before laying for storage. Also, sometimes orange aphids appear on tulips. To prevent this from happening, it is worth planting tagetes or feverfew next to the flowers.

Caring for tulips after flowering

The bulbs are dug up when the leaves turn yellow and begin to dry out. You should not wait for the leaves to die completely. Overexposure of the bulbs in the soil leads to infection with fungal diseases, since the integumentary scales, by the time of the final ripening of the bulb, lose their immunity and even themselves can become a spread of infection.

When excavated at the correct time, the nests do not have time to disintegrate, and the integumentary scales adhere tightly to the bulb. Such planting material is well stored until planting.

Storing tulip bulbs

So how to grow beautiful tulips? When to dig up their bulbs, you now know. Next, let's see how they should be stored. Planting material is carefully inspected for damage or rot and sorted by size. You can put the bulbs in the same boxes in which they grew. Sometimes they are also hung in nets. This prevents mice and rats from spoiling them. Previously (one month), the bulbs are kept at a temperature of +22 degrees. At this time, a sprout develops inside. After that, the planting material is transferred to a cooler room (+17 degrees) and stored in this way until autumn.