Before landing
Tulips grow poorly and develop in drafts, but they like open, sunny areas
Planting tulips in the fall requires some preparation. For example:
- in advance and correctly choose a site for a future flower bed;
- take into account the amount of light;
- protection from strong winds - tulips do not like drafts and prefer the sunny side.
What to do before boarding:
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Step 1. Preparing the soil
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Step 2. Preparing the bulbs
To prepare the bulbs for planting, you need:
Processing before planting will disinfect seeds and protect them from pests |
It is very important for tulips that the soil is well drained. If the soil is dense and clayey, then drainage (expanded clay, pebbles, etc.) should be added to the holes (grooves), sprinkle it on top with a layer of earth
sprinkle it with a layer of earth on top
If the soil is dense and clayey, then drainage (expanded clay, pebbles, etc.) should be added to the holes (grooves), sprinkle it on top with a layer of earth
Further care
Correctly planted tulips will fully adapt after about a month and form strong and healthy roots. Flowers are ready to survive the winter successfully. Immediately after planting, tulips do not need to be watered. Only in dry weather do they need watering, but not earlier than 10 days after planting. Watering can be combined with fertilizing with saltpeter.
To protect the bulbs from frost, they are covered with mulch (5 cm layer) - straw, leaves, peat. And in winter, snow protects tulips from frost. In addition, it protects the soil from cracking, which is dangerous for the root system of the plant. In spring, when snow melts, it enriches the soil with moisture. After the snow melts, the mulch is removed so that the flowers develop more actively.
Further care for tulips is as follows.
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Watering should be abundant during the formation and development of buds, then during their active flowering. This watering is continued for about 2 weeks after flowering.
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Systematic weeding of the soil is carried out. Simultaneously with the removal of weeds, the soil near the plants is loosened.
- Fertilize regularly. You can feed the flowers either liquid or dry, in the form of granules, with mineral fertilizers. During the growing season, tulips are fed three times. The first feeding is done during the appearance of the first shoots with such a composition - nitrogen (2 parts), phosphorus (2 parts) and potash (1 part) fertilizers. The second time is during the formation of a still green bud and a mixture of nitrogen (1 part), phosphorus and potassium (2 parts) fertilizers is used. The third time - immediately after the end of flowering, only phosphorus and potassium fertilizers are applied without nitrogen.
Experienced flower growers advise replanting tulips annually.This will preserve the size of the buds and the variety of flowers.
Cultivation of tulips is a rewarding business if you adhere to all the rules for planting and growing them. Varietal variety allows you to grow from them variegated, bright and colorful flower beds and flower beds, which are a real decoration of the site.
For information on how to plant tulips correctly, see the next video.
Planting tulips in spring in pots
The technology of planting tulips in pots is slightly different from that used for an open flower bed. Here, first of all, it is determined whether to leave the tulips permanently in pots or grow them for seedlings and then send them to the flower garden.
For the first option, they immediately take more spacious containers. For forcing for seedlings, special containers or plastic pots are quite suitable.
Then they act according to the following algorithm:
- drainage is laid on the bottom of the container (small pebbles, pebbles, expanded clay);
- prepare a substrate from garden and leaf soil, humus (in equal amounts) with a small addition of sand and peat;
- the pots are filled with the mixture, without adding 2-3 cm to the edge;
- make a depression in the center, moisten it and lower the bulb.
After sprinkling the holes with soil mixture, the containers are placed on the windowsills under the sun's rays. As soon as shoots appear, the seedlings are provided with a diffused stream of light. This can be achieved by adjusting the position of the slats on the horizontal blinds.
Features of spring planting
Even if you are a staunch supporter of autumn planting, you should still try planting bulbs at least once in the spring. This should be done at least in order to independently verify the consistency of the arguments of those who advocate just such a method.
When gardeners are wondering if tulip bulbs can be planted in spring, the first thing they are interested in is whether these plants will bloom? We can say with confidence that yes - they will. True, graceful flowers on such plants will appear much later than usual, which, in general, is not bad in itself. After all, when all the neighbors' tulips have already faded, you can continue to admire your collection of "latecomers".
If you want the flowers planted in spring to bloom without fail along with the rest of the relatives, you can do 
the following combination:
- bulbs bought in the spring, or lying in the room since autumn, must be put in the refrigerator for 9-12 hours (just do not put them in the freezer);
- then rinse them with a light solution of potassium permanganate (the optimal concentration is pink water);
- after bathing, the bulbs can be planted in open ground.
Spring planting must be carried out at the latest - in the last days of March. However, in many regions of Russia in April, not only frosts are still possible, but also quite real frosts. Therefore, a safer option is to plant the flowers in a pot that can be left indoors. And when it finally gets warmer outside, tulips from a pot with an intact ball of earth can be safely transplanted into open ground.
7 Protection against rodents
Some summer cottages are attacked from time to time by small rodents. Mice love to feast on spring flower bulbs. It is not uncommon for tulips planted in autumn to be destroyed by small pests. It is especially offensive when it comes to expensive or rare varieties.
In order for tulips to bloom in spring, it is not enough to know when and how to plant them. It is necessary to provide the planting material with additional protection against sharp mouse teeth.
The only sure and reliable way to protect bulbs from mice has not yet been found. Gardeners are constantly looking for and applying different ways to combat rodents. The most effective "folk" methods of protection:
- Plant daffodil or hazel grouse bulbs around the tulips. Mice are repelled by substances poisonous for them, contained in these plants.
- 20 minutes before planting, place the bulbs in a plastic bag and spray kerosene on them from a spray bottle. It will create a thin film on the bulbs and scare off mice with a strong odor. Beginners in floriculture should not be intimidated - kerosene is harmless to bulbs.
- Before planting, coat the bulbs with a thin layer of Vishnevsky ointment - the effect of the ointment is similar to that of kerosene.
- Sprinkle the onions planted in the ground generously with ground red pepper.
In addition to "folk" methods of struggle, summer residents use store-bought poison for rodents. It comes in the form of granules or briquettes. It is buried in different parts of the garden.
There is no one hundred percent protection of tulip bulbs from mice, therefore it is recommended to use these methods in combination.
Flowerbed-constructor
A special case of spring planting can be considered the use of the so-called flower beds. The idea is to add small containers or pots with plants already planted and germinated in them to the flower garden, not individual bulbs or seedlings of flowers. For these purposes, the best suited plastic crates are usually used for transporting fruits and berries. In such containers, plants feel exactly the same as in the open field, but there is no need to poke around in the ground for a long time when planting and cleaning the flower bed.
The main advantage of such flower beds is that you can quickly change the composition of the flower garden as some plants fade and others begin to bloom. Thus, having planted tulip bulbs in pots or containers in March, with the onset of warmth, you can take them outside and dig in a flower bed. When the bulbs have faded, the box along with the bulbs can be easily removed, and containers with other types of flowers or decorative foliage plants can be put in their place.
In addition, this method allows you to combine flowers on the same flower bed without any problems, requiring different agro-technological methods of planting and care. So, if you don't know if it is possible to plant irises and tulips next to each other, a flowerbed-constructor is a simple solution to this problem.
3 Spring worries
Not everyone leaves bulbous plants to winter outdoors. Some fear that the soil will freeze too far and the plants will die. Someone just might forget that autumn is the best time to prepare flowers for the new season. Sometimes gardeners, missing the right moment, do not know if tulips can be planted in spring.
The peculiarities of this type of ornamental plants are such that their bulbs can germinate almost at any time of the year, if appropriate conditions are created for them. Planting tulips in the spring in the ground will delay the flowering period for some time, which will take for the flower heads to take root and give green shoots.
On average, bright buds can be obtained 1-2 months later than in the case of autumn distillation. Therefore, for those who wanted to grow early tulips in early March, planting in spring is not very suitable. But for the owners of personal plots who just want to decorate their yard with bright plants and are ready to wait a little while they dissolve their petals, it is quite possible to start breeding their favorite flowers at the beginning of the new season.
Before planting tulips in spring, you need to create the conditions necessary for them to grow and prepare the bulbs. The seed must go through 3 necessary processing steps before it enters the open ground:
- 1. All heads are examined, choosing the driest and healthiest. At the same time, they are sorted by size. For spring planting, medium-sized bulbs are most suitable.
- 2. At the next stage, the seed must undergo a hardening procedure. To do this, they put it in the refrigerator for 24 hours. This contributes to the development of head resistance to sudden changes in temperature, which are quite possible in early spring.
- 3.2-3 days before planting, the bulbs are soaked for 30-60 minutes in a warm 5% solution of potassium permanganate. Disinfection is necessary so that the heads are not susceptible to contamination with harmful microorganisms, rot and mold.
After treatment with an antiseptic, future tulips are well dried and planted in prepared soil.
How to plant?
After carrying out all the preparatory measures, you can plant tulips in open ground in flower beds previously prepared on the site. Do not keep the treated bulbs unplanned for a long time, as they can swell, and this will reduce the germination of tulips.
In the flowerbed, grooves or holes are made about 10-15 cm deep. If the soil is light, then the onions are deepened more. In addition, the planting depth depends on the size and variety of tulips: the largest specimens should be planted to a depth of 15 to 18 cm. Medium-sized bulbs are deepened by 10-12 cm, and children are planted at a shallow depth of 4-10 cm.
The spaces between the bulbs are about 10-15 cm. Small bulbs are planted closer together. The distance between the rows should be between 20 and 30 cm.
If there is a risk of stagnation of water in the ground, then a drainage layer of 1-2 cm from expanded clay, pebbles, sand is placed in the grooves.
The grooves need to be well watered with settled cold water, then the onions are placed in them with the lower root part. This must be done carefully, you cannot press hard on the bulbs so as not to damage the roots. Then they are sprinkled with ash and covered with soil. The land at the landing site is well leveled so that water does not stagnate.
Currently, the widespread method of growing tulips in containers or in any other container. Special plastic baskets for bulbous plants are used as containers for planting. You can also use low vegetable boxes and other containers, as long as they have holes in the bottom.
The advantages of this method are as follows:
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planted tulips are easily dug out for transplanting; for this, the container is simply removed;
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only the container is filled with soil mixture, and there is no need to dig up and fertilize a large area for a flower bed;
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in containers, the bulbs are not lost or damaged when removed;
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in such containers, tulips can be grown on the balcony.
The containers are filled with the ready-made purchased substrate. You can also prepare potting mix at home. Properly formulated soil includes the following components: garden soil, humus, sand, vermiculite and perlite based on coconut fiber.
On the site, they outline the landing sites for tulips, dig out recesses corresponding to the size of the container, where they are placed. The bottom of the container is covered with sand, and then the onions are planted at a distance of 4 to 15 cm, depending on their size and variety. After that, the container is covered with soil, and on top is covered with a layer of mulch (humus, peat) of 1-2 cm.
Experienced flower growers plant tulips at a depth of 3 times the height of the onion. This ensures fast germination of the flower. Also, when landing, it is necessary to take into account the following points:
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in light soil, the onions are planted deeper than usual, by 2-3 cm, and in clay, on the contrary, on a smaller one, also by 2-3 cm;
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it is not recommended to plant tulips very deeply, as in this case the flower will have very few children;
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if planted too close to the surface, tulips can freeze in winter.
It is common to plant tulips in the fall. However, it is possible to do this in the spring as well. It should be borne in mind that spring tulips are much weaker than autumn ones, they bloom very late or do not bloom at all. The reason is that it is the air temperature that determines the timing of the blooming of tulips. In warm weather, they do not form buds, since the plant did not have time to fully develop.
Then the onions are dried and placed in containers filled with sawdust. Store in a cool dry (with a temperature of about 0) and well-ventilated place. This is usually a basement or cellar.
To properly carry out a spring planting, you need to know some of the nuances.
It is important to determine the time frame correctly. The plant needs the earliest possible planting.
They are planted as soon as the weather is stable. In some areas this is possible as early as February, but they are usually planted between March and early April.
To protect tulips from frost, they can first be planted in containers, and then transferred to a flower bed with warming.
Site selection and soil preparation are the same as for autumn planting. In the same way, you need to select and prepare the onions for planting.
A prerequisite for spring planting is the need for pre-cooling the tulips. To do this, they are kept in the refrigerator for 12 hours.
Planting is done only in warm soil. It should warm up to a depth of disembarkation (10-15 cm) up to about +9 degrees.
Caring for tulips after flowering
Some inexperienced summer residents cut the plants as soon as they fade. This cannot be done - the “babies” that form in the uterine bulb will stop developing. The main actions to be taken are as follows:
- as soon as the petals fall off the tulips, the peduncle is cut to prevent the development of the seed pod and to direct all the plant's forces to the bulbs;
- for 2-3 weeks tulips are still watered moderately;
- one of the irrigations is supplemented with potassium-magnesium mineral water;
- pruning the stem with foliage is done only after they turn yellow and dry.
It is recommended to dig up the bulbs in the middle of summer (for spring planting - in August). And there are some tricks here as well.
How to properly dig tulips
Having chosen a dry sunny day, proceed to the following actions:
- start with harvesting early varieties;
- so as not to damage the onions, the shovel is stuck to the maximum depth;
- having collected the "harvest", they carefully revise it - diseased bulbs are immediately disposed of;
- the rest are kept for half an hour in a manganese solution and sent to dry.
Tulips should be placed in boxes with mesh bottom and stored in a dry, well-ventilated dark place. They are hatched a week before disembarkation.
How to choose good tulip bulbs
When going shopping, you should be aware of what kind of planting material can be found. There is a simple classification by size:
- Extra class: the diameter of the bulb is more than 4 centimeters, and the circumference is 12 cm or more.
- 1 analysis (large bulbs): diameter 35-40 millimeters, circumference about 11-12 cm.
- 2 analysis (medium): diameter 30-35 mm, circumference 10-11 cm.
- 3 parsing (small): diameter 25-30 mm.
- And there are also tulip babies.
For planting, you can use planting material of any size. But if you want to see flowering next year, then you need to plant extra-class tulip bulbs and 1 parsing. 2 parsing is also good, but it is possible that it will not bloom next spring in the spring.
The following tips and rules will help you choose high-quality tulip bulbs for planting in autumn:
- The bulb must be healthy, free of any mechanical damage, stains, dents.
- It should be dense, weighty.
- The neck should be tight and dry.
- At the bottom, the tubercles of the roots should be clearly visible.
- It should be free from signs of diseases, pests, rot, mold, dried pulp.
- There should be thin, golden brown scales.
- You should not choose specimens with a soft bottom, with signs of diseases, traces of rot, mold, with regrown roots. Also, you should be alerted to too light weight with a large size of planting material (which means, most likely, it is rotten).
It is also better to purchase the bulbs in advance, that is, somewhere in August. If you do this later, then there is a high risk that all good copies will already be disassembled.However, you should not rush too much, because it is very difficult to store tulip bulbs at home: at the slightest violation of conditions, they can deteriorate and become moldy. The optimal storage temperature in summer is about 20 degrees Celsius, but in autumn it needs to be lowered to 15.
