Digging tulips and preserving outside the soil
Any varietal tulips allow you to get "guaranteed" luxurious flowering only with annual digging. Varieties with unusual colors and flower shapes are especially capricious. Older varieties of tulips, like plants with "normal" flowers, can be grown not annually, but a little more rarely. But all the same, less often than once every 2-4 years, it is not advisable to dig up tulips. If tulips do not plan to dig up in the summer, then feeding and planting depth are of particular importance for them.
The digging of tulips is carried out when their leaves begin to turn yellow, but the tulips have not completely disappeared yet. Usually, the simplest digging guidelines are:
- elasticity of the stem (it becomes soft and wraps around the finger);
- the color of the bulbs themselves (scales) becomes light brown).
But it is quite possible to be guided by the beginning of the yellowing of the foliage. Early digging is dangerous, because the bulbs are not mature enough and will be worse stored, bloom, and multiply. Late digging is complicated by the fact that the search for bulbs will turn into a lottery: small bulbs in the nests will “crumble” or deepen. The traditional dates for digging are the third decade of June and the first decade of July.
Tulips are dug out carefully, especially those plants whose flowers were crushed or specimens that did not release peduncles at all, which can be considered a signal either to "pull" into the ground, or to grind them. It is advisable to dig up tulips with a large supply of soil in depth to eliminate the risk of damaging even the smallest bulbs. Digging with the analysis of groups, varieties (at least with a division into early, middle and late tulips) will simplify the process of sorting them.
Dug up tulips are scattered in boxes or containers in one or two layers to dry in the shade in a ventilated, cool place. After 1-2 days, they are carefully freed from the soil and cleaned of the remnants of roots, old leaves, scales, and unresolved nests are separated. Before sending for storage, it is advisable to pickle tulips in a fungicide solution as well as before planting.
Sorting tulips is a must when growing varieties. Tulips need to be grouped not only by the variety name, color palette and other flowering characteristics, but also by the size of the bulbs. Usually there are six parses of tulips according to the diameter of the bulb: extra-sized bulbs (from 4 cm), the first parse (3.5-4 cm), the second parse (3-3.5 cm), the third parse (2.5-3, 0 cm), children of the first category (from 1.5 to 2.5 cm) and children of the second category (up to 1.5 cm). But you can use a simplified system of large (from 2.5 cm) and small (less than 2.5 cm) bulbs. If the collection is large, it is better to make your own template to measure the diameter of the bulbs.
Store tulips in boxes or ventilated boxes in a cool, dark place with good ventilation. It is believed that temperature is almost not important for tulips, but in fact, controlling the storage temperature allows you to get much better flowering and ripening. Tulips should be stored at an air temperature of 23-25 degrees for a month, then for several weeks, in August, the temperature is lowered to 20 degrees, and before planting in September, the bulbs are kept cool at about 16 degrees Celsius.
During the entire storage period outside the soil, the bulbs should be regularly examined and any suspicious or diseased specimens should be discarded.
Growing tulips - features
In order for the cultivation and care of tulips to be joyful and productive, it is necessary to remember the rules of agricultural technology for these flowers.There are a number of things to be aware of if you decide that caring for your tulips is worth the effort:
during the growing season, tulips are fed at least three times;
the appearance of tulips indicates what kind of fertilization they need: if the leaves have become narrow and do not maintain an upright position, then they lack nitrogen, and if blue appears at the edges of the leaves, this means that tulips lack phosphorus and potassium ;
in the spring, it is necessary to remove diseased plants along with the bulb, roots and a clod of earth, and fill the hole for disinfection with a boiling solution of potassium permanganate;
cultivation of the land around the plants must be carried out very carefully so as not to damage the roots and leaves of flowers and thereby deprive the bulb of nutrition;
if you want tulips to bloom in large flowers the next year, and the bulb does not disintegrate into small bulbs, remove the wilted flower until a seed box is formed;
tulip bulbs do not tolerate direct sunlight, so they need to be dried in the shade;
do not apply fresh manure as fertilizer, this contributes to rotting of the bulbs and exposes tulips to the risk of fungal diseases;
in winters with little snow and cold, tulips need mulching with humus, peat, straw or sawdust;
when cutting tulips, leave 2-3 leaves on the plant so that the bulb can feed and develop normally;
on the site where you decided to plant tulips, they should not have grown before that for at least three years.
Short description
The tulip growing in the steppes and meadows got its name in honor of the German (however, it had Russian roots) scientist-breeder Alexander Ivanovich Schrenk, who was a researcher of the northeastern part of European Russia. He discovered his find in 1873 in the vastness of Kazakhstan. The plant he saw seemed fragile and delicate to him. It had a beautiful bud with a bright hue.
On the territory of Russia, the Schrenck tulip is found in European regions: in the southeast of the Voronezh region, as well as in the Saratov, Astrakhan, Volgograd, Samara and Orenburg regions. Some specimens have taken root even in Western Siberia, the Urals, Kalmykia. In addition, the culture grows in the southeast of Ukraine, in the southern Crimea, as well as in Kazakhstan, Iran and the People's Republic of China.
From the point of view of botany, the Gesner tulip is a herbaceous bulbous perennial (ephemeroid), medium flowering. Represents the Liliaceae family of the genus Tulip. Outwardly, the flower is small. Peduncle height reaches 40 cm, leaves - about 20. Peduncle - erect, has a smooth surface, its shade is saturated green. Closer to the bud, part of the stem is colored dark red, sometimes with a slight blue tint.
The foliage is greenish, there is a slight bluish tint. As a rule, 3-4 oblong leaves are located on one flower. One rises from the ground, the rest envelop the peduncle at the very base of the bud. The leaves are wavy at the edges, directed in different directions. The bud has a cupped shape, its height is about 7 cm. The petals (length from 2.5 to 5.5 cm) with rounded, sometimes slightly pointed edges. Their total number is no more than 6.
The Gesner tulip shows different colors during the flowering period: it can be white, yellow, orange, lilac-pink, slightly burgundy, sometimes even goes into purple. More often there are specimens with a mixed shade - they are called variegated - for example, the petals are painted in one color, the center and edges in another.
The stamens are half as long as the perianth. Bulbs of wild tulips are small: about 3 cm. The shell is slightly skinned, dark. It resembles an egg in shape. On the outside, the bulb is covered with scales of a gray-brown shade. During growth, it goes deep into the soil, for the period of its entire life it forms one baby.
Schrenck's wild tulip protected by the Red Book
Botanical description
Schrenck's tulip belongs to the genus Tulipa of the Liliaceae family. It is a herbaceous perennial. Propagated by bulbs up to 3 cm in diameter.
This plant was named after Alexander Ivanovich Schrenk, a travel scientist who discovered it in 1873. Distribution area: Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Central Asia, China, Iran. In our country, it grows in the south and southeast of the European part, covering the territory from the Voronezh and Saratov regions to the Kalmyk Republic, Krasnodar Territory and Crimea. Habitat - steppes, semi-deserts and deserts.
There is a yellow spot in the middle of the bud. Anthers and stamens are black or yellow. The fruit is 4 cm in size. It is a round or ellipsoidal box with three sides. The color of the flowers ranges from snow-white to purple. Sometimes you can find motley colors.
Schrenck's tulip is an ephemeroid, that is, it is a plant with a short growing season. It blooms from the second half of April to mid-May. A month later, the fruit ripens, which contains about 240 seeds. After drying, the fruit is opened and the seeds are scattered with the help of the wind.
The new plant will bloom only after 6-7 years. A bulb with one juvenile leaf will grow first. In this case, the bulb will go 3 cm deep. The next year, a real leaf is formed. It takes another 3 years for the bulb to grow. And only after 6-7 years, an adult plant with 3-4 leaves and a flower is formed. After the plant has faded, the adult bulb dies. Her baby will remain, which will bloom next year.
It is a poisonous plant. For medical purposes, its extract is used as an anti-inflammatory agent of the oral cavity and nasopharynx; in the complex treatment of abscesses and inflammatory processes of the skin, as well as in rheumatism.
Distinctive features
tulip oak, or Bieberstein
Unlike Túlipa schrénkii, the garden forms of its descendants have wide leaves with an even edge and different sizes of buds of simple or double petals. In addition, the color of flowers is very diverse, which amaze the most vivid imagination.
If, after the dying off of the above-ground shoots, the bulbs are dug up and given a dormant period, then flowering will be annual. If left in the ground, the plant will delight with its flowers for up to 4 years in a row.
Security measures
The wild tulip is included in the Red Book in Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. The main reasons that contribute to the extinction of the species:
- Livestock grazing (damage to bulbs and soil cover).
- Plowing up the land.
- Soil contamination with industrial waste (plant extinction).
- Digging up the bulbs for medicinal purposes.
- Cutting flowers on a large scale for commercial use.
- Fires.
The following measures are taken to preserve the species:
- Inclusion of Schrenck's tulip in the Red Book.
- Creation of "green patrols" during the flowering period.
- Environmental protection campaign.
- Bulbs, flowers and seed boxes must not be collected for any purpose.
- Sale and purchase for commercial and personal use is prohibited.
- Administrative penalties in the form of monetary penalties.
Schrenck's tulip is a beautiful wild flower that still adorns the territory of meadows and steppes.
To enjoy the splendor of this plant, you just need to come to the places where it grows in the spring.
Where do tulips grow?
In nature, tulips grow in the Central Asian region, which includes countries such as Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan, India, Nepal and China, as well as Mediterranean countries: Spain and Morocco, Italy and the Netherlands. Tulips are common on the Balkan Peninsula and in the rather harsh nature of the Scandinavian countries.
Many species and varieties grow in urban flower beds and on personal backyards in the states of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.These flowers easily withstand the climatic conditions of mountainous, desert and steppe regions, dry summers and harsh winters.
Growing a tulip at home
Tulips can be used not only for planting in open ground, but also for planting in containers, flowerpots, for decorating balconies, as well as for forcing. To do this, from the fall (from 10 to 20 October), the containers are filled with soil and large, healthy bulbs are planted in them.
They are planted in pots 13 cm in size. Three bulbs of the same variety are usually planted in a pot so that they do not touch, and the tops are not covered with earth.
When planting bulbs, make sure that the flat side faces the side of the pot. In this case, the first leaf that has grown will be facing outward and give the plant a more decorative look.
An earthen mixture is prepared from turf and humus soil (in two parts) and sand (one part). After planting the bulbs, the soil in the pots is moistened.
In winter, containers with bulbs are stored in a dark, cold room. So that the soil in the containers does not dry out, it is moistened from time to time. Pots with planted bulbs can be kept on the balcony in boxes, covering them with moist peat or sawdust on top. You can also bury them in the front garden in the ground to a depth of 30-40 cm. A layer of peat or sawdust is poured under the pots and on top to make it easy to dig out in winter. For this purpose, some amateurs put a board on top of peat and sawdust, on which a layer of sawdust is poured on top. The best temperature for successful rooting of bulbs is 8-9 ° C heat.
In the spring in March - early April, when the first shoots appear above the ground, the containers are placed in a permanent place. In general, the time of digging out the bulbs and placing them in the forcing room is determined by the desired flowering time of the tulips. It was found that the greatest need for flowers falls on March 8th. In this regard, the deadlines for forcing tulips have already been checked. Pots with rooted bulbs are brought into the room in 25 days, that is, February 10-11. They are placed in the kitchen, covered with a black cloth, and watered regularly. In such conditions, the sprouts are stretched. When they reach 8-10 cm, the plants are transferred to the windows. Shade from direct sunlight. For longer tulip flowering, flowering plants must be kept at a lower temperature. After the tulips have faded, other plants are planted in their place.
It is very important when growing plants in containers to avoid waterlogging of the soil, therefore good drainage must be done at the bottom of each container.
Feed with full mineral fertilizer.
All faded flowers must be cut off, since their natural dying off leads to depletion of the bulb. Never try to pluck the flower as this could damage the bulb.
In the summer in June - July, after the end of flowering, when the mother bulb dies off completely, tulips enter a dormant period
At this time, no action is taken - you just need to wait for the leaves to completely wither, dry, and only then carefully dig out all the bulbs. If you leave the bulbs in the ground, then next year they will give a much weaker, smaller flower and gradually stop blooming altogether.
The exception is wild species.
It is known that for the normal flowering of bulbous plants during forcing, especially tulips, the temperature conditions of storage of bulbs after digging have a great influence. The conditions under which the purchased bulbs were stored is unknown. Therefore, it is advisable to purchase them immediately after digging and drying. They must be stored in a dry, dark place, first at a temperature of 17 ° C, and from August until planting in pots - at 9 ° C (at the bottom of the refrigerator or in a cool place in the room).
To obtain lush, well-developed flowers as a result of forcing, only large bulbs 5-6 cm in diameter are planted.The bulbs selected for forcing must have flower buds. For checking, the test bulbs are cut to length.
How to grow tulips from bulbs at home: cut features
Cut flowers before watering the soil. The tulip is carefully cut at the root - near the bulb itself and placed in the water.
If you leave flowers in a pot without cutting them, then after the petals turn yellow and dry, the bulb is dug out for storage.
An important point
A bulb from which a flower has already been grown at home cannot be re-planted in a pot. The fact is that during the growth of a plant in an artificially created environment, it is depleted, so it will no longer be able to give a full-fledged flower at home. But there is a dacha economy, perhaps next year in the spring tulips from such bulbs will give you buds.
Tulips are divinely beautiful and fragrant spring flowers that will decorate your home and give a wonderful mood to lovely women. Can tulips be grown at home? Undoubtedly. Forcing tulips is not very difficult - even an amateur gardener can handle it. So try it more boldly, and get ready to enjoy bright colors, in truth, a gorgeous spring flower at any time of the year.
Many gardeners dream of growing tulips on their windowsill. That is why they ask themselves the question: "How to grow tulips from bulbs at home?" This is absolutely not difficult to do. The main thing is to be patient and strictly follow our recommendations.
Schrenck's wild tulip protected by the Red Book
Botanical description
Schrenck's tulip belongs to the genus Tulipa of the Liliaceae family. It is a herbaceous perennial. Propagated by bulbs up to 3 cm in diameter.
This plant was named after Alexander Ivanovich Schrenk, a travel scientist who discovered it in 1873. Distribution area: Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Central Asia, China, Iran. In our country, it grows in the south and southeast of the European part, covering the territory from the Voronezh and Saratov regions to the Kalmyk Republic, Krasnodar Territory and Crimea. Habitat - steppes, semi-deserts and deserts.
There is a yellow spot in the middle of the bud. Anthers and stamens are black or yellow. The fruit is 4 cm in size. It is a round or ellipsoidal box with three sides. The color of the flowers ranges from snow-white to purple. Sometimes you can find motley colors.
Schrenck's tulip is an ephemeroid, that is, it is a plant with a short growing season. It blooms from the second half of April to mid-May. A month later, the fruit ripens, which contains about 240 seeds. After drying, the fruit is opened and the seeds are scattered with the help of the wind.
The new plant will bloom only after 6-7 years. A bulb with one juvenile leaf will grow first. In this case, the bulb will go 3 cm deep. The next year, a real leaf is formed. It takes another 3 years for the bulb to grow. And only after 6-7 years, an adult plant with 3-4 leaves and a flower is formed. After the plant has faded, the adult bulb dies. Her baby will remain, which will bloom next year.
It is a poisonous plant. For medical purposes, its extract is used as an anti-inflammatory agent of the oral cavity and nasopharynx; in the complex treatment of abscesses and inflammatory processes of the skin, as well as in rheumatism.
Distinctive features
tulip oak, or Bieberstein
Unlike Túlipa schrénkii, the garden forms of its descendants have wide leaves with an even edge and different sizes of buds of simple or double petals. In addition, the color of flowers is very diverse, which amaze the most vivid imagination.
If, after the dying off of the above-ground shoots, the bulbs are dug up and given a dormant period, then flowering will be annual. If left in the ground, the plant will delight with its flowers for up to 4 years in a row.
Security measures
The wild tulip is included in the Red Book in Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. The main reasons that contribute to the extinction of the species:
- Livestock grazing (damage to bulbs and soil cover).
- Plowing up the land.
- Soil contamination with industrial waste (plant extinction).
- Digging up the bulbs for medicinal purposes.
- Cutting flowers on a large scale for commercial use.
- Fires.
The following measures are taken to preserve the species:
- Inclusion of Schrenck's tulip in the Red Book.
- Creation of "green patrols" during the flowering period.
- Environmental protection campaign.
- Bulbs, flowers and seed boxes must not be collected for any purpose.
- Sale and purchase for commercial and personal use is prohibited.
- Administrative penalties in the form of monetary penalties.
Schrenck's tulip is a beautiful wild flower that still adorns the territory of meadows and steppes.
To enjoy the splendor of this plant, you just need to come to the places where it grows in the spring.
Is growing at home a reality?
Unfortunately, today this unique wild-growing culture is on the brink of destruction. There are several factors that threaten the existence of the Schrenck (Gesner) tulip: - systematic agricultural work, involving the plowing of land; - fires destroying vast areas of forests and steppes, which are especially destructive because of the constantly blowing winds in the steppe; - collection of bulbs for use in medicine and pharmaceuticals; - the use of steppe territories for pastures, which leads to the trampling of plants; - soil pollution as a result of harmful emissions from industrial production; - collecting flowers for commercial purposes.
Due to the constant decline in the population of the Schrenck (Gesner) tulip, it was decided to include this plant in the Red Book. Now this species is legally prohibited from collecting, trampling and collecting for reproduction.
To preserve the rare species in the wild, the following measures are taken: - during the flowering period, there are “green patrols” that prevent attempts to collect tulips, or activities that can harm the flowers; - campaigning in the field of wildlife protection; - a ban on the collection of Schrenk (Gesner) tulips at all stages of its growth and development - from the bulb to the seed box; - introduced penalties for violating the bans on the collection of tulips.
To preserve and increase the population of this species, it is bred in botanical gardens. However, along with that, attempts to reproduce tulips by Schrenck (Gesner) are illegal, they are also unproductive. At home, it is almost impossible to create favorable conditions for their cultivation.
Experts say that an attempt to grow this type of tulip in the garden in most cases will be doomed to failure. And there are several reasons for this: - first of all, the Schrenck (Gesner) tulip reproduces only by seed; - 7 years may pass from the moment the seed takes root until the first flowers appear, and it is quite possible that flowering will not occur at all; - at the end of the season, the original bulb dies, leaving behind one daughter specimen, which will bloom after a few years.
Thus, growing this type of tulip at home is not only illegal, but also extremely laborious. All the efforts made may not pay off and flowering will not come.
The way out is to develop hybrid forms, of which there are currently a sufficient number. Breeders declare that they are not inferior in their decorative qualities to the wild-growing original. They can be grown both at home, in a pot, and in the garden, in the open field.
For almost a century and a half, the beautiful inhabitant of the Central Asian steppes discovered by Alexander Ivanovich Shrenk continues to conquer the hearts of flower growers with its fragile beauty and richness of bright colors.Thanks to protective measures, we will probably be able to preserve this precious living decoration of the steppes and deserts.
Schrenck's tulip: description of the species
This type of tulip got its name thanks to the Russian scientist and traveler of German origin Alexander Ivanovich Shrenk, who in the middle of the 19th century participated in a number of expeditions across the territory of the Russian Empire. Among other things, he visited the steppes of Central Asia, where he discovered a bright bud, amazing in its beauty and fragility. Since then, this type of tulip has been worn by a researcher who discovered it.
Schrenck's (Gesner's) tulip grows everywhere in the southeastern regions of the European part of Russia - in the Volga region, in the Volga steppes, on the Caspian territory, in the southeastern part of the Voronezh region. It is also found beyond the Urals, in the vastness of Western Siberia, in the Kalmyk steppes, on the southern coast of Crimea. Abroad, this species is common in the southeastern part of Ukraine, in China, on the territory of Kazakhstan and Iran.
According to the botanical description, the Schrenck (Gesner) tulip is a bulbous ephemeroid - i.e. perennial culture, Liliaceae family, genus Tulip. It can also be classified as a medium flowering species.
This is a short plant up to 0.4 m high and with leaves about 0.2 m long. The straight, smooth stem has a rich green color, which, as it approaches the bud, acquires a dark shade of red, sometimes closer to purple.
The leaves are oblong, directed in different directions, green with a grayish-bluish tinge, are most often 3-4 per copy. One of them begins at the very bottom, near the ground, the rest surround the stem, rising to the calyx of the bud. The foliage contour is wavy and smooth.
The cup-shaped bud reaches 7 cm in height and consists of 4-6 rounded petals from 2.5 to 5.5 cm long. Sometimes they have a slightly pointed shape.
As mentioned above, the color scale of the flower is quite diverse and includes various shades of red and pink, as well as snow-white and yellow tones. However, plants painted in one color are rare, in most cases the petal color is rather variegated. Typically, the main part of the petal is one color, and the base and edges are different. Such tulips have another telling name - variegated.
The length of the stamens of the Schrenck (Gesner) tulip is two times shorter than the length of the perianth. The bulbs of this species are not large - no more than 3 cm, covered with a dark, slightly skinned membrane, ovoid in shape. The surface of the bulb is covered with gray-brown scaly plates. In the process of growth, it sinks deeply into the ground, bringing only one daughter plant.
History of tulips
In general, the Middle East is considered the birthplace of tulips. True, there is an opinion that the birthplace of these beautiful flowers is the Crimea, and already from the Crimea they came to Europe. Maybe there is some truth in this, as there are wild tulips on the peninsula.
But still, we decided to stick to the official version)
Even the name of the flower has a Turkic origin: it goes back to the word "turban", well, to be more precise, to tülbend - that was the name of the fabric from which the turbans were made. Why the flower was so nicknamed is not entirely clear: either because of the external resemblance to a headdress, or because at one time it was fashionable to decorate turbans with these flowers.
Most likely, the birthplace of tulips is Persia: the flower appears in the 12th century in the poetry of the Persian philosopher and poet Omar Khayyam. It was from these lands that they were brought to Europe: tulips were first cultivated in the Ottoman Empire, where they became popular. And there was even a period in their history that was called that way - the era of tulips. Then these outlandish flowers were used to decorate houses, dishes and utensils. Moreover, tulips are still one of the symbols of Turkey. So, Turkish Airlines planes are decorated with this flower.
It was from the Ottoman Empire that tulips migrated to other European countries, including Holland, which is now considered by many to be their homeland. At one time, there was even a tulip mania in Holland: then the price of individual bulbs reached sky-high heights.
