Growing tulips in a greenhouse: professional advice

Fringed tulips

Among the thousands of tulip varieties, there is a small group of those that invariably attract attention, causing surprise and admiration. These tulips are called fringed

Their flowers are notable for the fact that along the edges of the petals there is a fringe of rigid needle-like outgrowths of various lengths sticking out in all directions. At the top of the petals, the fringe is the thickest and longest.
Among the 53 varieties of fringed tulips, there are early, mid-flowering and late ones, some of which are suitable for forcing. The 'Fringed Beauty' tulip is not only fringed, but super terry at the same time.
The flowers of fringed tulips are tough to the touch and especially durable, and, therefore, resistant to rain, wind, and sun. They retain their ideal shape until the last second of their life both in the garden and in a bouquet. Fringed tulips are of great interest to amateur flower growers because of the exotic shape of the flowers.

Growing tulips: combating diseases and pests

Tulips are susceptible to disease and pest infestations. And the reason for this is often not even infected bulbs, but non-observance of the rules for planting and caring for plants.

Of the diseases of tulips, the following are common:

• Fusarium. The leaves and stem of the tulip begin to turn yellow and dry, a grayish bloom appears on the bulbs, and the roots begin to rot. The plant affected by the disease should be dug out so as not to infect other flowers in the flower bed with it. Treat the soil and plants with fungicides.

• Rhizoctonia. The root system remains healthy, but young tulip seedlings rot. The defeat can be seen - mycelium filaments are formed on the soil. Fight against tulip rhizoctonia - cultivation of land and bulbs with fungicides.

• Gray rot. Yellow-gray spots of various sizes and shapes appear on tulips. The aerial part of the plant is deformed. It has been found that flowers planted in soil with a high potassium and magnesium content are less susceptible to the appearance of gray rot. Early varieties of tulips are resistant to this disease. For the prevention of the bulb, treat with special sulfur-containing preparations. Treat already flowering affected plants with fungicides.

gray mold on tulip bulbs

• Botrytous rot. Bulbs are affected. Flowers grown from them are weakly colored, break easily. For prophylaxis, treat the planting material with fungicides.

• Variegation (mosaic virus). The disease is expressed in the uneven color of the tulip petals. Depending on the specific variety, the virus manifests itself in different ways - for example, even redder streaks become visible on red tulips. Whitish-green streaks may appear on the leaves. Dig up the affected plants, treat the ground with fungicides.

For prevention, be sure to disinfect working tools so that the disease does not pass from one flower bed to another. It is better to dig out diseased plants immediately, capturing the land on which it grew. When using chemicals, make sure that they do not contain chlorine!

Among the pests that infest tulips, we note:

• Root onion mite. The most dangerous pest that feeds not only on tulips, but also on other bulbous plants. This is a small pale yellow insect that infects the bulb - it either does not germinate at all, or gives a weak plant. In order not to bring the onion mite into the ground, carefully inspect the planting material before planting on the site. The bulbs can be sprinkled with chalk a little - insects die. Heat treatment of the bulbs also helps - place them in hot water (35-40 ° C) for a couple of minutes.

• Greenhouse aphid.It is a wingless insect 2 mm long, green, yellow or pink in color. Aphids feed on plant sap and damage its stem, peduncles, bulb. The damaged parts of the tulip are deformed. Pesticides show good results in the fight against aphids. You can prevent its appearance if you plant feverfew or tagetes near tulips - aphids do not like these plants.

aphids on tulips

Florists can face other "misfortunes" - snails, slugs and mice. Remove snails and slugs by hand. Use poisonous baits to fight mice. But make sure that no pets get to the poison.

Protect from rodents and planting material left until the next season for storage.

Planting material

How to grow tulips in a greenhouse? To obtain strong, beautiful flowers, it is important to choose and prepare the planting material correctly. Where can I get the bulbs? Tulip bulbs are now sold in shops, nurseries or simply private individuals - gardeners who are engaged in their cultivation

It is best to buy bulbs from July to mid-September. These are guaranteed to be the bulbs of the current year. Moreover, the sooner you do this, the higher-quality planting material you will receive until it is disassembled by more efficient growers.

What to look for when buying bulbs:

• density and thickness of scales. If it is very dense, dark brown, it may be a sign that it has been overexposed in the soil;
• the ideal bulb is 3.5-4 cm in diameter. You can take a slightly smaller, but always healthy bulb;
• appearance. The bulb should be intact, without traces of mold, the stem that has moved into the growth (only its small nose should stick out);
• the condition of the bottom. There should be only tubercles from which roots will sprout, the bottom should be dense;
• bulb weight. If the bulb appears light for its size, it is rotten.

In order to avoid buying low-quality planting material, you can grow the bulbs yourself. They are best taken from flowers that grow outdoors. To do this, 2-3 days after the beginning of flowering, the blossoming flowers must be cut off.

Do not cut the buds, this can stop the growth of the deciduous mass and reduce the accumulation of necessary organic matter.

It is necessary to dig up the bulbs in late June - early July, after 2/3 of the stem and leaves turn yellow. Only round-shaped bulbs are suitable for forcing, 3.5-4 cm in diameter (a smaller size is acceptable).

Sort the onions by size: 1st analysis - the largest, 2nd analysis - smaller, etc. Scale them to make sure they are healthy. In addition, the peeled ones receive more nutrients and moisture.

How to store bulbs?

The quality of future flowers depends on the correct storage. In order for the organs to form in the bulb and accumulate the substances necessary for growth and subsequent flowering, the bulbs are stored for the first month at a temperature of 20 ° C, then it can be reduced to 17 ° C.

Humidity is just as important as temperature; the bulbs should not dry out. Keep the level at least 70-75%. Containers should be ventilated, such as boxes with a mesh bottom.

Further care

But regardless of whether the tulip bulbs were planted in an apartment, a greenhouse or even on the street, in order to obtain a lush and healthy flowering, the plant must be properly looked after.

In the greenhouse, it is necessary to maintain humidity at 60%, as well as regularly water the seedlings

Particular attention is paid to the intensity of illumination. It should not exceed the recommended level, otherwise tulips will begin to stretch, and their flowers will be faded and ugly

From the video you will learn how to care for tulips in spring.

When growing flowers in an apartment, the basic conditions of care are the same as in a greenhouse, but here you should additionally carefully ensure that direct sunlight does not fall on the flower - they will burn the plant and spoil its appearance. When watering, it is better to use a watering can with a thin and long spout - so that the liquid does not get on the buds and leaves.

Regardless of where the tulip grows - at home or in a greenhouse, during the period of intensive growth, as well as at the moment when its buds are formed, experienced growers recommend using liquid dressings designed specifically for flowering or bulbous plants. They are used at intervals of 1-2 times within 2-3 weeks. Fertilizers are diluted according to the instructions.

When growing flowers in the open field, carefully monitor their watering, as well as the degree of illumination. When a bud grows, you need to be careful not to be burnt by the sun's rays, which are especially insidious in the first spring months.

And no matter where the tulips are planted, it is very important to cut the flowers in a timely manner - this way the bulb will retain the necessary nutrients not only for the cooling period, but also for further normal growth and development.

Technology for distilling tulips by March 8 at home

It is very tempting to create a miracle yourself in the form of a charming bouquet of flowers for the long-awaited holiday. However, to do this, several recommendations must be followed regarding the selection of suitable bulbs, the appropriate substrate, planting containers and the preparation of the bulbs for planting.

Selecting bulbs for forcing

For forcing tulips by March 8, it is necessary to choose extremely large and heavy bulbs (from 25-30 grams, with a diameter of 4-5 cm), in other words, extra class. Only such bulbs will be able to please you with powerful spring flowering, because only strong and strong (ie large) planting material can cope with "forcing" in unnatural conditions.

In general, it is best to purchase Dutch bulbs that are specially designed for distillation, which should be written on the packaging itself.

Necessary substrate and planting container

For forcing tulips, a lot of soil is not required, so it is sufficient to take small pots with drainage holes. The main thing is that their height should be at least 15-20 cm. If you are going to grow many flowers at once, then boxes or containers will suit you.

For forcing tulips, it is advisable to use high-quality soil that is good for moisture and air, which means that it should be loose. Thus, you can independently prepare a nutritious substrate by taking in almost equal proportions garden soil (a little more), excellent humus (less) and river sand.

Alternatively, you can simply mix purchased flower land (but peat based) with river sand (2 to 1).

In principle, bulbs can be planted in sawdust or sand for forcing. But it should be understood that there is no nutrition in such soil, which means that after forcing such bulbs can simply be thrown out, but not saved in any way.

Preparing the bulbs for planting

Before planting bulbs in pots, they must be properly processed, namely:

Remove scales.

Be sure to pickle (soak) in a solution of potassium permanganate or other disinfectant (for example, in the same solution of "Fitosporin" or "Maxima") for 20-30 minutes.

Direct landing

Step-by-step instructions for planting tulip bulbs for distillation at home for the winter and spring holidays (for Valentine's Day, February 23 or March 8):

1. Decide on the timing of planting the bulbs, depending on which holiday you want to get flowering bulbs.
2. Purchase suitable planting material (large bulbs).
3. Prepare the container, substrate and the bulbs themselves for planting.
4. Fill the planting containers with the substrate.
5. Moisten the ground slightly (you can spill it with a disinfecting solution).
6. Bury the bulbs in the ground, but not completely, so that the top (top) remains above the ground.
7. If desired, to better preserve moisture, you can cover the pot with something on top, for example, a bag or container. Otherwise, you will have to water much more often.
8. Remove the container in a cool place, where the temperature is + 5-9 degrees, and the humidity is about 70% (these are optimal conditions for rooting).

Features of feeding

Starting in early spring, as soon as the first shoots appear, tulips should be fed with mineral fertilizers. Suitable for this purpose:

• Nitrogen fertilizers - urea, ammonium nitrate.
• Potash - wood ash, potassium sulfate, potassium salt.
• Phosphoric - superphosphate.

For convenience and ease of use, you can use complex formulations: nitrophoska, nitroammophoska.

Each top dressing corresponds to a specific phase of the plant's life cycle. The first time fertilizers are applied during germination, the second during the budding period, then during flowering and after shedding flowers. For each period, its own composition of feeding and the ratio of components.

When forcing

When growing tulips in room conditions, many fertilizers are not used for forcing, since the rooting of the bulbs is more important during this period. Therefore, the plants are kept cool, in conditions of high humidity, with regular watering. Before planting in the ground, tulips are watered with 0.2% calcium nitrate solution.

After planting or during the germination period of tulips planted in autumn, fertilizing with nitrogen is applied. One urea will be enough. Its consumption is 1 tbsp. for 1 sq.m. area. A complex fertilizer with a high concentration of nitrogen is also suitable. Top dressing is simply scattered dry over the surface, then watered well.

During budding

When the first buds appear, the plant needs potassium and phosphorus. The nitrogen concentration for the second feeding is reduced. The NPK complex is added in a 1: 2: 2 ratio. Consumption of the composition is 20 g per sq.m.

During this period, some trace elements should be added. A solution for irrigation is prepared from them. Boron consumption 1 g per 10 liters, zinc 3 g per 10 liters.

During flowering

After the buds begin to open, nitrogen fertilizers are no longer applied. Potassium and phosphorus are needed for feeding - they provide bright color, large bud size and long flowering.

It is necessary to make:

• superphosphate (consumption 30 g per sq.m.);
• potassium nitrate (consumption 15 g per sq.m.).

Immediately after feeding, the plants are watered abundantly and the soil is kept moist throughout the flowering period.

After flowering

Often this top dressing is excluded, since there is no urgent need for it. But to protect against diseases and the accumulation of useful elements for the winter, you can add potassium nitrate and superphosphate in the same dosage as during the flowering period.

After the flowers fall off, the plants are cut. Then the bulbs are dug up and sent to storage until the autumn planting. They are separated from each other and placed in a box so that they do not touch. It is kept in the open air for several days so that the bulbs dry well, after which they are transferred to a cool place.

Tulip bulbs, digging and storage

During storage, stage by stage, the processes of the formation of the future plant continue in the bulbs. And therefore it is necessary to provide suitable storage conditions.

Dig up the bulbs at the time of the yellowing of the aboveground part, without waiting for complete drying. Otherwise, the nest will crumble, and some of the bulbs will remain in the ground. In the middle lane, usually in late June and mid-July. The nests are taken out of the ground and placed in rack boxes for drying, which should take place outdoors in the shade for 1-3 days.

Before placing the bulbs for storage, they are treated with a 0.2% solution of foundationol, as described above. Then the next spring, before planting, etching is no longer carried out.

In the first month after digging, the bulbs should be kept at a temperature of about 22 C, humidity no more than 70% and intensive ventilation in order to continue the development of the rudiments of the future flower. Then the temperature is gradually reduced to 15-17 ° C, and the ventilation intensity is reduced. The storage room for the gimmicks should be dark, without a source of daylight.

Problems and illnesses

Growing tulips in a greenhouse is a rather laborious process. Failure to comply with the basic rules of care can lead to unpleasant consequences. Plants must be monitored all year round, strictly observing the cultivation technology. Flowers are susceptible to various diseases, the main thing is to correctly identify the problem and determine the methods of dealing with it.

Gray rot is an unpleasant disease that affects not only flowers and buds, but also greens. Susceptible to tulips and soft rot. The disease causes the wateriness of the plant, it changes its color and begins to smell unpleasant.

If mold appears on the root system, this can lead to the death of the plant. External changes are also taking place. Brown specks may form on the bud, and the stems will become very brittle.

Typhulosis arises from both low-quality bulbs and can be introduced by weeds. The disease is dangerous because it affects the bottom of the bulb, which begins to rot and leads to the death of the tulip.

If the temperature regime is not maintained in the greenhouse, this can cause fusarium. It is necessary to control that the thermometer does not rise above the +20 degrees mark. Also, non-compliance with the temperature can threaten the drying of plants.

Another cause of flower diseases is improper watering. Excess moisture leads to mold growth. Its lack will lead to drying and cracking of the soil.

Varieties of tulips for distillation

Purple Prince

There are three types of distillation, depending on the timing of tulip flowering:

• early - for the New Year and Christmas, as well as throughout January;
• medium - in February and early March;
• late - in March and April.

Forcing by May is not widespread and is relevant for the northern regions.

Not all varieties of tulips are suitable for winter-spring flowering; Darwin hybrids and the Simple early class are better than others. Fringed, terry, and lily-colored varieties are less commonly grown in rooms, although they are stunningly showy. Below are the classic and new varieties for different periods of forcing.

Early dates:

• Christmas Marvel (Christmas Marvel) - a real "Christmas miracle", lilac-pink, satin;
• Brilliant Star - deep red;
• Purple Prince - thick purple-purple;
• Apricot Beauty - apricot, delicate, pastel;
• Lustige Witwe - dark pink with a white border;
• Sugar Prince - graceful, mauve.

Average terms:

• London (London) - scarlet red;
• Oxford (Oxford) - bright red with a yellow center;
• Eric Hofsjo - raspberry red with cream border
• Prince Gold - golden yellow;
• Pretty Woman (Pretty Woman) - lily-colored, crimson red;
• Davenport (Davenport) - fringed, red with a golden border, colorful;
• Salmon Impression - salmon pink;
• Fantasy Lady (Fantasy Lady) - terry, raspberry pink with a wide white border.

Late dates:

• America (America) - very large, crimson red with a scarlet border;
• Burgundy Lace - fringed, raspberry pink, classic;
• Triple A - Dutch novelty, red-orange with a thin golden border, the perfect glass;
• Esprit (Esprit) - fringed, terry, pinkish-orange with a green tone;
• Hibernia - creamy white, rounded;
• Sensual Touch - fringed, terry, thick orange tone;
• Versace - fringed, shiny, dark red;
• Violet Prana (Violet Prana) - thick double lilac, wide open, lace.

Other varieties are suitable for late forcing, including the Triumph, Parrot and Greenflower classes.

How to forcing tulips: a description of box planting and rooting

It is convenient to use wooden or plastic boxes for forcing tulips. The size can be anything. Depth - at least 10 cm, better a little more (12-14 cm.).An indispensable requirement for wooden boxes is the presence of 4-5mm slots.

These slots are needed both for the drainage of excess water and for improving aeration (air access) of the root system. With a distance of 1-2mm between the plates, they swell, drainage deteriorates sharply and, due to prolonged waterlogging during flowering, drooping of peduncles (topping) can be observed.

To obtain a high-quality cut when using the above substrates, it is necessary to have ideally prepared planting material grown in open ground on neutral soils with sufficient saturation with nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and trace elements.

If there is a lack of calcium in the soil, plants can lodge during forcing and are more susceptible to topping. Removing the flower head is mandatory. The parsing of the bulbs should be determined by the smallest diameter.

Often, amateur flower growers determine the analysis of bulbs by the largest diameter. In this case, the preparation of a full-fledged substrate is of great importance for the entire subsequent distillation.

The rate of nitrogen absorption during the rooting period is even higher than during the growing season. With a lack of nitrogen in the uterine bulb and the impossibility of obtaining it in the required amount during the rooting and growing season, the peduncles are bent and lodged.

Before planting tulips for distillation, the prepared mixture is poured into boxes with a layer of 5 cm, slightly compacted and the bulbs are laid out on it at a distance of 0.5 cm from each other. Then the bulbs are covered with substrate or clean sand to the edge of the box. After completing the planting, the substrate is abundantly watered with a 0.2% solution of calcium nitrate (20 g per 10 liters of water).

After watering, the boxes are transferred to the basement or cellar and stacked. Until mid-December, weekly watering and additional moisture to the walls and floor are required. At a temperature of + 1 ... + 9 ° C, the bulbs take root and white roots appear through the cracks at the bottom of the boxes.

During the cooling process, the temperature gradually decreases to + 2 ... + 4 ° С (at the end of December) and is maintained at this level until the boxes are transferred to a warm room.

Even a slight increase in temperature (by 3-4 ° C) leads to a deterioration in the decorative qualities of flowers: they become smaller, the peduncle is shorter (the flower seems to be hiding in the leaves), the greenhouse period is lengthened, the tips of the petals become discolored.

The more or longer the increase was, the greater the negative impact is observed in the greenhouse period. Similar defects are observed with an insufficient cooling period.

By the time the boxes are transferred to a warm room, tulip sprouts reach 5-8 cm.At the final stage, maintaining the correct, as well as mandatory watering with a 0.2% solution of calcium nitrate in the initial period of active vegetation (7-10 days after transferring boxes to a heated room)

Landing

In spring, tulips can be planted outdoors and in regular pots. The potted method is preferable, since the flowers obtained in this way are more robust and durable than those grown in open ground.

In open ground

Tulips respond quite gratefully to organic fertilizers. The best substrate for them is humus-enriched soil with neutral pH values, it is advisable to take a mixture of loam and sandy loam.

Clay soil requires the addition of fine river sand, as well as the introduction of a small amount of peat and manure; to create the necessary acidity, a little lime is additionally introduced.

With the arrival of heat, as soon as the soil thaws, it is necessary to prepare the soil for planting tulips. To do this, you need to dig it to a depth of 25-35 cm and add any organic fertilizing, except for manure - rotted compost is best suited for this.

If the fertility of the land allotted for tulips is in doubt, then you need to add mineral fertilizing: potassium preparations, as well as nitrogen and phosphorus, are most effective.

If at your disposal large bulbs - then they should be planted in the holes one at a time, but last year's young children can be placed in each in groups - 4-5 pieces.

The planting depth also depends on the size of the bulb: large ones are located at a depth of 10-15 cm, and small ones - by 7-8 cm.In this case, the distance between the holes should not be less than two diameters of the seedling, usually 8-10 cm, the row spacing is made a little more - 20-30 cm.

The bulb must be placed in the hole as accurately as possible, in no case should they be squeezed, as this can violate the integrity of the planting material and slow down the emergence of shoots.

Interesting: Dutch flower growers have introduced the practice of "multi-storey" method of planting tulip bulbs in the open field - it allows you to grow several groups of plants with different flowering periods in one area. The technology is elementary - crops are planted with different depths. For example, a bulb of bush tulips is planted and sprinkled with soil 5 cm, hyacinths are planted on top, another small layer of soil is placed on top of them, and crocuses are planted closer to the surface. As a result, at the dacha, you get a flower bed, in which, successively replacing each other, several exotic plants bloom, and all that is required of you is just to admire them.

In pots

First, you need to finally decide whether you plan to plant tulips for the purpose of further distillation, or they will remain to develop and bloom in spacious decorative flowerpots.

In the first case, you can use absolutely any containers, in the second case, preference should be given to ceramic models, preferably wide and low. Of course, plastic products are much cheaper, but they do not allow air to pass through, which is so important for the full formation of the root system of your tulips.

The rest of the landing technique is the same and includes several main stages.

To begin with, the bottom of the pot is sprinkled with expanded clay or large pebbles - it will perform the functions of drainage, which removes all excess moisture and does not allow the bulb and roots to rot in the substrate.

The rest of the pot is filled with a mixture of turf and garden soil with the addition of river sand and humus so that about 10-15 cm remains to the top.

The planting material is placed on a layer of soil with the pointed end of the onion facing up. If several bulbs are planted in one container, then a step of 10 cm should be maintained between them.

The bulb is covered with soil mixture, leaving 2-3 centimeters to the edge of the container.

The containers are placed in a well-lit place - a window sill or a balcony.

When the sprouts hatch, you can start hardening the plant - for this, the containers are taken out into the street for several hours, gradually increasing the time of its stay in natural conditions. As soon as the threat of spring frost has passed, tulips can be transplanted to a permanent place.