How to Grow Tulips and When to Plant Outdoors in Fall
Tulips are among the first to bloom in spring and bloom until summer, decorating the garden with their beautiful and bright bloom. In order for tulips to bloom as soon as the weather warms up, you need to know when to plant bulbs in the ground in the fall.
Description and characteristics
Tulips are perennial bulbous crops. The characteristics of the inflorescences and the appearance of the plants depend on the variety. The leaves are lanceolate, elongated, on one stem there can be from 2 to 6 pieces. The leaf surface is smooth, wrinkled in some varieties. A bush plant, a large number of baby bulbs can grow from one mother bulb.
The stems are short, 6-60 cm long, depending on the variety. There is only one flower on each plant. Inflorescences are ordinary or terry. Some hybrids have jagged edges of the petals. Tulips bloom in May-June.
How to choose landing dates
Many growers do not dig up tulip bulbs at all after blooming. Although if you do this, the plants will not degenerate and bloom profusely every year. Therefore, it is very important to decide on favorable conditions.
Summer
The best time to dig up bulbs is in the summer. It is best to do this before the beginning of August. The best time to dig is the first half of June. But it is better to focus not on the timing, but on the appearance of the bushes. You need to dig up the bulbs after the leaves and stems begin to dry out and acquire a brown tint. It is also undesirable to wait until the foliage is completely dry.
You can focus on the scales of the bulbs. In the ripe ones, they are dry and separate easily.
Autumn
In the fall, planting material is not dug up. On the contrary, they are replanted before winter so that the tulips bloom in the spring. It is impractical to dig bulbs in the fall. They will have to be planted in the spring and they will not have time to bloom.
Before winter
Although digging up tulip bulbs before winter is not recommended, this method can also be used. In this case, the tulips are also removed in the summer. When using the method of digging up bulbs before winter, it is important to follow the rules of agricultural technology so that the planting material remains healthy until winter. You should store dug seeds in a refrigerator or basement at a cool temperature and low humidity.
Spring
Tulip bulbs are not dug up in the spring. Plants bloom early, so even if they are planted immediately after the snow melts, they still will not have time to bloom to warm up.If you were unable to dig up the seeds in the summer, it is better to wait a year than to dig them up in the spring.
Regional characteristics
In addition to calendar dates, the climatic conditions of the growing region play an important role in the excavation of plant material. Timing at different latitudes will always change.
suburb of Moscow
In the Moscow region, you need to dig up tulip bulbs in mid-June, when the foliage begins to turn yellow. It is not worth doing it too late, the bulbs will be overripe, and after replanting in the fall, they will not bloom so profusely. In this case, it is better not to dig them up at all.
middle lane
In the middle lane, the climate is temperate, so you need to extract planting material in the second decade of June. At this stage, the bulbs have time to fully ripen.
Urals and Siberia
In the Urals and Siberia, winters and springs are cold, the flowering dates of plants are shifted by several weeks. Tulips begin to bloom in the second decade of May, so it is advisable to dig up bulbs in the second half of June - early July.
how to plant
Tulips are replanted in the ground in the fall. In order for the flowering to be abundant and the inflorescences to be large, you need to choose the right place and follow the rules of agricultural technology when planting.
Seat selection
For planting it is better to choose open and sunny areas. In partial shade, the flowers can also bloom, provided the soil is nutritious and fertile. In the shade, if the tulips bloom, the flowering is very poor.
It is also worth choosing a place for a flower bed, protected from drafts.Water should not stagnate in the ground.
If the site is constantly waterlogged, a shallow drain should be filled before planting in the holes.
It is not recommended to replant planting material in the same place, it is better to choose another site. If you plant flowers constantly in the same flower bed, the buds will grow small. The soil must have time to recover. Also, do not plant tulips where other bulbous crops have grown, they have the same diseases.
Selection and preparation of planting material
For planting, you should choose large, healthy bulbs with no signs of damage. You can plant children, but they will not bloom the first year after planting. Do not plant seeds that have mold or insect marks. Before planting, the planting material can be processed. Two hours before planting, the bulbs are soaked in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. If there is no time for long-term treatment of planting material, you can water the prepared wells with a solution of potassium permanganate.
How to prepare the ground
It is advisable to prepare the soil for planting a crop in advance. The soil is dug up, weeds are removed and mixed with rotten manure or with complex mineral fertilizers. Before planting, the soil can be dug up again and all weeds can be removed if they have had time to grow. Drainage is poured to the bottom of the holes so that there is no stagnation of water.
Landing scheme
The holes are dug to a depth of 10 cm. The distance between large bulbs is left up to 15 cm. Less distance can be left between children. You can plant seeds in two or three rows. The first row contains the largest bulbs. Then smaller bulbs.And the very last row - small onions. With this planting scheme, all bushes will get enough sunlight. You can plant the bulbs in any order. If large perennials or other large flowers grow in the flower bed, tulips should be planted in front of them so that the bushes do not block the sun for them.
Alternative disembarkation methods
There are many ways to plant tulips on the site. Bulbs can even be planted in containers.
Sandwich
This method is often used to plant bulbs in containers, but it can also be used in a flower bed. The advantage of the sandwich planting method is that the tulips will bloom longer than with normal planting. You will need to dig a flower bed in several layers.
The first layer is dug to a depth of 20 cm and the bulbs are planted. Then sprinkle them with soil and plant a new row. This continues until the entire hole is filled. The tulips planted in this way bloom in turn. The lower the layer, the longer the seeds will "hatch". So you can alternate not only tulips, but also hyacinths with them.
Levels
Longline planting is similar to the sandwich method. Large bulbs are planted on the lowest row. And so in descending order. The row closest to the soil surface is the row of young bulbs. It should be remembered that large bulbs grow quickly, and the size of the plant is much larger than that of children, so they can hide them. It is best to plant small bulbs away from large ones.
In baskets and containers
In the open ground, plants can be planted in containers. The main advantage of this method is that the bulbs will not be chewed on by mice. In addition, when the time comes to dig up the planting material, it will be very easy to do this.
For planting, you need to take a deep, free container, completely cover it with soil and plant the seeds. Dig a deep hole in the flowerbed for the container to fit in. Bury it with soil so that the edges are not visible.
Landing on the lawn
The advantage of planting seeds on the lawn is that you don't have to wait for the bulbs to have enough nutrients, so you don't have to wait for the foliage to completely dry out. For planting you need to choose the same varieties or varieties with the same flowering period.
It is better to plant the seeds in a separate container, for example, in a container. A hole is dug in the lawn to fit the container. Tulips are planted in a container. They put him in a hole and buried him. The container can be planted with grass so that the soil is not visible.
Rules of care
In order for the tulips to bloom profusely and the inflorescences to be large, the bushes need to be cared for. First of all, you need to remember to water the flower bed in time, without over-wetting and not allowing the soil to dry out. And you can not do without a regular diet.
watering
Tulips do not like excessive waterlogging. In hot weather, water the beds every night. If it rains, irrigation can be delayed until the soil is dry. Use warm water for humidification. Irrigation with cold water contributes to the development of diseases.
Flower beds are watered in the evening after sunset.If you irrigate the soil during the day, drops remain on the petals and foliage, which can cause burning. Once a week, before watering, you can loosen the soil and pull out weeds. Thus, the bulbs will be able to receive not only moisture, but also enough oxygen for normal growth.
Fertilization and feeding
Tulip beds need to be fed. Many neglect this, but the more nutritious the soil, the more inflorescences will bloom.
You need to feed the plants 3-4 times throughout the season:
- The first dressing is applied immediately after warming the soil.
- The second time, nutrients are added during bud formation.
- The third dressing is applied during the flowering period.
- The last time plants are fed is when they are wilted.
Complex mineral fertilizers for flower crops are used as fertilizers. Nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus must be added to the soil. The soil can be sprinkled with wood ash or sprinkled with weed infusions. It is not recommended to use manure. In large quantities, it can cause bulb rot.
Rodent Protection
Tulip bulbs are often eaten by mice, especially in winter. To scare away mice, you can plant tulips with daffodils or hazel grouse. The bulbs of these plants contain poisonous substances. But this method is not the most reliable, and often mice simply bypass daffodils on the way to tulip bulbs.
Before planting, the bulbs are placed in a plastic bag and sprayed with kerosene. The smell scares away mice and is completely harmless to planting material. Another method is to sprinkle the planted seeds abundantly with ground red pepper.You can also periodically spray flowerbeds with infusion of valerian root.Specialty garden stores sell special granules that scare away mice. They can be scattered around the area next to the flowers.
To prevent rodents from gnawing the bulbs, it is better to use several methods of protection against them at once.
Prepare for winter
Tulips are frost-resistant crops, but they may not survive severe cold, so it is better to prepare the beds for winter. This is especially true when growing flowers in the northern regions, where not only cold winters, but also autumn and spring. In the fall, the plants are again planted in the ground. The beds are covered with spruce branches or agrofibre.
How to store after flowering
Tulip bulbs are dug up in June, when the foliage begins to dry out. Seeds are transplanted in September-October. The excavated planting material is laid out in a dark room for drying. In addition, the seeds must be sorted into varieties. Separate the small bulbs from the large ones.
Store the seeds in a cool and not too humid place so that they do not mold. The optimum temperature is +3 - + 5 degrees. You can store planting material on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator or in the cellar. The bulbs are packed in plastic or wooden boxes in a single layer. Do not put them in plastic bags. It's best to check them regularly so you can immediately notice if the bulbs start to mold and throw them away.
How to transplant correctly
You need to carefully dig up the bulbs, tulips grow until summer, and it is important not to harm children. The excavated planting material is left until autumn. A few weeks before planting, the site is prepared. It is better to choose another site and not plant flowers in the same flower bed for two consecutive years. In autumn, the bulbs are planted in September-October. If the planting material has been stored all winter, then in the spring the seeds are planted as soon as the snow has melted and the ground has warmed up. Usually it is the second half of April.
You should not delay planting, tulips bloom early, and late planting can lead to tulips not blooming until they are dug up.
Before planting, the soil is loosened, all weeds are pulled out. Then make holes and plant the bulbs. They should not be buried deep. Although it is possible to deepen some bulbs and plant them closer to the surface. The flowering will therefore be long, since the inflorescences will form gradually. After planting, the soil is watered abundantly with warm water. Large bulbs usually bloom the next year after planting, and babies - after 1-2 years.
Useful tips
It is not difficult to grow tulips, the plants are unpretentious and quickly take root in new places. And if you know all the nuances and tricks of growing crops, tulips will delight you with lush flowering for many years.
Useful tips for growing taller:
- By the appearance of plants, you can determine which element is missing in the soil. If the leaves become narrow and droopy, it means there is a nitrogen deficiency in the soil.With a lack of potassium and phosphorus, a bluish border appears on the leaves.
- Due to the rapid growth, the plants require frequent feeding. It is especially important to fertilize the soil during bud formation and flowering.
- In order for the bulb not to have time to form a large number of children, which makes flowering less abundant, it is necessary to prevent the formation of the seed capsule. As soon as it starts to appear, it is immediately cut off.
- After digging, the bulbs should be dried in the shade, not in the sun.
- It is undesirable that the inflorescences be exposed to direct sunlight throughout the day. This can cause the petals to crumble.
- It is not recommended to plant plants in windy areas, because of this tulips can start to hurt.
Tulips need to be constantly cared for, only in this way will the plants exchange and bloom abundantly in the country.