A lot of positive emotions are caused by the mention of the beautiful flowers of tulips. Even small children know that the first spring sun and the arrival of their mother's holiday are a reason to purchase fragrant and bright bouquets. City squares in May are enlivened by scatterings of tulips. After gray and boring winter days, they delight the eye in the village front gardens and country flower beds.
Experienced flower growers have learned to grow these plants not only in flowerbeds, but also forcing tulips at home. The timing of planting such bulbs is of interest to many beginner gardeners, as well as those who themselves want to grow these heralds of spring in pots by March 8. We invite you to get acquainted with the rules for planting tulips in spring, autumn, with the procedures for caring for them.
A little about the history of the flower
Tulip is a herbaceous bulbous plant of the Liliaceae family. Its tall varieties can reach a height of up to 1 m, and undersized ones - up to 10 cm. Initially, flowers appeared in the mountainous regions of the semi-desert and in the steppes. Central Asia.
Among plants with a short growing season, tulips are confidently leading. Not a single early-flowering flower can compete with them in the beauty of the flower, the variety of forms, and unpretentiousness. In Europe, the plant has already flaunted in flower beds for about 500 years. Back in the 16th century, Byzantine merchants brought it to Vienna in test batches. European flower growers appreciated the charm of inflorescences. The birthplace of a huge scattering of bulbs is the current territory of Kazakhstan. It was there that merchants bought them, and it began to bring them a good income.
The new perennial became very popular then in Italy, France, Holland. The Europeans began to have a flower-tulip disease. Bulbs were bought by we althy people and the poor. Thanks to this passion for tulips, hundreds of new incredible varieties and forms have appeared. Today you can already enjoy unusual parrot and fringed varieties, as well as mysterious black tulips.
The Netherlands is considered the leader in world sales and cultivation of these beautiful bulbs. The country annually sells millions of batches of planting material. Love for beautiful tulips remains true to many Russians.
Step-by-step development of bulbs
Some flower growers talk about the unpretentiousness and simplicity of tulip farming, while others complain about unsuccessful attempts to grow them. To know the truth and conditions for planting tulips, you need to know the structure of the bulbs and their life cycle. Every year this plant is renewed from the primordia inside the bulbs. Thanks to this, flowers make us happymany years. The life span of the bulb itself is 2 years. In the first year, the plant develops inside the mother bulb, in the second year - independently. From young bulbs, daughter ones are formed.
Being a typical ephemeroid, the tulip has a clearly defined growing season and dormancy. The dormant time is considered very important for the development of the plant, when a replacement point and young bulbs are laid between the scales. Some novice flower growers think that the bulbs dug out in the fall do not undergo any changes until spring. This is not true at all.
After the autumn planting, the bulbs grow roots. In November, the primrose gives an underground shoot that reaches the surface of the earth. In this state, the flower hibernates. In spring, the plant actively develops, blooms. In summer, it is in a state of apparent rest. After all, during this time a new embryo is formed in the bulb.
When to plant tulips?
It is best to plant tulips at home in flowerbeds in autumn, when the temperature drops to +10 °C. Most often this is done in September - early October. By the onset of frost, the bulbs need to take root and adapt to the winter period. Before planting, the bulbs are disinfected with Maxim or Vitaros. If suddenly you did not have time to plant tulips in time, you can use the following tips:
- Plant the bulbs in November, just 20 cm deep. Top them with peat and dry foliage.
- Store the bulbs on a windowsill and use for forcing in early spring.
- Put them downfor the winter in a cold basement, and with the onset of heat, plant tulips in March in thawed soil. They will bloom closer to summer.
Depth and place for planting bulbs
Tulips originally grew in the semi-desert, so they love the sun. Lack of light leads to various deformations of the plant and the formation of weak bulbs. The soil for planting needs dry, without stagnant moisture. Long-term presence of bulbs in damp soil leads to fungal diseases. To loosen the soil, sand, peat, vermiculite are added to it. You should not plant tulips in a flower bed in the place where the bulbs used to be. This increases the risk of viral diseases.
Flower growers are guided by the rule of three bulbs when planting. It is to this depth that the bulb is lowered in the dug hole. Excessive deepening leads to small inflorescences.
Space between bulbs
The distance between the bulbs when planting should be approximately 10 cm. Larger bulbs are planted further away from each other. This contributes to better lighting and nutrition of the plant. A group spectacular landing of tulips is made in one common pit. The bulbs are evenly laid out at the same distance from each other, fertilizer is added and covered with earth.
Recently flower gardens have become popular in tiers. Hyacinths are planted deepest, then tulips, and on top of them - crocuses or muscari.
Location in the flowerbed and proximity to othersplants
Florists before planting are determined with the composition where tulips are also planted. To earlier flowers, for example, to daffodils, early-flowering varieties are planted. Some people like a combination of one shade, others like contrasting shades. Yellow tulips go well with blue muscari. White and bright red tulips pair with sunny daffodils.
Late flowering tulips are suitable for proximity to forget-me-nots, bergenia, early phlox, arabis. Sometimes annual plants are planted in place of faded tulips. Perennials with decorative leaves also look good with tulips. They can be combined with hostas, panicled phlox, meadow geraniums.
Suitable fertilizers
In order for tulips to sprout quickly and amicably in spring, fertilizers with potassium and phosphorus are applied to the soil in autumn. These are slow-acting AVA pellets or "Autumn Fiasco".
With the advent of the first shoots, tulips are fed with urea, and in May - with superphosphate. After top dressing, the soil must be watered or the procedure is done immediately after the rain.
Soil moistening
During the growing season and flowering, tulips need enough moisture, but not too much. Excess water leads to cracks in the bulbs and the defeat of various diseases. If there is little moisture, then small buds form in the plant, and the number of small young bulbs decreases.
It is important to observe the correct watering of tulips, which is rarely carried out. Enoughwill do this 3 times over the entire growing season, but very abundantly. The depth of penetration of water should reach 35 cm, where the roots of the bulbs are located.
Timely Digging
In late June - early July, bulbs and babies will already form in the ground. By this time, the tulip stem will lose its fragility and become sluggish. So it's time to dig. Being late can lead to nest collapse and loss of babies, and premature digging promises unripe material.
Dug out bulbs are sorted, distributed by variety and size. Then they are placed in special boxes with ventilation holes and placed under a canopy to dry for 3 days. Then they are placed in a moderately warm room with air access (in a barn, in the attic). They are kept there until September, periodically checking their condition.
Planting tulips by March 8
Many people are fond of growing bulbs on the windowsill or in the greenhouse. Planting tulips by March 8, New Year, Valentine's Day brings some good income. After all, before the holidays, flowers are especially in demand. Before choosing bulbs, you need to ask about the color of the petals, the flowering period, the height of the stems, and resistance to diseases. The most disease-resistant varieties are Forester, Kaufman, Great.
What is bulbous forcing? Artificial cultivation is created under special temperature and light conditions, when the buds bloom much ahead of time. For forcing select large and he althybulbs.
After digging, these bulbs are stored until September. Then they are cooled at a temperature of +5 °C and a humidity of 90%. The best place for this would be the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. There, the seed material is stored for a month. In October, the bulbs are planted in prepared pots or boxes. They are covered with river sand mixed with peat. The bulbs are deepened next to each other at a distance of 2 cm.
The planted material is watered, lightly sprinkled with earth so that only the tops of the bulbs are visible. Then they are watered with a solution of calcium nitrate (1 g per 1 liter of water). After that, the pots are brought into the basement or placed on a glazed balcony. Moisten the soil from time to time.
In January, shoots will appear, in a month they will grow by 3 cm. 30 days before March 8, the pots are brought into a room with normal lighting. It is best to identify them in a greenhouse. The best temperature for the development of buds will be +18 ° C. Water the flowers with warm water. To get tulips for the New Year, they are taken out into the room in October. To speed up the growth of flowers, it is worth increasing the temperature a little.
What varieties to plant for forcing?
By the New Year, only those varieties are expelled, the cooling of which should last at least two months. These are early blooming tulips. The following varieties are suitable for January forcing: Olga, Brilliant Star, Christmas Marvel, Lustige Battle, Epricot Beauty.
For planting by March 8, varieties that bloom in the middle terms are suitable. Most often used Darwin hybrids: Apeldoorn, London, Diplomat, Scarborough, Oxford,Vivex.
America, Apel-dorn, Gordon Cooper, Daydream, Parade, Burgundy Lace are used for the April forcing. By May 1, Negrita, Diplomat, Aristocrat, Hibernia are expelled.
This is not all varieties that can be used for artificial cultivation of tulips at home. If desired, other bulbs are grown along with tulips. Similarly, you can drive out crocuses, hyacinths, irises, daffodils. If you correctly carry out all the stages of forcing, then in winter or early spring, the buds will delight you with their beauty and aroma.
