The first thawed patches on the spring snow reveal strong light green sprouts-arrows, and the soul immediately becomes lighter: spring has come! And these are her first harbingers - tulips. They are created to delight us with their brightness long before the queen of the garden, the rose, grows and blossoms, cheerful asters or strict dahlias open. How to care for tulips, your favorite spring flowers? Like everything living and beautiful, they respond to care and affection, and wither and die from indifference.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that caring for them is a year-round process. Even in winter, under the snow, tulips love to be fed once or twice, sheltered from severe frost. But the main concerns about flowers are, of course, in a different season: planting, flowering and transplanting. At what stage do you start talking about how to care for tulips? Probably better in the fall, when the bulbs are laid. In central Russia, the end of September - October is considered the optimal time for planting this crop.
First of all, you should remember that the tulip loves lighted places andgood, light soil, sandy loam is best. Grooves 15-20 cm deep are best shed with a hot solution of manganese, since flower bulbs are highly vulnerable to harmful fungi and bacteria contained in the soil. They are planted by eye, to a depth of about three heights of the bulb itself, at a distance of at least 20 cm from each other and sprinkled with earth.
It is desirable that the tulips go under the snow already germinated, and for this it is important not to miss the planting dates. If you didn’t have time, it’s okay, only in this case flowering will begin later than usual. How to care for tulips in winter - this has already been said a little above. It will be very useful to apply one of the special fertilizers for bulbous flowers directly in the snow. The next top dressing will be needed already at the beginning of flowering. In severe frost, it is advisable to pour more snow on top or cover the landing site with straw.
Caring for tulips in the spring is to avoid rotting of the bulbs, to prevent stagnation of meltwater, as well as drying out of the soil. They need to be watered constantly, even during flowering and always after it, so that the leaves that feed the bulbs do not dry out ahead of time. It is also necessary to ensure that the flowering heads do not reach the stage of seed boxes. The flower began to fade - it must be broken off immediately, leaving green leaves - the bulb should receive nutrition from them: after all, there, underground, there is an active formation of children and the growth of the bulb itself.
Summer care work continues. Dried leaves are gradually removed, and by the endJune is the time to dig tulips. After sorting, removal of diseased specimens, the bulbs are placed in a basket for drying, placed in a well-ventilated place, but not under the open sun. Those who know how to care for plants at home are well aware that not a single flower can withstand direct sunlight, drafts, sudden changes in temperature. Tulip is no exception.
And it's autumn again! Again, it's time to think about planting at the right time, winter care, taking care of the first sprouts in spring, and, of course, how to care for tulips during flowering. And so it will be indefinitely, as long as there are true connoisseurs of this flower, which carries joy in itself.
