Tulips are one of the most popular late spring bulb flowers. They look great both in garden flowerbeds and in a vase as cut flowers. Some varieties of tulips are even suitable for rockeries, as well as for growing in containers on the terrace or balcony. See how to prepare the stand and performtulip planting , as well as further care andtulip cultivation in the gardenHere are the secrets that will make tulips grow he althy and bloomed beautifully!
Tulips are perfect for growing in the garden
Where to plant tulips?
Tulipshave six-petaled cup-shaped or cup-shaped flowers (some are star-shaped). The stems are erect and usually end in one flower. However, there are also varieties with 2 or 3 flowers per stem. The leaves are green, lanceolate, usually two or more.
Their popularity is undoubtedly due to the huge variety of these flowers, available in various colors. There are about 100 species of tulips (they come mainly from Asia) and thousands of garden hybrids. They differ in color, size and shape of flowers, flowering time and suitability for specific applications. Thanks to this,the cultivation of tulipsis possible in a variety of gardens, regardless of their nature.
Due to the large variety of tulips, they were divided into 15 groups. These are the following groups: single early, full early, Triumph tulips, Darwin hybrids, single late, lily-shaped, jagged, Viridiflora tulips, Rembrandt tulips, parrots, full late (peony), Kaufmanniana, Fosteriana, Greigii.The last, fifteenth group includes botanical species.
Low species of tulipscan be planted in clumps at the front of the flowerbed or create colorful accents on the rockery.Large-flowered tulip hybridscan be used to create bedding arrangements with other plants.
Planting Tulips
When to plant tulips?
The correctdate for planting tulipsis extremely important to the success of these plants. Place the tulip bulbs in the soil in the second half of September or the beginning of October.
Only he althy bulbs are selected for planting, without any visible signs of disease or damage. A preferred procedure is to dress the bulbs before planting them. The onions can be seasoned wet or dry. For the treatment of tulip bulbs, agents such as Dithane NeoTec 75 WG, Kaptan Suspension 50 WP, Topsin M 500 SC will be helpful. If we want to protecttulip bulbsagainst disease, first of all remember to change the place where these plants are grown every year, which will make it difficult for pathogens attacking them to survive.
Planting Tulips
Before we doplanting tulip bulbsthe soil at the planting site should also be properly prepared. It should be well-drained, fertile and humus-rich. It can be garden soil mixed with sand and compost.
Remember that tulips feel best on slightly acidic to neutral soils. Avoid planting tulips in heavy, clay, waterlogged or very acidic soils.
How deep should I plant tulip bulbs?
Tulip bulbsare placed 10 to 15 cm deep in the soil. The larger the bulbs, the deeper they are planted. We also plant them deeper, the lighter the soil, the more sandy.
Important rule! Place the tulip bulbs at a depth corresponding to three times the height of the onion, measured from the heel to the top.
Before winter, mulch the soil. A sufficiently thick layer of mulch will protect the tulip bulbs from winter frosts.
Growing tulips in spring
If we carefully prepared the growing position and planted the bulbs in the right way, the furthercultivation of tulipsshould not be too difficult. When spring comes, we will be able to enjoy tulip stems coming out of the soil, and then beautiful flowers. Just don't forget to water your plants regularly. They should be started when green parts of the plants are visible above the ground and continue until approx. 5 weeks after flowering. If the cultivation site is properly fertilized before the tulip bulbs are planted in the fall, additional fertilization is not necessary. Otherwise, the spring dose of compound fertilizer may be beneficial.
What to do when the tulips have faded?When the tulips have faded, a procedure called topping is performed. It consists in removing faded flower states. Thanks to this, the plants will produce more new bulbs, which in turn will allow us to expand the tulip collection.
Tulips will bloom profusely with proper care
Digging up and storing the tulips
When the tulip leaves also die, the bulbs should be dug up. This is best done on a clear, rainless day, when the soil is dry.Dug out tulip bulbsis cleaned of lumps of earth, slightly dried and stored in airy, cool room, e.g. a ventilated cellar from time to time. It is important to ventilate the room where the tulips are kept so that the bulbs do not get wet and are not affected by fungal infections. Of course, bulbs with signs of disease should be discarded as they are not suitable for further cultivation. Flowers from them will not be there anymore and only contribute to the infection of the remaining bulbs, and thengrowing tulipsmay fail.
Can the bulbs not be dug out?The bulbs of many varieties of tulips can not be dug out.However, in the years to come, the bulbs will sink deeper and deeper, they will bloom less and less, and eventually they will disappear. They also have an increased risk of being infected by disease. Therefore, if we want to have discounts with beautifully flowering tulips in the coming years, we must dig out the bulbs every year and plant them in a new place.
