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Tulips: growing, planting and care, when to dig. Tulips. Growing from A to Z Tulip annual or perennial plant

Tulips - outdoor cultivation

Choosing planting material: what to look for

When buying tulip bulbs, you should pay attention to their size. You should not choose large planting material: most likely, it is old and will not delight you with abundant flowering. It is recommended to choose medium-sized bulbs with a smooth, shiny, scaly coating. Please note that there are no cracks on their surface - infections are transmitted through them and pests penetrate.

Pay attention to the color of the bulbs when buying

The color of the planting material should be a golden tea color. The dark brown scales indicate that it was dug out of the soil late and may be damaged.

In a healthy bulb, the tip of the stem is slightly visible; but do not purchase if it has sprouted during storage. The bottom and tubercles of the roots should be dry and dense. To the touch, a healthy bulb is dense, without a feeling of wateriness or overdryness.

Preparation and planting of tulips in open ground

The key to the good development of tulips is a correctly chosen and well-prepared place for a flower garden, as well as compliance with the timing of planting bulbs.

How to choose a seat

Tulips feel very good, which are grown in a sunny and wind-protected flower bed. This may be an area under the crowns of trees - since the flowers bloom earlier than the leaves on the branches, the shade from them will not hurt.

Change the location of the flower garden for bulbs

Tulips should not be planted where bulbs were previously grown. The earth should "rest" from tulips for at least three years.

soil for tulips

The soil for successful flowering of tulips should be light, breathable. In a soil rich in loam, sand should be added at the rate of 2 buckets per 1 sq. m ridge.

If the site has a high level of groundwater, which is detrimental to flower bulbs, you should "raise" the flower bed (make it loose and increase the soil layer) for tulips, or organize high-quality drainage under the flower bed. To protect against high humidity, leaching nutrients and fertilizers from the soil, as well as for the convenience of moving to storage, flowers are planted in a special container - plastic modules.

Flower bed preparation

Before planting tulips, they dig up the ground, removing weeds and plant roots. Further, planting furrows are carried out, with a depth equal to three sizes of the bulbs.

The bottom of the furrow is covered with a thin layer of river sand, on which the bulbs are placed at a distance of 10 cm from each other.

Do not bury bulbs when planting

The main mistake gardeners make when planting tulips is deepening the bulbs. Usually they are pressed into the ground with their hands, but this cannot be done. The bulbs laid in the furrows are carefully sprinkled with earth and watered with the addition of a few crystals of potassium permanganate for disinfection.

Terms of planting tulips in open ground

The beginning or middle of autumn is the period that is best for planting tulips, when the temperature outside drops to 8-10 degrees Celsius. Planting in warmer soil leads to poor development of the root system, and the bulbs are at risk of Fusarium disease. Tulips planted in frost conditions do not have time to take root before the onset of frost and may die.

Feeding and caring for tulips

Tulips, planting and caring for which will not cause much trouble, will delight you with bright and beautiful flowering if you fertilize them in a timely manner.

First dressing of tulips

The first fertilizer is applied immediately after the appearance of green sprouts. It is prepared by mixing 30 grams of nitrogen, 30 grams of phosphorus and 20 grams of potassium fertilizers per 10 liters of water. Plantings are watered abundantly with this composition.

Second top dressing

It is carried out before the flowering of tulips, when greenish flower buds are formed. Feed composition: 20 grams of nitrogen, 20 grams of potash, 30 grams of phosphate fertilizers per bucket of water.

Third top dressing

Needed after flowering to replenish nutrients: 30 grams of phosphorus and 20 grams of potash fertilizers per bucket of water.

Tulips: care after flowering in the open field

After flowering, it is necessary to remove the seed box so that the plant does not waste energy on seed maturation, but stores them in the bulb for the next season. After the leaves begin to turn yellow, and the stem loses its elasticity and becomes soft, you can begin to dig up the bulbs.

How often to transplant tulips to a new place

The frequency of transplanting tulips to a new place, each gardener determines for himself. You can dig up bulbs annually, or do it at intervals of 2-3 years. It should be borne in mind that in the absence of a transplant, the flowers begin to grow worse and become smaller, as the nutrient content in the soil decreases. That is why valuable varietal specimens are recommended to be transplanted annually.

What to do with bulbs after digging

The dug bulbs are washed in water and soaked for half an hour in a fungicide solution. In large bulbs, children are separated if they have not disintegrated themselves. Then the planting material must be dried in the shade for several days, spreading rags. After drying, the bulbs are stored in baskets or boxes and stored in a cool room until autumn planting.

The main diseases and pests of tulips

Tulip diseases are spread with infected seed or bulbs. So choose carefully before buying.

Gray rot (lat. Botrytis tulipae)

It occurs in plants grown in soils with an excess of moisture. It can spread in rainy summers, or with excessive watering. The growth of the flower slows down, its green parts become soft and watery.

Affected bulbs and flowers must be destroyed and not treated. For prevention purposes, the soil is powdered with sulfur before planting, and after planting, it is sprayed with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture.

Root rot (lat. Ruthium)

Signs of the disease are easily confused with symptoms of insufficient watering: the green mass of the flower fades, becomes yellow or brown. Brown spots appear on the bulbs, it becomes soft to the touch and smells unpleasant.

Moisture stagnation caused by poor drainage may be the cause. A diseased plant must be destroyed. For prevention purposes, they increase the aeration and water permeability of the soil during planting, mixing it with sand and draining it, or organize raised ridges.

Variegation of tulips

A dangerous disease that causes the tobacco mosaic virus (lat. Tobacco mosaic virus). It is transmitted through planting material, pruning tools, as well as mites and other sucking insects.

On the painted flower petals, light strokes appear in chaotic directions, the shape of the flower may be distorted. Signs are poorly visible on light varieties of tulips.

Prevention of the disease is difficult due to the long latent period of the disease, which can develop within a few years after infection. Prevention: treatment of plants with drugs from sucking pests; disinfection of bulbs before planting; sparse landing and constant inspection to detect signs of disease.

Infected plants should be removed from the flower bed by carefully pulling them out with their roots. The soil is first loosened around the bulb so that part of the roots does not remain in the ground and does not cause the spread of the disease.

Tulips: cultivation and care in Siberia, beyond the Urals, in the North

In the northern regions of Russia, it is quite possible to grow tulips, the care of which contains some features associated with climatic conditions.

Due to early autumn frosts, bulbs should be planted no later than the second decade of September, at a temperature not lower than minus 2-3 degrees Celsius. The depth of the trench for planting bulbs, regardless of their size, should be approximately 25 cm.

If the depth is less, the rhizomes may freeze out, and with a deeper planting, the plants will take a lot of energy to germinate and the tulip will bloom poorly. After placing the planting material, the ridge should be sprinkled with mature compost. It is recommended to collect the first snow from the surrounding area in a flower bed for additional protection from frost.

In the spring, during flowering, snowfalls and frosts are also possible, so the longer the snow lies on the flower beds, the better. To hold it, instead of compost, you can use the tops of vegetables, straw, hay for snow retention.

In conditions of unstable summers and harsh winters, tulips bloom well, which are transplanted annually. Otherwise, the bulbs shrink, are affected by pests and may die.

The following varieties of tulips are well suited for cold regions: Bonanza, Dante, Brilliant Star, Christmas Marvel, Brilliant Star.

Outcome

Gorgeous bright tulips will decorate your garden in early spring, when the rest of nature is just waking up. You just need to take care of planting the bulbs in the fall and take care of the plants in a timely manner - then you will not have trouble with tulips, except for admiring the colorful buds.

Tulips are a luxurious decoration of the spring garden. The flower bed with them is multicolored and very elegant. Having learned in detail about tulips, planting and care in the open field, you can not be afraid that the plants will not bloom.

Growing tulips in the open field is quite simple and feasible even for a beginner grower. In order for plants to retain their varietal qualities from year to year, they must be dug up annually, dried and planted again. Without this, the flowers will quickly grind, lose varietal differences, or even die.

Choosing bulbs for planting

The result of the grower's efforts also depends on how correctly the bulbs are chosen. It is better to purchase planting material in the middle of summer or at the end, since during this period the plants are at rest and do not experience stress during planting. In autumn, at the very peak of planting a bulbous flower, it can be more difficult to acquire high-quality planting material. If you buy bulbs in the spring, they will be old and worn out by winter storage. In the spring, what was not sold in the fall is sold.

When buying, you should choose those bulbs that have a thin husk of a pleasant golden color. The presence of cracks in the skin is normal.

The bulb itself must be intact. If there is damage on it, then the purchase should be abandoned, since in this case it will not be possible to obtain a quality plant.

The size of the purchased bulb should be chosen average, and when taken in hand, its weight should be felt. When examining the bottom of a good planting material, small root tubercles will be visible. If the bottom is soft, or the roots have already sprouted, you should not buy the bulb.

Time and date of planting tulips

The homeland of the plant is Central Asia. Under natural conditions, tulips bloom intensively in early spring, and then dry up and go dormant. In gardens, their life cycle follows the same principle. Therefore, it is important to immediately accurately determine the correct planting date, since an error in it will lead to the death of the flower.

autumn

Fall is the best time to plant tulips. Gardeners with experience plant bulbs only in September, and never transfer the planting time to summer or spring. It is desirable to choose a dry day for work. Details on how to plant tulips in autumn are described in the next section.

If you plant the bulbs too early, they will not only form roots before winter, but also release the aerial part. As a result, the tulips will freeze and may die. If the plant survives after this, then it will definitely not bloom.

Planting too late results in the bulbs not having time to take root. For this reason, the plant winters incorrectly and in the spring, after it has spent the last strength on rooting, it no longer blooms. Also, tulips that are not rooted before frost can easily rot or freeze.

In the event that for some reason you have to plant plants at the end of October or even in November, when they do not have time to take root, the garden bed must be covered with spruce branches, or mulched with a thick layer of sawdust. Suitable for shelter and fallen leaves.

spring

Spring is not the right time to plant tulips. The bulbs will be able to take root and even bloom in the middle of summer, but their life cycle will be seriously disrupted. Because of this, they will have to be dug out quite late, and, therefore, the autumn planting period will shift to late autumn.

Best of all, if tulips are bought in the spring, plant them in a container very early - even before the snow melts. After the onset of persistent heat, the plants are planted without removing them from the container, as this will facilitate their further digging.

How to plant tulips correctly?

When planting tulips, proper agricultural technology is of great importance, which allows you to provide the plants with the most comfortable conditions. Violations of it will lead to poor quality flowering and sometimes even rotting of the bulbs. Planting tulips requires compliance with certain rules.

Soil requirements, site selection

A site for tulips is selected in the fall after the leaves fall from the trees. It must be very well lit. Since the tulips will bloom before the trees open their leaves, it is not scary if the flower bed is in the shade in summer. For plants, light is important only until the end of flowering. It is better to stir the flower bed on a level place where melt water does not accumulate.

Soil tulips need neutral or slightly acidic, loose. The fertile layer needs to be thick. High water permeability and breathability are also of great importance for the plant. Do not plant tulips in areas where bulbous or solanaceous crops have grown before. This is due to the accumulation of pathogens in the soil that can pass to flowers.

If the soil is heavy, then frequent loosening will be required. Without this, it is impossible to grow fully blooming tulips.

Landing in open ground

You can plant only healthy bulbs that do not have foci of decay and are not affected by diseases. Before planting, they must be soaked for 30 minutes in a slightly pink solution of manganese. After that, the bulbs are dried for an hour and planted.

It is more convenient to plant bulbs in furrows, not holes, as this allows you to plant the maximum number of tulips. The distance between the furrows should be at least 25 cm, so that it is convenient to care for the flowers, and the bulbs can develop with enough soil and nutrients. The row spacing between plants should be 10 cm.

How deep to plant?

If the soil is light, the embedding of the bulbs is deeper than when the soil is heavy. In the first case, the bulbs are closed up to 3 of their heights, and in the second - to 2 heights. On average, this is 15 cm and 10 cm, respectively. You need to know that rooted bulbs will go to even greater depths.

Tulip Care

In addition to proper planting, tulips also require competent care, which will allow them to gain maximum strength for especially beautiful flowering. Despite all their unpretentiousness, varietal plants will not be able to feel good if they are left to their own devices.

Watering and feeding

Top dressing of plants is carried out 3 times in the spring. Without this, the bulbs will not receive enough nutrients and will leave weakened during the dormant period. In addition, the lack of top dressing will lead to the fact that high-quality buds and large flowers will not form.

1. First feed. It is carried out immediately after the tulips have appeared from the ground. Nitrogen fertilizers are used for it.
2. Second feed. It is carried out when laying buds. Complex mineral compositions with a high content of potassium and phosphorus are used for it.
3. Third top dressing necessary after the flowering of tulips. Potassium-phosphorus fertilizers are introduced.

Tulips react very positively to wood ash, which can be sprinkled on the soil before watering at any time.

Watering during the flowering period for tulips is very important. Water is poured under the root.

Usually 2-3 waterings per week are enough. After the flowers have wilted, soil moisture is stopped so that the bulbs go dormant.

loosening

Storage conditions

Dug out bulbs are dried in the shade under a canopy or indoors for a month. After that, they are folded into paper bags and removed until the autumn planting. The temperature in the place of storage should be between +15 and +18 degrees. If perishable bulbs are found, they should be discarded. They will not sprout in the spring, but the planting site will be infected.

Protection against diseases and pests

Whatever variety of tulips is chosen, it can be subject to diseases and pest attacks. If the plant is affected by fungal diseases, then to save the flower, it is necessary to transplant it to a new place and shed a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture.

Of the pests, the main danger for tulips is:

• bulb mite;
• slugs
• snails;
• bears;
• rodents.

Mousetraps and poisoned baits are used to get rid of mice. From pests, special preparations are used that destroy insects and mollusks that attacked the flower.

Growing tulips is an exciting activity, which, due to the variety of varieties, often becomes a real hobby for a grower.

Tsar Peter the Great ordered the import of bulbs of this flower to Russia to decorate gardens. A special office, established to supply the Russian land with overseas flowers, began to be called the "garden office". Varieties, outdoor cultivation, planting, care, reproduction: tulips in Russian gardens from Peter the Great to the present.

Features of the variety and variety of tulips

The system for dividing specific tulips into groups, depending on the timing of flowering, was adopted in 1981. In total, four groups of flowering plants are distinguished: early-flowering; mid-flowering; late flowering; species and hybrid varieties. In turn, the groups are usually divided into classes, of which there are 15.

Simple and terry early varieties constitute the first group. These tulips bloom first, the color of the petals is distinguished by a variety of shades. Terry species in full dissolution look like lotus flowers. Flowering begins from the first week of May. Tulips of this group are undersized: only 25-30 cm high, they lend themselves well to forcing.

Darwin hybrids and varieties of the Triumph series, belong to medium-flowering species - these are the most persistent classic tulips, which are very common among gardeners. They have a wide range of colors, beautiful large flowers, strong stems. Petals do not lose their juiciness of color under the influence of intense sun. These qualities allow the use of these classes of tulips for cutting. The height of Triumph class plants reaches 70 cm. Darwin hybrids reach a height of 90 cm, both are suitable for cutting. Reproduction of tulips does not cause absolutely no difficulties. The mother bulb in July is overgrown with a mass of children that have different diameters. After 1 year of growing, large tulip babies can bloom.

Exotic varieties of tulips included in the late flowering group.

• Simple late - tulips of this group in appearance resemble flowers belonging to the Triumph class, they only bloom much later, and the color of the petals is incomparably richer. Peduncles are high, the glass of the flower is large. The base of the glass is square. Flowers hold their shape well in full sun.
• Lily-flowered - the name of this group of tulips indicates the similarity of the flower shape with a lily. There are cultivars with two-color and multi-color coloring. Flowers of lily-colored tulips strike with grace of forms. Plant height from 35 to 70 cm. Low grades are suitable for distillation.

• Fringed - luxurious large glasses of flowers of this group are decorated with small fringe along the edge of the petal. The fringe can be of the same tone with the flower, or have a different - contrasting - color. In any case, fringed tulips have unique decorative qualities. Modern collections of fringed tulips are highly decorative, unique and exclusive varieties.

• Green-flowered tulips - plants with flowers that have spots, strokes and shading of green. Unusual and bright flowers with strong peduncles, suitable for cutting.

• Rembrandt - tulips are so named for the amazing, complex coloring of the petals, reminiscent of the brush strokes of an artist. The height of the plant is from 40 to 70 cm.

• Parrot - Tulip flowers of this class look like bright, disheveled parrots. The edges of the petals are wavy, the petals themselves are folded, corrugated. Sufficiently high peduncles (up to 80 cm), very strong. Parrot tulips are suitable for cutting.

• Low bushes of terry late tulips do not rise to a height of more than 50 cm, they amaze with spectacular flowering. Bright, densely doubled flowers, although they have strong peduncles, cannot support the weight of a blossoming flower, especially if there is heavy dew or rain in the morning.

hybrid tulips. These types of tulips are unusually beautiful. They are characterized by variegated leaf color: contrasting spots, venation. Amazingly beautiful flowers are quite large in size, with a low peduncle. Growing these tulips in open ground is possible during harsh winters, the hybrids are frost-resistant.

Wild Tulips. This class includes wild-growing species of tulips that are used in decorative floriculture. These low-growing crops, which are very resistant to diseases, can be used for planting in the open ground for the design of green areas. Flowering of wild-growing species lasts a short time, but the richness of colors of small tulips and their natural stability make it possible to equip flower beds, flower beds, stone hills on which these plants are planted with extraordinary beauty. The combination of wild tulips on an emerald lawn creates very interesting options in landscape design.

Planting a plant

Planting tulips is most favorable when the soil temperature in the area is + 7-10 ° C. The soil cools to such values ​​in autumn, usually in early October, but in the southern regions it is possible to plant tulips at a later date - until the end of November.

At high soil temperatures, roots do not form for a long time, and a high risk of plant disease with Fusarium is created. Planting bulbs at the first frost also poses certain dangers - the bulbs do not have time to take root before the onset of severe frosts.

The beds for planting bulbs are taken away in the brightest, sunniest place. Care should be taken to protect landings from the wind in advance. The soil for cultivation requires loose and rich in humus. Heavy clay soils, as well as poor sandy ones, require improvement. There should be no stagnant water in the garden. The high groundwater level at the tulip planting site is detrimental to the bulbs. Good drainage is required.

Tip: Acidic soils are not suitable for planting crops. Tulips prefer soils with a pH of 7.0-7.5.

The area for planting tulip bulbs must be carefully dug up, removing all weeds. It is advisable to treat perennial weeds with special preparations for destruction.

It is useful to start planting tulips by inspecting the bulbs. Rotten or mummified bulbs must be removed. Healthy planting material is soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate (pink) for 30 minutes. Immediately after soaking, the bulbs are planted in prepared furrows. The depth of planting of tulip bulbs is determined by their height multiplied by 3. The distance between the bulbs is 10 cm. Planting furrows are laid at a distance of 25-30 cm from each other.
The furrows are preliminarily watered with water, growth stimulants, a layer of dry fertilizer for bulbous flower crops is scattered, and the furrows are also sprinkled with a thin layer of sand. Bulbs are laid out on top of the sand: you can not press them into the ground.

Attention! Growing tulips on light, sandy soils requires deeper embedding of the bulbs.

In November-December, when frost sets in, it is useful to mulch the top layer of the beds with a layer of peat (3-5 cm). Peat is not removed in spring.

Proper Care

After the germination of the bulbs, care for planting tulips begins with a careful examination and rejection of rotten specimens. Then you need to carefully loosen the bed, and the culture responds well to loosening. Caring for young plants comes down to regular watering, but not plentiful, but moderate, however, the topsoil in the bed with plants should never dry out.

Providing regular and necessary top dressing to growing tulips, daily attentive care, regular watering will help to grow healthy, bright flowers. And the most important thing to remember: after 4 years, the beds for tulips should be planted elsewhere.

Fertilizer and top dressing of tulips

Growing tulips requires fertilization immediately after emergence. Sprouted bulbs during this period are in dire need of nitrogen. Nitrogen fertilizer stimulates the rapid and rapid growth of the flower.

During budding, it is required to fertilize flowers with phosphorus and potash fertilizers, which will help tulips to tie large buds and provide decorative flowering. A complete mineral fertilizer is used when blooming flowers in the spring.

Plant propagation

Reproduction of tulips is not difficult, since in the summer, when digging up bulbs, a lot of babies are dug up along with the replacement bulb. The baby is used to propagate the culture very simply: during the planting period of the main bulbs, the baby, dug out in the summer, is also planted. In one year of growing, a large bulb is formed, ready for flowering. This is how often the reproduction of "Darwin Hybrids" occurs.

There is another type of culture propagation - seed. But seed propagation of tulips is usually used when breeding new varieties.

Diseases and pests

Tulips are damaged by a huge number of pests and diseases: more than 30 infections that affect tulips, there are today.

Growing tulips largely depends on the choice of planting material. Bulbs should not have mechanical damage, ulceration, black soot spots and dry crusts.

The greatest harm to plantings of tulips is caused by gray rot, fusarium, sclerocial rot. The most dangerous viral infection of culture is variegation.

Gray rot of tulips (Botrytis tulipae) develops on plants in cold and damp weather, especially when planted in open ground with heavy soil, which has not been loosened. The disease progresses rapidly: fungal spores settle on all parts of the plant. Growth slows down, buds become smaller, stems and leaves are bent and softened. The main thing is to notice diseased plants or planting material in time and isolate them from uninfected tulips. In the spring, it is necessary to inspect seedlings to destroy diseased plants.

Preventive measures against gray rot are dusting the bulbs with sulfur, pickling the bulbs with a solution of TMTD. The green mass is sprayed with Bordeaux mixture 1% or euporene 0.5-1%.

It is easy to prevent the development of the disease - a sufficient amount of potash fertilizers should be applied to the soil, and magnesium from microelements.

root rot, causative agent - mushrooms Ruthium. Brown spots appear on the roots of tulips, which gradually spread to the entire root system. Properly prepared soil reduces the risk of plant diseases.

In addition, the following lesions threaten tulips: soft rot (Pythium ultimum), white rot (Scleritiniabulborum, Sclerotium tuliparium), fusarium (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Tulipae), trichoderma (Trichoderma sp).

Viral diseases of tulips are represented by the most common of them - variegation. Throughout the green mass of the flower, including petals and buds, variegated strokes appear. The virus is carried by pests with the juice of diseased plants. There is no cure. Sick plants are destroyed.

Tulips in combination with other plants

A field of tulips is already beautiful on its own, but the combination of planting a flower with other plants in the open field adds decorativeness to the landscape design. Tulips go well with other bulbs: bluebells, muscari, scillas. Approximately the same growing conditions make it possible to apply a number of agrotechnical care measures suitable for all plants growing nearby. In spring, small-bulbous plants and tulips perfectly enliven the territories of city parks and squares. Plants look great near flowering bushes, forsythia.

Tulips in landscape design

Planting tulips complement early flowering compositions in landscape design.
Undersized tulips, including wild-growing species that are decorated, have found wide application. Flowers are perfect for growing in flowerbeds, flower beds, in mixborders.

How to plant tulips: video

Tulips in the garden: photo varieties

Tulip (lat. Tulipa)- a genus of bulbous perennials of the Liliaceae family, one of the most popular spring garden plants grown both in private gardens and on an industrial scale. The homeland of tulips is Central Asia, and the plant got its name from the Persian word "turban", the shape of which resembles a flower.

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Planting and caring for tulips

• Landing: late September or early October. At least in April.
• Digging: when two-thirds of the leaves turn yellow.
• Storage: until September in open boxes, laid in one layer, in a well-ventilated room at a temperature of 20 ˚C, then the storage temperature is lowered to 17 ˚C.
• Lighting: bright sunlight or light partial shade.
• The soil: slightly alkaline or neutral, well-drained, fertile and loose sandy loamy soil fertilized with ash and compost.
• Watering: regular and plentiful, especially during budding and flowering: 10 to 40 liters of water are spent on watering 1 m².
• Top dressing: mineral or organic fertilizers. The first time - in early spring, immediately after germination, the second time - during the budding period, the third time - after flowering.
• Reproduction: seed and vegetative (daughter bulbs).
• Pests: lilac scoops, root onion mites, bears, slugs, mice and moles.
• Diseases: gray, white, root, wet and soft rot, variegated and tobacco necrosis viruses (August disease).

Read more about growing tulips below.

Tulip flowers - description

A tulip grows in height from 10 cm to a meter. The root system consists of adventitious roots growing from the bottom of the bulb and dying off annually. Young bulbs form hollow stolons - lateral shoots growing to the side or vertically down, a daughter bulb is formed at the bottom of the stolons. The stem of the tulip is cylindrical, erect, the leaves are bluish-green due to a light wax coating, elongated-lanceolate, arranged alternately along the stem. The largest sheet is the bottom, the smallest (flag sheet) is the top.

Tulip flowers open in the sun and close at night or on cloudy days.

A tulip usually has one flower, although there are many-flowered species and varieties, with 3-5 flowers or more. The flowers are regular, a perianth of six leaflets, six stamens with elongated anthers, most often the tulip flower is red, less often yellow, even more rarely white. The color of varietal tulips is much more diverse: red, purple, pure white, yellow, purple and almost black, there are varieties that combine several colors in the most incredible variations.

flower shape tulips are also diverse: cup-shaped, goblet-shaped, lily-shaped, oval, peony-shaped, star-shaped, fringed ... The size of the flower also depends on the variety - sometimes the length is 12 cm, and the diameter is from 3 to 10 cm (in full disclosure up to 20 cm). The fruit of tulips is a trihedral box, the seeds in it are triangular, flat, yellow-brown.

In the photo: Tulips in bloom

Growing tulips - features

Striking tulips august sickness caused by tobacco necrosis virus. The disease is fungal, manifested in the form of a curvature of the stem and an ugly striation of the flower, as well as dark spots on the bulb. Sick plants should be removed immediately, the hole should be shed with a strong hot solution of potassium permanganate and boric acid at the rate of 10 g of manganese and 3 g of boric acid per 1 liter of water. You can fill the hole with ashes. The rest of the plants need to be sprayed with a two percent solution of Fundazol.

Sometimes tulips suffer from fungal diseases - gray, root, white, soft, wet or botrythial rot, especially if the spring turned out to be damp and rainy. The reasons may be different, but the preventive measures are the same: ensure good soil drainage, comply with all agrotechnical requirements for growing tulips, after digging the bulbs in the summer before planting them in the fall, sow plants that produce phytoncides (marigold, calendula, mustard, nasturtium) on the plot . In addition, for the purpose of prevention, fungicides are used, watering the area with a solution of 20 g per 10 liters of water.

In the photo: Variegation on a tulip

Of the pests, tulips are dangerous for tulips, lilac scoops, root onion mites, snails, slugs and mouse-like rodents.

Against onion mite use the heat treatment of the bulbs, lowering them for five minutes in hot (35-40 ºС) water. If the infection was found already during the growing season, the tulips are sprayed with a two percent solution of Keltan or Rogor, and if this does not give quick results, the diseased specimens have to be dug up and destroyed. After digging the bulbs from the site, plant tomatoes, radishes or tagetes on it - these plants are resistant to mites.

Purple Owl afraid of dusting the lower leaves of plants with naphthalene.

For bear, snails And slugs scatter traps around the area: rags, pieces of plywood or slate, under which they like to crawl, and collect insects every day and destroy them. For bears, you can dig glass jars into the soil and fill them with water not to the very top: insects fall into the water and cannot get out.

After this article, they usually read

Of all the variety of flowers on earth, I love tulips the most. Refined beauty, brightness and tenderness at the same time, unpretentiousness and a huge selection of varieties and varieties make these flowers a real treasure for flower growers.

My collection began with a terry low-growing variety unknown to me, its color was bright yellow with scarlet longitudinal stripes along the petals. And what was surprising for me, still quite a beginner, was the smell. These tulips smelled like honey, which was a kind of miracle for me.

The harbingers of warmth and summer simply won my heart, followed by the planting of fringed, Darwin hybrids, triumph and lily flowers, the list can be endless. Let's talk about the rules for caring for these charmers.

Growing tulips is not at all difficult, the main thing is to know the basic rules for breeding these flowers, without which their bulbs will become small, lose their varietal differences, and then completely stop blooming. In some cases, you can completely lose your pets.

The process of growing tulips begins with the selection of planting material.

How to choose the right tulip bulbs

The result of growing tulips largely depends on the competent choice of bulbs. Planting material for tulips is recommended to be purchased in mid-late summer, i.e. while the flower is in its dormant phase. Accordingly, planting will not be unnecessary stress for the plant.

Moreover, in the fall, at the height of planting work, it is difficult to find high-quality bulbous material. Buying in the spring is even worse - after all, at this time they sell goods that have been stale since last year, old and exhausted by winter storage.

Buy bulbs with thin, pleasantly golden scales. Small cracks can be observed on it - there is nothing to worry about, but the integrity of the bulb itself should not be violated.

The presence of damage on the planting material is a good reason for refusing to purchase, because you cannot get a healthy, fully developing plant from it.

A high-quality bulb should not be very large and not very small in size, but its weight should be felt in the hand. Take a good look at it: a healthy material on the bottom always has small root tubercles-pimples.

A softened bottom or sprouted roots also indicate that the purchase will be in vain.

When to start planting tulips

In their homeland in Central Asia, tulips bloom in a continuous carpet at the very beginning of spring, and then gradually dry out and go into hibernation. Exactly according to the same principle, they develop in our gardens. Therefore, it is so important to correctly determine the correct planting time, because mistakes made can cost a flower a life.

autumn planting

Fall is the perfect time to plant tulips. Experienced flower growers choose a dry, clear September day for this purpose.

Too early sowing will cause the bulbs to form a root system and even form an above-ground green part.

This will mean that they, not being ready for winter, will freeze slightly and most likely die. But even if they remain alive, you should definitely not expect flowers from them.

Late sowing will also not be beneficial, as it will not give the plants a chance to take root. This will affect the wintering, as a result, in the spring, tulips will spend all their strength on the rooting process and, of course, will not bloom. In addition, not having time to take root before frost, the bulbs can begin to rot and freeze.

Therefore, if, under the circumstances, you have to plant tulips at the end of October, and you probably know that they will not have time to take root, cover the planting with spruce branches, a thick layer of sawdust, fallen leaves or straw.

spring planting

In fact, spring is not at all a desirable time for planting tulips. Of course, the bulbs will take root well, in the middle of summer you can even admire their flowering, but their life cycle will be hopelessly disrupted.

Because of this, they will have to be dug out much later than the due date, and this, in turn, will significantly shift the date of the autumn planting. As a result, the broken cycle will repeat again.

If you still purchased tulip bulbs in early spring, then you will have to plant the bulbs before the snow melts in boxes or containers.

The grown seedlings of tulips are moved to the site after stable warm weather is established on the street. It is necessary to land very carefully, preferably with a container. In summer, this will make it easier for you to dig up faded plants.

Proper planting of tulips

When planting them, correct agricultural technology is of great importance, providing the flowers with the most favorable conditions. Any violations will at least negatively affect flowering, and at the maximum will lead to the loss of plants.

What should be the soil

A bed for tulips is best picked up with the onset of autumn, after leaf fall. The site for landing needs an open, lit. But at the same time, given that tulips are an early flowering crop, the place can be shaded in the height of summer.

Lighting these plants need only until the completion of flowering. It is extremely important to place the flower bed on a flat place that is not flooded by melt water.

The soil for tulips should be neutral or slightly acidic, necessarily loose with an impressive fertile layer. Important for this bulbous culture is the permeability of the soil for moisture and oxygen. If your site does not differ in the lightness of the soil, then you will have to regularly loosen it.

You should not plant tulips on the site after other bulbs, as well as nightshade, as these crops suffer from the same diseases and pests.

How to plant tulips

Only healthy, high-quality planting material is suitable for planting without the slightest hint of signs of decay and disease. Before planting, soak the bulbs in a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate for half an hour. Then dry them for one hour and you can start planting.

It is much more convenient to plant bulbs in grooves, rather than in individual holes. There should be at least 25 cm between the grooves, so the bulbs will be provided with enough nutrition and moisture, and it will be much more convenient for you to care for them. Between plants in one row should be about 10 cm.

Bulbs are planted somewhat deeper in light soil than in heavier and denser soil. In the first case, the planting depth should be three bulb heights, and in the second, two, approximately 15 and 10 cm. Keep in mind that the bulbs sink even deeper during the rooting process.

How to care for tulips

Proper planting does not guarantee luxurious flowering of tulips. Correct regular care is needed, allowing the bulbs to gain the maximum amount of strength for full growth and development.

Despite the fact that this culture is quite unpretentious, varietal specimens without proper care simply grind and die.

Proper watering is very important for these plants. At the time of growth and flowering, tulips are abundantly moistened three times a week. Water should be poured strictly under the root.

After the inflorescences wither, watering is completely stopped, at this time the bulbs are preparing to go into hibernation.

Three times during the spring, tulips are fed. Without additional nutrition, the bulbs will go into hibernation exhausted. Nutrient deficiency will negatively affect the formation of buds and inflorescences subsequently.

• The first time top dressing is applied immediately after breaking through the first shoots, nitrogen-containing fertilizers are used for this;
• The second top dressing is carried out at the time of laying the buds, now complexes with a high content of phosphorus and potassium are used;
• The third time tulips are watered with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers immediately after flowering is completed.

Tulips respond well to the introduction of the most common wood ash into the soil, it is best to do this before watering, regardless of the phase of plant development.

After each watering, preferably after rain, the flowers are carefully loosened while weeds are removed. Good results are obtained by mulching the soil, in which case it is possible to loosen the soil much less frequently.

What to do with faded tulips

The cessation of flowering does not mean that tulips no longer need to be looked after. First of all, taking care of them is to prevent the formation of seeds. To do this, completely remove flower stalks from wilted plants, but not foliage. On the contrary, the more leaves the tulips have, the more strength the bulbs will accumulate.

When the green mass of the plant has completely turned yellow, it's time to remove the bulbs from the soil. In no case do not try to pull them out of the ground by the stem, it can easily break off, and it will be much more difficult to find the bulb.

In addition, tulip bulbs have the ability to gradually go deeper into the ground, so at the time of digging they will be much deeper than at the time of planting.

The planting material extracted from the soil is placed for a month in a shady place to dry. Then it is laid out in paper bags and removed until September. The room where tulips will be stored should not be warmer or colder than 15-18 degrees.

Sometimes inspect the bulbs, if your eyes start to deteriorate, then throw them away without hesitation - they still will not give seedlings, and they will infect the soil.