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It is not easy to grow any plants in Siberia. What can we say about flowers? Severe frosts can penetrate a meter to one and a half meters deep into the soil, creating the most difficult conditions for growing flower crops. Among the flowers, bulbous ones turned out to be the most adapted to such harsh conditions. Tulips are especially popular among gardeners. The main thing is to know how to plant tulips correctly in the fall.
Choosing the time to plant tulips in Siberia
Planting tulips in autumn in Siberia must be done at a strictly designated time.
- U bulbs a fairly strong root system should have time to form. It is thanks to her that they safely survive severe frosts, and at the first rays of the sun they immediately begin to grow. It takes about a month for the plant to form a powerful root system.
- If planting is done in late autumn, the bulbs will not have time to take root and adaptation to the soil will not occur. If there is frost, tulips planted late will disappear.
- If you plant tulips too early, when the soil is still warm, they may sprout. Such a plant will also not survive the winter.
- You should carefully monitor the weather forecast in your region.As soon as the first frosts begin to be observed on the soil in the morning, and the temperature begins to drop to -3 -4 degrees, flower growers begin to plant bulbs. If we talk about Siberia, in general this moment occurs somewhere in mid-September, although the period may vary depending on the region.
Choosing a landing site and preparing it
The area where tulips are supposed to be planted must be carefully selected and prepared. This is another condition for obtaining a rich harvest of flowers next year.
- To plant tulips in autumn in Siberia, you need to choose a secluded corner for the flower bed, protected from cold winds. It is very good if the flowerbed is closed on the north side by a fence or wall of the house. The area should be open to sunlight, not darkened. If the tulips do not have enough sun, they will quickly wither and the flowers will form small and inconspicuous.
- You can plant tulips in acidic and heavy soil only after adding manure or humus, wood ash for deoxidation, peat or sand to make it looser. The aeration of the place will increase, moisture will stagnate less.
- Soil with high moisture holding capacity is most suitable for planting tulips. With a sufficient amount of nutrients, a strong root system is formed, as a result of which the plant has powerful shoots and large flowers are formed.
- Soil pH from 6.5 to 7.6 is the most favorable conditions for tulips. Liming and the addition of chalk should be optimally combined with the addition of peat. Otherwise, the acidity will increase too much, and you will not be able to get a decent harvest.
- If the soil is too loose and sandy, to create a more favorable environment, fertilizing and organic matter are constantly added to it, and tulips are watered frequently. This achieves an increase in the level of nutrients that plants need so much.
- The heavy and too dense soil of Siberia prevents oxygen from reaching the bulbs. In addition, they begin to rot from constant moisture. Such soil is often loosened.
- Plants are planted in previously prepared soil. It is dug up about a week before planting. During this time, the earth will have time to settle. It is necessary to dig to the full depth of the shovel - that is, 30-35 cm.
- The bulbs are carefully sorted. All damaged or diseased specimens must be removed. There should be no spots or dots on them; the seed material should be dense and evenly colored.
- A weak solution of potassium permanganate disinfects the bulbs. They are soaked in it for about half an hour.
- Very often, bulbs attract rodents. To protect them in winter, special poisoned baits are placed. If there are pets at the dacha, such baits should be placed as far away from them as possible.
Choosing the depth of planting tulips
When gardeners start planting tulips in the fall, everyone asks the question: “how deep should I bury the plant?” Indeed, in the difficult climatic conditions of Siberia, it is not easy for plantings to survive. A shallow depth will result in the plantings simply freezing.
However, deep-planted bulbs take a long time to emerge, and sometimes they simply do not have enough strength to make their way to the sun. You should also take into account the fact that deep planting of tulip bulbs prevents the formation of children.
Before planting plants in the fall, you need to carefully examine the bulbs.In Siberian conditions, holes are dug to a depth approximately equal to three diameters. However, too small bulbs are still planted at least 15 cm.
If the soil is heavy, this depth will be sufficient. For light soils, dig holes a little larger - up to 20 cm deep. So, the plant will not be “beaten” by frost.
Selecting varieties for planting
The choice of tulip variety is given somewhat less attention than preparing the soil and choosing a place for planting. Almost all varieties overwinter well and produce strong shoots when planted correctly. The following varieties of bulbs are more adapted to the harsh conditions of the north:
- Hybrids - Dover, Diplomat, Parade.
- Terry early varieties - Dante, Bonanza, Carlton.
- Simple varieties - General de Wet, Diamond Star, Diana.
- Rembrandt tulips – Black Boy.
These are mainly early flowering varieties. All of them are planted in the ground in the fall and have time to ripen before the onset of cold weather. Select bulbs of medium and large diameter.
Planting process
The bulbs are planted on pre-prepared beds in several stages.
- Furrows form. The depth of each of them should reach 18-20 cm. A distance of 15-17 cm is maintained between the furrows. Sand is covered with a layer of approximately 3 cm on the bottom.
- Depending on the size of the bulbs, the distance between them can be from 7 cm (for small specimens) to 10 cm (for large ones).
- The best option would be to plant bulbs of different sizes mixed together. In this case, even with the loss of several bulbs, abundant flowering of tulips is ensured.
- Manure or humus is sprinkled on top of the bulbs. Its layer should be approximately 4-5 cm.
- If planting is done in dry weather, the tulips need to be watered, but not too much.
- The last layer is soil.There is no need to compact it. The top layer is leveled with a special rake. To protect the plants from upcoming frosts, in later autumn the bed is covered with straw, branches or peat.
Storing bulbs before planting
Their long life and abundant flowering in the future also depend on the conditions in which the bulbs are stored before planting. During storage, future tulips should not dry out, rot, or be eaten by rodents.
Immediately after digging, the remaining soil is removed from the bulbs and the roots are cut off. They need to be dried for several days, but too much exposure to the sun can damage the bulbs of everyone's favorite flowers.
Boxes made of plastic or wood are also dried. It is necessary to store only healthy and dense specimens, placing them with paper or sawdust. Initially, they are stored at a temperature of 22 to 24 degrees. 1-2 weeks before planting, transfer to a colder place so that the plants adapt to low temperature conditions.
Features of growing tulips in Siberia
Due to difficult climatic conditions, flower growers in Siberia have to dig up bulbous flowers from the ground every year. If this is not done, they die, the plantings become thicker, and the flowers become smaller.
As soon as the plants have bloomed and most of the leaves have disappeared, they can be dug up. In this strip, this moment occurs around the beginning of July. It is better to dig up tulips in non-rainy weather.
Do not forget that tulip bulbs require careful sorting. Any hint of disease or rot - and it should be put aside.
For those who are engaged in floriculture in Siberian conditions, the selection of plants that can tolerate and adapt to difficult weather conditions plays an important role.Tulips are an excellent choice in this case. They tolerate severe frosts well, bloom with the first rays of the sun, and manage to bloom until next autumn, which begins quite early. Don’t be afraid to experiment - almost any variety can become a decoration for a flower garden.
