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Spring. There is still snow in some places, the ground has not yet recovered from the frost, and the first sprouts of tulips are already breaking through the ground. The first greenery pleases the eye. And in a few weeks, tulips will be one of the first to give bright colors to people tired of gray winter everyday life. And even spring frosts cannot stop them - tulips bear the first signs of spring. And in order for these flowers to delight us and our loved ones in early spring, they should be taken care of in advance. Moreover, these plants of the bulbous family are unpretentious in care. It is important for them to comply with planting deadlines and rules. You will learn about when to plant tulips in autumn or spring and how to properly till the soil before planting in this article.
Even a beginner can cope with this task, and with the onset of the first spring month, you will receive not only emotional, but also aesthetic pleasure from bright flowers of various colors.
When should you plant tulips: in autumn or spring?
Experienced flower growers share the same opinion regarding the time of planting tulips: flowers should be planted in the fall. Only with autumn planting can you see these first flowers in your garden in early spring.The earth has not yet warmed up, but green shoots have already hatched. Moreover, when planting tulips in the spring, their growth and flowering are significantly delayed. bulbs tulips simply do not have time to take root in such a short time.
Spring planting of tulips is also dangerous because it is during this period that the bulbs are much weaker and very susceptible to various fungal diseases. And during autumn planting, gardeners have enough time to pay attention to these delicate flowers.
What other factors influence the seasonality of tulip planting?
Many summer residents ask a reasonable question: why, in general, dig up and then replant tulip bulbs in the fall? Why go to such trouble if these unassuming spring flowers can grow quietly in one place for several years? How should tulips be planted in the fall so that they delight us with colorful buds in the spring?
However, there are several “buts” in the correct approach to growing tulips:
- according to agrotechnical rules, tulips should be planted in their original place no earlier than five years later, which gives reason for timely transplantation of tulip bulbs in the fall;
- Every year, planting material without proper care and sorting will become smaller. As a result, after a few years, the flower beds will no longer bloom as wildly as before, even if there is abundant greenery;
- Before planting, you need to treat tulip bulbs annually, protecting them from fungal diseases and infections.By bypassing the processes of sorting, processing and planting bulbs, you expose tulips to another danger: temperature changes and excessive humidity also negatively affect the formation of children. They often become smaller and become very weak, which leads to the gradual degeneration of varietal characteristics;
- sorting of planting material. This procedure must be carried out annually when it is time to plant tulips in the fall. Thus, you will be able to put aside weak, diseased or infected planting material in a timely manner and prevent widespread infection of all flowers;
- By devoting a minimum of time when planting tulips in the fall, you can regulate the planting density. You can also lay the foundation for beautiful flower beds or garden compositions on autumn days, taking into account the variety, color and height of the plants. Moreover, it is on spring days when the weather warms up that flower growers are faced with a large amount of gardening work. And planting tulip bulbs in the fall frees up some of the precious time, especially since this process is not at all burdensome;
- Self-grown planting material is a source of pride for any gardener. After all, buying tulip bulbs sometimes resembles a guessing game. And why the extra costs if you can grow the bulbs yourself. Only in this case can you be 100% confident in the quality and preservation of the characteristics of the variety of each tulip.
Summarizing all the above conditions, we can draw an unambiguous conclusion: it is best to plant tulips in open ground in the fall.
In what month should you plant tulips?
Before you start planting tulips in the fall, it is important to decide in which month you need to plant the bulbs. The optimal timing is from the second half of September to the end of October.
If planted early, the bulbs may germinate before frost and the flowers will freeze. In the spring, waiting for frozen tulips to bloom will be useless.
Later planting is also undesirable. The bulbs need a minimum of three to four weeks to take root. If the planting of tulips is carried out late, then in the spring its consequences will not be long in coming: in the spring they will bloom much later or you may be left without flowers at all.
In any case, when planning to plant tulips, you need to focus not only on the recommended dates, but also take into account the climatic characteristics of each region.
- in Siberia the climate is more severe, autumn comes earlier there than in the central regions. Therefore, the question: when to plant tulips in this region, one might say, is rising sharply. It is recommended to plant bulbs from the third ten days of August to mid-September. If the autumn is warm, then the planting period can last until the end of the first autumn month, but not later;
- in the Urals milder climate. But the timing of planting tulips in open ground depends on the area of residence. In the north of the Ural region, planting can be done in the second ten days of September, in the southern regions this period is longer - planting must be done before October 10;
- in Moscow and Moscow region weather conditions dictate different dates for planting tulips.Planting of bulbs in the Moscow region begins on September 20 and is completed no later than mid-October;
- in the southern regions of Russia planting work begins no earlier than October. There is no rush to plant bulbs too early here. Flower growers are waiting for the required temperature to be established. Autumn comes into its own only from the second ten days of October.
Regional affiliation is a secondary factor in determining the best time to plant flowers. It only roughly determines in which month you need to pay attention to weather conditions and begin preparing for planting work. You shouldn't really trust weather forecasters' forecasts. Experienced gardeners who have been growing tulips for several years have noted several signs of the coming autumn, when it is necessary to prepare the soil and plant the bulbs in open ground.
The best European chefs use onions when preparing salads and dishes with an original taste.
No matter where you live, the first thing to pay special attention to is the earth's decreasing temperature. The most ideal temperature indicators for the moment when it’s time to plant tulips in the fall are +8˚С +10˚С. In this case, the depth at which test measurements must be made must be at least 15 cm.
Air temperature indicators at night are also important - all planting work must be completed before the mercury drops below +2˚С +3˚С. It is with these parameters that the bulbs will have enough time to develop a root system, but at the same time they will not have time to produce the first leaves.
Compliance with the specified dates for planting tulips in the fall ensures that in the spring, with the first warm rays of the sun, soft green shoots immediately appear from under the ground, and in a few months you will be able to see the delicate and beautiful fruits of your labors on your site.
Sometimes circumstances develop in such a way that it is not possible to carry out timely planting work. How to plant tulips in the fall if snow fell early, difficult weather conditions or urgent work caused a slight delay? Provided that there is still time before the onset of frost, you should not postpone such an important task until spring. It is necessary to immediately begin planting work and complete it as soon as possible in compliance with all rules.
Preparing the soil for planting
No matter how beautiful the soil on the site is, the preparatory stage of preparing the soil for planting cannot be skipped.
Every gardener knows that by spending a minimum of time on this simple process, he will get the best result. For beginners, this information will also be useful.
We list the key points of planting work:
- Before planting, it is important to choose the right area where the bulbs will be planted. The peculiarities of tulip cultivation will help you make your choice. These flowers love sunlight very much. Therefore, you need to choose a place for a tulip flowerbed that is sufficiently lit, without darkening.Lack of sunlight necessarily affects the appearance of flowers. Not only will they grow weak, but their stems will stretch upward and bend, and the buds will likely be small and less colorful than plants of the same species grown in a sunny location.
- Tulips need to be protected from cold winds. Strong gusts can easily break their fragile stems. Frequent winds can negate all efforts to improve the site.
- It is necessary to dig up the soil for planting 1 - 2 weeks before starting work. But what to do if heavy rains did not spoil you this fall? The day before digging, you need to moisten the area generously. The soil should be dug to a depth of 20–25 cm.
- Too dense and heavy soil will impede the growth of young roots and it will be very difficult for young shoots to break through it in the spring. Therefore, when planting in such soil, you will definitely need to add sand directly to the holes or grooves immediately before planting the tulip bulbs. Moreover, the sand will prevent the bulbs from rotting, as water will seep into the lower layers of the soil.
- The chemical composition of the soil is also an important factor when growing tulips. Therefore, it is worth thinking in advance which organic and inorganic fertilizers should be added to the soil when digging, and which ones should be immediately added to each hole immediately before planting. When choosing vitamins for the earth, you should pay attention that tulips love an alkaline environment. It will be useful to fertilize the soil with dolomite flour, compost or potassium nitrate. Too acidic soils must be deoxidized by adding 2-3 handfuls of wood ash to each hole when planting.
- Immediately before starting preparatory work, you need to pay attention to the occurrence of groundwater. The roots of tulips can go deep up to 50 cm. An environment that is too humid will cause rotting of the bulbous root system, and as a result, the bulb itself and the above-ground part of the flower. To avoid such troubles, you should choose higher areas for planting tulips.
- After carrying out agricultural work, it is necessary to level the soil without leaving holes or dents on the surface. Rainwater will flow into them, and if sharp frosts occur, the planted bulbs may freeze and die.
Firstly, by such actions you will provoke an outbreak of fungal diseases of the bulbs. And secondly, this type of fertilizer can severely burn the roots, and the bulbs will most likely die.
Don’t panic and think that planting tulips in the ground in the fall is too difficult. On the contrary, even a beginner can cope with it. The following video will help you in your endeavors.
How to properly plant tulip bulbs in the fall
Do you want to make a flower arrangement of blooming tulips? Or plant flowers with a carpet? Or maybe you’ll like small groups of tulips of different varieties, randomly scattered throughout your summer cottage? Regardless of what you want to see in the spring, you should adhere to some principles on how to properly plant tulips in the fall. By following these simple instructions, you are guaranteed to get smooth, large, bright tulip buds close to the ideal shape.The points are listed in order of importance, and it is advisable not to skip a single action to obtain the desired result.
Moreover, the process of planting and caring for tulips is not burdensome and does not require large financial costs.
- Select and prepare the bulbs correctly. The dug up bulbs are sorted immediately. Specimens unsuitable for planting (affected by putrefactive bacteria, too small) should be immediately put aside. The largest and medium ones need to be soaked in a weak solution of potassium permanganate (light pink color). This antiseptic treatment will disinfect the planting material. Having decided on the timing of planting, tulip bulbs can be treated with solutions to stimulate growth and strengthen the root system.
- Following the rules for forming a flower bed, you need to correctly distribute the bulbs over the prepared area, taking into account the variety, color and height of the plant. It is best to plant tall tulips in the center, and low-growing ones along the edges, so that the larger flowers do not block the much-needed sunlight from the smaller varieties.
- It is more convenient to plant tulips in grooves or holes. But before making holes in the ground, it is important to know at what depth tulips should be planted. So, the depressions in the ground should be small, no more than 12 - 15 cm. When planting, it is important to take into account the size and grade of planting material. The largest tulip bulbs need to be planted to a depth of 15 cm, and those that are smaller - 10-12 cm. There is no need to run around the beds with a ruler and measure each bulb. The depth should be approximately three times the diameter of the bulb.
- Make neat grooves of the desired depth. The distance between the bulbs, as well as the planting depth, depends on their size.Small specimens should be 6-8 cm apart from each other, and large specimens should be 10 cm apart. It is best to make the row spacing wider - at least 20-25 cm, so that all tulips receive enough sunlight. If you want to end up with a bright carpet of flowers, then the planting material should be planted in a checkerboard pattern. In this case, per 1 m² you will need at least 100 small onions, or up to 50 large ones.
- In the future flowerbed, it is useful to make markings or put up signs with the name of the variety and color of tulips, so that later when digging up you do not confuse the bulbs.
- Before planting, it is advisable to treat tulip bulbs to protect them from rodents. Experienced flower growers advise coating each bulb with Vishnevsky ointment or spraying it with kerosene from a spray bottle. Or you can turn to chemical protection, because these little pests can ruin all your efforts.
- The bulbs of prepared tulips should be planted in the holes gently, without effort. In this process, it is important that there is no air gap left between the bulb and the soil.
- And the most pleasant moment comes. After filling the grooves or holes with soil, it is important to level the ground so that there are no holes or depressions in the area into which water can flow.
Moreover, they will make your work easier when it comes time to dig up the bulbs. Even the smallest tulip babies will remain inside the plastic container, and you will not confuse the varieties of your favorite flowers.
When and how to properly plant tulips in plastic baskets in the fall, you will learn from this video:
Caring for bulbs after planting
It is naive to believe that after you have covered the bulbs with soil, caring for tulips in the fall is not necessary at all. It is advisable to additionally cover the area with mulching material, such as straw, spruce branches, sawdust, and dry leaves.
If there is no or minimal precipitation in autumn, it is advisable to water the area planted with tulips after 10 days. Focus on the condition of the soil.
It is important to monitor the amount of precipitation in winter. If Zimushka is generous with snowfalls, then there is no need to take any action to preserve the bulbs. But if it’s the other way around, then you need to manually throw as much snow as possible onto the area where the tulips are planted, covering future flower beds with a snow-white blanket.
This will protect your flowers from freezing. As you can see, caring for tulips is not at all difficult.
It is important to have a great mood and the desire to create a small piece of paradise in your garden.
