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Tulips can be found in almost all summer cottages and city flower beds. Their bright shades will not leave anyone indifferent. Flower growers seeking to add new species to their collection exchange bulbs and share their care secrets. Propagating tulips is not as complicated a process as it seems. If desired, even novice flower growers can handle it.
Features of tulip propagation
There are two options for propagating the crop: seed and bulbous.
To propagate tulips at home, it is recommended to use daughter bulbs, which are separated and planted as independent seedlings.
The seed method is not used at home. It is used by breeders to obtain new varieties.
How does a tulip reproduce?
Tulip is a bulbous crop, so it is easiest to propagate by daughters. You can also use seeds, but in this case you will have to wait a very long time for flowering.
The diameter of the babies can be different, the largest ones are able to bloom the next season
The seeds ripen in a capsule around the end of August and can also be collected to propagate the crop.
How to propagate tulips
At home, it is best to use the method of reproduction by children. This method is effective and guarantees a seedling with all the qualities of the mother plant.
How to propagate a tulip by children
Planting of children is carried out in the autumn. It is believed that this way the seedlings acclimatize, and in the spring they will not only sprout, but also bloom. Wintering in natural conditions hardens the crop, the seedlings become more viable and powerful.
If the time for planting was missed in the fall, the crop can be propagated by children in the spring.
Young tulips most often do not have time to form inflorescences, so in the first year they delight only with lush foliage.
You can prepare the bulbs for spring planting as follows: place them in the refrigerator for several days, then treat them with a solution of potassium permanganate, and only after that begin the procedure.
Every year the mother bulb of tulips forms a daughter bulb with several children, while it itself dies. The replacement bulb can be similar in size to the mother bulb, and sometimes it is larger than it.
The place for planting tulips should be sunny and protected from the wind. The culture prefers sandy loam soil, so when propagating tulips, consideration should be given to the addition of wood ash. Rotted manure is considered not the best fertilizer for bulbous crops, as it promotes the development of fungal diseases.
Algorithm for propagating tulips by children:
- Preparation of planting material affects germination. For autumn work, preparatory activities begin at the end of July. To do this, the bulbs are dug up and the daughter specimens are separated.They are dried and stored at room temperature (20 °C) for one month. Then the temperature in the storage is reduced to 12 °C and the material is kept until planting.
- Large specimens are buried in a hole to a depth of up to 15 cm, and small specimens - up to 10 cm.
- Water with a warm solution of manganese.
- Covered with earth.
How to propagate tulips by seeds
Propagation of tulips by seeds is suitable for obtaining new varieties. At home, this method is rarely used, because the process is long and takes from 5 to 7 years before the first flowering.
The seed material ripens at the end of summer, but in order not to delay digging, the seed pods can be cut off in early August. They are left indoors to ripen.
Seeds are sown in open ground in autumn
In the spring, the first shoots should appear in the form of loops, reminiscent of green onion shoots. Seedlings of the first year have only one tubular leaf, which dies off at the beginning of summer (approximately mid-June). The formed bulb has miniature dimensions, its diameter does not exceed 0.4 cm.
After wintering, a flat leaf sprouts and two roots form. By the end of summer, the bulb dies, leaving behind a replacement bulb. The diameter of the baby is already about 1.2 cm. Bulbs of two years of age begin to reproduce, forming 1-2 babies. They are deep underground (15-20 cm), so there is no need to dig them up. At the age of three, their diameter is about 2.5 cm. They form 2-3 babies, which are also buried in the ground. After 2-3 years, they are dug up and stored in a dry room throughout August, then planted in the ground at the beginning of September.At the age of 5-6 years you can get the first flowers.
Rules for caring for tulips after propagation
After propagation, tulips need care.
Regular watering is important during the formation of buds and during flowering
For 1 m² of flower bed you will need about 20 liters of water. You need to water the soil, avoiding liquid getting on the foliage, otherwise you can cause burns.
The soil must be weeded and loosened even after the tulips have faded. The easiest way to do this is after watering, when the soil is soft.
To prevent the appearance of weeds in the flowerbed, you can mulch the soil. Hay, sawdust, and shavings are used as mulch.
After flowering, it is necessary to remove dried flowers. Watering continues for another 10-14 days. At this time, the roots accumulate nutrients, so they can be additionally fed with phosphorus-potassium compounds.
Yellowing of the leaves indicates that the bulbs are ripe and can be dug up.
Conclusion
Propagation of tulips by children is the most effective and fastest method. By following simple rules, you can quickly increase the number of flowering specimens on your site. Propagation of the crop by seeds at home is practically not used. This method is used by breeders to develop new varieties.
