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Sometimes it becomes necessary to replant tulips in the spring before flowering. This most often happens if time was missed in the fall, when this procedure is usually done. In general, there is nothing wrong with transplanting tulips in the spring. The main thing is to carry out all manipulations according to the rules, and also handle the bulbs carefully and carefully, since at the beginning of the growing season the risk of damaging them increases significantly. It should be taken into account that tulips transplanted in the spring may not bloom this season. It also often happens that buds appear, but much later than expected. Experienced gardeners advise replanting tulips in the spring only in exceptional cases. Basically, you should still give preference to autumn.
Is it possible to replant tulips in spring?
Transplanting tulips in spring is certainly possible. However, the autumn option is considered preferable, since during this period the bulbs better adapt to a new place, thoroughly prepare for wintering in the ground and, germinating at the end of the cold weather, produce healthy and beautiful flowers on time.
In the case when you have to organize a transplant of tulips in the spring, you should remember that they may not bloom in the coming summer. If buds do appear, it will most likely happen much later than usual. And it’s better not to count on abundant, lush and decorative flowering.
It is best to replant tulips in the fall, but you can do this in the spring if there is an urgent need.
When to replant tulips: in spring or autumn
The timing of tulip transplantation is influenced by a number of factors.
Among them:
- climatic and weather features of the region;
- plant development phase;
- characteristics of a particular variety (in particular, early or late flowering).
The general ideal option is usually considered to be an autumn transplant, which is carried out at least 30-40 days before the predicted first snow. In central Russia this is usually the period from the first ten days of September to mid-October. For northern regions with early winters, the optimal timing is usually limited to mid or late September.
The possibility of transplanting tulips in the spring is determined by the following rule: the soil temperature at a depth of 10 cm should be + 8-9 °C. In temperate regions this is around mid-March and early April. In the northern regions, suitable conditions can be expected longer, until the beginning of May.
It is not allowed to transplant during the following periods:
- Just before flowering. If at this stage the plant needs to spend additional effort on rooting, this can lead to its weakening and general deterioration of its condition. It is best to wait until the tulips have bloomed.
- Late autumn, at the stage of the onset of severe frosts.The bulbs will not have enough time to properly prepare for wintering in the ground and the risk of their death will greatly increase.
How to replant a blooming tulip
It is highly not recommended to transplant tulips during flowering. Such a plant will be much more difficult to take root in a new place. In addition, interfering with the natural development cycle of the bulb can negatively affect the formation of sprouts and flowering next year.
If there is still a need to replant a flowering plant, it is recommended to act according to one of the following scenarios:
- Remove the tulip from the soil along with the bulb. Carefully rinse it from the ground without cutting off the head, place it in water and wait until the plant blooms. After this, air dry the bulb and store it until a convenient time for planting in the ground arrives.
- Carefully dig up the plant along with a large lump of earth using a garden fork or bayonet shovel. Transfer to a new, previously prepared place, and water generously.
Blooming tulips do not tolerate transplantation very well, so it is best to wait until they bloom
How to prepare a bulb for transplantation
To transplant tulips in the spring, planned in advance, the material is prepared in the summer. After waiting until the end of June or the beginning of July, when flowering ends and the leaves and scales of the bulb turn yellow, the plants are dug out of the ground. Then they are cleaned of adhering soil, dried in a warm room for 3-4 weeks and sorted by size, discarding damaged or rotten specimens.
After this, the bulbs are wrapped in paper with holes for aeration and stored in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator.In the spring, a couple of weeks before the planned transplant, they are placed in wide boxes or containers filled with about 15 cm of nutrient soil. The bulbs are carefully laid out at a distance of 4-5 cm from each other, sprinkled with a 5 cm thick layer of earth and watered. 2 weeks after the sprouts appear, the tulips are transplanted into open ground. With this approach, plants do not require long-term adaptation; they will actively develop and flowering will begin on time.
Sometimes there is a need to urgently replant tulips; this can be caused by pests or depleted soil. In this case, it is not advisable to dig up the bulbs one at a time, but it is better to move them to a new place along with a lump of earth on the roots.
It is most convenient to replant already rooted tulips in the spring, moving them to another place along with a large lump of earth on the roots
How to prepare the soil for replanting
The site for transplanting tulips is selected according to the following criteria:
- well lit by the sun;
- protected from wind and drafts;
- with light, nutritious, neutral, well-drained soil.
It is important that the bed does not become flooded after the snow melts. Ideally, it should be located on a small hill (if necessary, you can add a little soil).
During the digging process, organic matter (humus or chopped grass) is added to the soil. If the acidity of the soil is high, ash will help reduce its level. If the soil is clayey or too heavy, it won’t hurt to dilute it with coarse river sand.If necessary, you can enrich the soil with minerals (compositions containing nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium).
Rules for replanting tulips
Tulips need to be transplanted to a new place once every 3-4 years. If this is not done, the bulbs will begin to grow, forming “babies”. This will have a bad effect on flowering, the plants will begin to lag in growth and gradually lose their inherent beauty.
If spring replanting is planned in advance, it is best to pre-germinate the bulbs in a container indoors
Transplanting tulips in spring has its own characteristics. It is advisable to adhere to certain rules:
- It is recommended to transplant tulips in sunny, dry, windless weather.
- Mother bulbs and “children” separated from them are best placed in separate beds, since the latter will definitely not bloom this year, since they need to grow up.
- You need to dig grooves or separate holes in the soil. Their depth should approximately correspond to the three sizes of bulbs that are planned to be planted. The distance between the holes should be 10-15 cm.
- Before transplanting tulips, you should water the holes with water and wait until it is absorbed into the soil.
- The bulbs need to be carefully placed in holes or grooves with the “tails” up. Large specimens are planted one at a time, small ones can be planted in several pieces (from 5 to 7).
- Sprinkle the bulbs with soil and gently water with warm water.
- Level the soil in the garden bed.
Tips for caring for tulips after transplanting
Care after transplantation comes down to a few simple steps:
- It is necessary to regularly loosen the soil around the tulips to ensure better supply of air and moisture to the roots. This must be done carefully so as not to damage the bulbs.
- Before flowering, tulips need moderate regular watering. After the buds appear, it is advisable to increase the amount of moisture.
- To improve growth and display decorative qualities, tulips should be fed with complex fertilizers. This is done three times during the season: when the shoots appear, shortly before flowering and after it ends.
- A mandatory step is regular weeding in the beds with tulips. This will help the flowers stay healthy and fully receive water and nutrition from the soil.
Conclusion
If you need to replant tulips in the spring before flowering, you should consider whether there is an urgent need for this, since the beginning of the growing season is not the most optimal time for this procedure. In cases where this is really required, it is advisable to choose a time before the buds appear, after the snow has melted and the soil has been properly warmed up. When transplanting tulip bulbs in the spring to a new place, you must handle them very carefully and carefully, since during this period they are very easy to damage. Ideally, a month before the planned rooting in open ground, it is advisable to germinate them in a container with nutritious soil. This will simplify the adaptation of the bulbs in the spring garden and will allow you to see tulips blooming already in the current season.
