Content
- 1 General technology for growing tulips in a greenhouse
- 2 Advantages of growing in greenhouse conditions
- 3 What tulips can be planted in a greenhouse?
- 4 When to plant tulips in a greenhouse
- 5 Planting tulips in a greenhouse
- 6 How to grow tulips in a greenhouse
- 7 Forcing tulips on March 8th in a greenhouse
- 8 Deadlines and rules for cutting
- 9 Possible problems and their solutions
- 10 Conclusion
Growing tulips in a greenhouse by March 8 is not easy, but it is possible. Growing flowers for sale is a very profitable business. Tulips are easy to care for and are in demand all year round, and profits from holiday sales increase tenfold.
General technology for growing tulips in a greenhouse
Growing flowers of different colors is a profitable move for business, because the buyer has a choice.
Experts recommend leaving most of the room for varieties of red shades that are in demand
There are two technologies for growing tulips in a greenhouse for forcing on March 8 and other holidays:
- Classic way - simpler, this is its main advantage. The bulbs are planted in a wooden container and stored in complete darkness until rooting, then moved to the greenhouse. Their growth is controlled by changes in temperature and humidity in the room. The containers hold about 100 bulbs.
- Dutch method – complicated by stricter compliance with temperature conditions. After several weeks of aging, the containers are placed in the refrigerator and only then transferred to the greenhouse, where the temperature is maintained at 18 °C. The advantage of this method is the reduction in the amount of chemicals used for growth, accelerated forcing of tulips, and the absence of fungal diseases.
How long do tulips grow in a greenhouse?
In order not to miscalculate the appearance of tulips on the desired date, you need to know the growth time of plants in greenhouse conditions. Please note that times may vary due to technical reasons.
It takes 3 months to germinate planting material. Another 3-4 weeks pass before flowering. In total, from planting to flowering it takes at least 15-16 weeks, provided that the temperature regime is observed (18 ° C). At temperatures below 13°C, the formation of peduncles slows down, which delays forcing.
Advantages of growing in greenhouse conditions
Growing tulips in a greenhouse is a very good idea. This does not require special skills and knowledge; they can be grown without involving additional labor. During the holidays, you can make an impressive profit on flowers, and greenhouse conditions allow you to prepare tulips directly for the desired date.
Then it is easy to occupy the empty greenhouse with vegetables - zucchini, tomatoes, radishes, herbs, which gives the business expansion, new opportunities and a stable income.
What tulips can be planted in a greenhouse?
It is recommended to plant tulip varieties with the same growing conditions in a greenhouse
The most popular tulips for growing in a greenhouse are red, white and yellow.
Varieties are selected depending on the requirements for flowering time. To complete the cultivation of flowers in a greenhouse by Valentine's Day, it is recommended to use early varieties of tulips; by March 8, it is better to plant varieties with late and medium flowering periods. A good choice would be flowers of the “Russian Giants” or “Triumph” class.
Successful people and flower growers consider early varieties reliable for starting a business:
- "Abba" - double flower, bright red;
- Primavera - petals are pink;
- Christmas Marvel - manages to form buds by February 14th.
For medium forcing (by February 23):
- Carola (Tulip Carola) – large goblet-shaped flower of pink color;
- Abu Hassan (Abu Hassan) - has a chic burgundy-chocolate shade, framed on the outside with a gold border;
- Tosca is a tulip of unusual red-purple color.
For late forcing (by March 8):
- Parade - a large flower of rich scarlet color with a black and yellow center, goblet-shaped;
- Eric Hofsue - a huge peduncle of a crimson hue, framed at the edges by a light border;
- Diplomate - bright pinkish-red color, the middle is white-cream.
When to plant tulips in a greenhouse
Flowers are planted in the greenhouse three times:
- in October - cutting time begins in February;
- in November – flowering season March;
- mid-March – collection period in September.
The planting date is calculated based on the desired flowering month. The exact period of ripening of the variety and the period of aging in the cold are taken from it, obtaining the required time for planting the plant.
Planting very early may ruin the entire expected tulip harvest. The flowers will be fragile and weak, not suitable for trade.
Planting tulips in a greenhouse
Having decided to start growing tulips, they prepare a greenhouse in advance and carefully select planting material. It is recommended to buy it from July to the first half of September, at which time the bulbs of the current year are sold.
It is better to prepare planting material yourself from plants grown in open ground. When digging, try not to damage the rhizome.
It is better to plant in wooden or plastic containers measuring 50x50cm.
Selection and preparation of bulbs
Having turned the cultivation of tulips into a business, it is important to do forcing in a greenhouse on time, which only strong and strong bulbs can withstand. The size of high-quality planting material is 3-4 cm in diameter, and the weight is at least 25-30 g.
The bulbs must be free from damage and mold
The scales of a tulip should not be too dense and thick. This may indicate that it was left in the ground and is not suitable for planting.
Preparation for planting consists of keeping the planting material in a dark place at 9°C for 2-3 weeks. Then the scales are removed and the bulb is disinfected with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or water cooled to 40°C.
Greenhouse preparation
It is recommended to place the greenhouse at a distance of 3-12 m from other structures: fences, outbuildings, houses. It is advisable that buildings or trees be located on the north side of the greenhouse to protect the crop from cold winds. Polycarbonate cladding will reliably protect plants from the cold. The thicker its layer, the more reliable the protection of flowers.
If there is a lack of funds, it is better to build it in blocks. In addition, the blocks are convenient for growing different varieties of tulips. And the vents for ventilating the greenhouse will significantly reduce ventilation costs.
In winter, tulips require strictly controlled heating, so the greenhouse needs heating and 2 thermometers: to measure air and soil temperatures. It is preferable to use phytolamps as winter lighting for a greenhouse.
Landing algorithm
The planting process is simple and includes the following steps:
- Prepare the soil. The soil for tulips should be neutral in acidity. It is disinfected with hot (at least 80°C) water and watered with a fungicide, drained, since tulips do not tolerate highly moist soil.
- Prepare a substrate from sawdust and steamed sand. It is placed in a box with a layer of 10 cm. The prepared soil is covered on top.
- The bulbs are buried 3 cm into the ground, planted in rows with a distance of 10-15 cm, and sprinkled with substrate on top.
How to grow tulips in a greenhouse
Plants of different varieties are recommended to be placed in different blocks
The planted bulbs are cooled for 3 weeks, this will help the plants take root and accumulate substances for active stem growth. The air humidity in the greenhouse at this time should be 70%. To maintain this level of humidity, it is recommended to water the walls and floor of the greenhouse every 3-4 days. Lighting for flowers is reduced to a minimum. Water them a little, but every day.
After 3 weeks, the tulips will have a stem 5-6 cm long. Unsprouted bulbs should be removed, as they increase the risk of rot spreading to healthy plants.
Forcing tulips on March 8th in a greenhouse
After the cooling period, you can begin forcing tulips, gradually increasing the air temperature in the greenhouse. For the first 3-4 days it is enough to keep it at 11-14°C, then set it to 16-19°C during the day and 14-15°C at night. Such deception of plants will provoke their active growth and budding. If it is necessary to speed up flowering, it is permissible to increase the temperature in the greenhouse to 20°C.
Lighting for the first days of forcing is set to short, preferably dim, no more than 900 lux. And only in February it is permissible to extend it to 10-12 hours. It is recommended to use phytolamps placed at a distance of 0.5 m above the plants as a light source.
Flowers are watered daily, early in the morning, trying to prevent water from getting on the leaves. For irrigation use cool water (+9+12°C). Melt water is ideal. At the end of forcing, the plants can be watered every other day.
Twice during cultivation it is necessary to water the boxes with plantings with a 0.2% solution of calcium nitrate. The first time this is done 2 days after installing the containers in the greenhouse. The second is at the moment of active growth.
As soon as budding begins, the air temperature in the greenhouse is sharply reduced to 15°C. This procedure strengthens the stems, and the color of the leaves and peduncle becomes more saturated.
Deadlines and rules for cutting
Pruning should be done obliquely, the length of the cut should be no more than 1.5 cm.
The best time for it is during the half-life of flowers, then the buds will gradually open over the next few days
By cutting off blossoming specimens, a businessman risks losing most of his profit, because they will quickly wither and no one will buy them.
It is better to cut early in the morning, while the tulip buds are closed, or in the late evening.
It has become a fashionable trend to sell tulips dug up along with the bulb. Businessmen highly appreciated the idea and are actively applying it in practice, because this way the bouquet lasts much longer.
Possible problems and their solutions
The tulip is an unpretentious flower, caring for it is not difficult, and problems with forcing can only arise if its rules are not followed.
Planting material cannot be transported or stored at unstable temperatures.
Even a slight deviation in air humidity in the greenhouse is unacceptable. Exceeding its level threatens plants with gray rot and leaf defects, and lowering it threatens plants with poor rooting.
Excessive watering leads to rotting of the rhizome and bulb, and a lack of water inhibits the development of the flower and contributes to the death of the roots.
If the buds are drooping and look gaunt, it means that the air temperature is too high and the greenhouse should be ventilated.
Pale edges and uneven coloring of the tulip indicate an excessively low temperature.
Weak buds indicate a lack of calcium or the night temperature exceeding the day temperature.
Bulb rotting is typical in excessively warm soil.
Blind inflorescences and lack of buds are a sign of insufficient cooling of the plantings.
Conclusion
The flower business is profitable; if you manage to grow tulips in a greenhouse by March 8, you can recoup most of the costs of organizing the process. The demand for them is stable all year round.
