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It is not easy to grow any kind of plant in Siberia. What can we say about flowers. Severe frosts can penetrate a meter or a half 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 flower growers. The main thing is to know how to plant tulips correctly in the fall.
Timing of planting tulips in Siberia
Planting tulips in autumn in Siberia should be carried out at a strictly allotted time.
- Have bulbs a fairly strong root system should have time to form. It is thanks to her that they safely survive severe frosts, and by the first rays of the sun they immediately start growing. It takes about a month for a plant to form a powerful root system.
- If planting is done in late autumn, the bulbs will not have time to root, and adaptation to the soil will not occur. In case of frost, tulips planted late will disappear.
- If tulips are planted too early when the soil is still warm, they can sprout. Such a plant will also not survive the winter.
- It is necessary to closely 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 comes somewhere in the middle of September, although the period may vary depending on the regions.
Landing site selection and preparation
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 for the next year.
- To plant tulips in autumn in Siberia, you need to choose a secluded corner, protected from cold winds for a flower bed. It is very good if from the north side the flower bed is closed by a fence or a wall of the house. The site should be open to sunlight, not darkened. If the tulips lack the sun, they will quickly fade, the flowers will form small and inconspicuous.
- It is possible to plant tulips in acidic and heavy soil only by first introducing manure or humus into it, wood ash for deoxidation, peat or sand so that it is looser. Aeration of the place will increase, moisture will become less stagnant.
- Soil with high moisture capacity - most suitable for planting tulips. With a sufficient amount of nutrients, a strong root system is formed, as a result of this, the plant has powerful shoots, large flowers are formed.
- Soil pH from 6.5 to 7.6 is the most favorable conditions for tulips. The liming and 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, organic matter is constantly introduced into it, and frequent watering of tulips is arranged. This increases the level of nutrients that are so necessary for plants.
- The heavy and too dense soil of Siberia prevents oxygen from reaching the bulbs. In addition, they start to rot from constant moisture. Such soil is often loosened.
- Plants are planted in pre-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 out. All damaged or diseased specimens must be removed. There should be no spots or dots on them, the seed 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.
- Rodents are often attracted to bulbs. To protect them in the winter, they put special poisoned baits. If there are pets in the country, such baits should be placed as far away from them as possible.
Choosing the depth of planting tulips
When flower growers start planting tulips in the fall, everyone asks the question: "To what depth should the plant be buried?" Indeed, in the difficult climatic conditions of Siberia, it is not easy for plantings to survive. Shallow depth will lead to the fact that the plantings will simply freeze out.
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. Pits in Siberia are dug to a depth of approximately three diameters. However, bulbs that are too small are still planted at least 15 cm.
If the soil is heavy, this depth is sufficient. For light soils, dig holes a little more - up to 20 cm deep. So, the plant will not be "beaten" by frost.
The choice of varieties for planting
A little less attention is paid to the choice of tulip varieties than to soil preparation and the choice of a place for planting. Almost all varieties overwinter well and produce strong shoots when properly planted. Bulbs of varieties are more adapted to the harsh conditions of the north:
- Hybrids - Dover, Diplomat, Parade.
- Terry early varieties - Dante, Bonanza, Carlton.
- Simple varieties - General de Vet, Brilliant 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 mature before the onset of cold weather. Choose bulbs of medium and large diameter.
Planting process
The bulbs are planted in pre-prepared beds in several stages.
- Furrows are forming. The depth of each of them should reach 18-20 cm. The distance between the furrows is 15-17 cm. Sand is covered with a layer of about 3 cm at 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 mix the bulbs of different sizes. In this case, even with the loss of several bulbs, an abundant flowering of tulips is ensured.
- Sprinkle the onions with manure or humus. Its layer should be about 4-5 cm.
- If planting is done in dry weather, tulips need to be watered, but not very abundantly.
- The last layer is soil. It is not required to seal it. The top layer is leveled with a special rake. To protect the plants from the upcoming frost, in later autumn the garden bed is covered with straw, branches or peat.
Storing the 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, be eaten by rodents.
Immediately after digging, the remains of the soil are removed from the bulbs, the roots are trimmed. They need to be dried for several days, but too long exposure to the sun can lead to damage to the bulbs of everyone's favorite flowers.
Plastic or wood boxes are also dried. It is necessary to store only healthy and dense specimens, shifting them with paper or sawdust. Initially, they are stored at a temperature of 22 to 24 degrees. 1-2 weeks before planting, they are transferred to a colder place so that the plants adapt to low temperature conditions.
Features of growing tulips in Siberia
Due to the difficult climatic conditions, flower growers in Siberia have to dig out bulbous flowers from the ground every year. If this is not done, they die, the plantings thicken, the flowers become smaller.
As soon as the plants have faded and most of the leaves are gone, 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 should be put aside.
For those who are engaged in floriculture in Siberia, an important role is played by the selection of plants that can tolerate and adapt to severe weather conditions. Tulips are a great choice in this case. They tolerate severe frosts well, bloom with the first rays of the sun, have time to bloom until next autumn, which begins quite early. Do not be afraid to experiment - almost any variety can become a flower garden decoration.
