Content
- 1 Features of growing tulips by March 8
- 2 Tulip varieties for distillation by March 8
- 3 When to plant tulips by March 8
- 4 Methods for forcing tulip bulbs by March 8
- 5 How to grow tulips by March 8 in the ground
- 6 How to grow tulips at home by March 8 in hydrogel
- 7 Alternative forcing methods
- 8 How to care for tulips so that they bloom by March 8
- 9 When and how to cut
- 10 What to do with the bulbs after distillation
- 11 Possible reasons for failure
- 12 Professional advice
- 13 Conclusion
Planting tulips by March 8 allows you to please women you know or even make money selling flowers. In order for the buds to bloom on time, proven technology must be carefully followed.
Features of growing tulips by March 8
Under natural conditions, tulip buds begin to bloom en masse only at the end of April. The more valuable are flowers received ahead of time.
Germination by March 8 has several features:
- For distillation in March, it is necessary to select strictly defined varieties with early flowering dates. All bulbs must be large, dense, without traces of disease and pests.
- It is impossible to get tulips from scratch in a couple of weeks; it is necessary to prepare for the March distillation in advance. Flower bulbs are harvested in the fall, and in the middle of winter they start germination.
Forcing tulips by March 8 begins to prepare in the fall
To grow tulips by March 8 at home, you need to make sure that perennials bloom no later, but not earlier than the required date. To do this, experienced growers regulate the amount of daylight and increase or decrease the temperature.
General technology for forcing tulips by March 8
Spring germination is carried out in different types of soil, not only in soil, but also in stones, sawdust, hydrogel. However, the forcing technology remains the same. It looks like this:
- large and healthy bulbs of early varieties are chosen for planting;
- in autumn in October they are planted in the substrate;
- after that, the bulbs are stored in the refrigerator for a long time, cooling should take at least 16 weeks;
- at the beginning of February, the containers are removed from the refrigerator and transferred to a warm room;
- for the next 3 weeks, tulips are kept at a stable temperature and sufficient lighting.
If all conditions are met, by March 8, perennials will bring beautiful and large flowers.
Tulip varieties for distillation by March 8
The best results are shown by early forcing of the following varieties:
- London;
London is one of the brightest tulip varieties
- Diplomat;
Good early germination is shown by the variety Diplomat
- Oxford;
Early yellow tulips can be grown from Oxford bulbs
- Keys Nelis.
Keys Nelis - a spectacular early variety with a two-tone color
The listed varieties have increased endurance and are distinguished by early flowering periods.
When to plant tulips by March 8
In order for perennials to please with beautiful flowers on time, it is necessary to plant tulips by March 8 in the fall.Usually, laying in the ground is carried out no later than October.
When to chase tulips by March 8
Directly to forcing begin in early February. Until the 14th, containers with perennials must be removed from the refrigerator and transferred to a warm place.
Methods for forcing tulip bulbs by March 8
The simplest and most common method is still forcing tulips in a box by March 8th. However, if desired, perennials can be planted in another substrate - in sawdust, hydrogel, in drainage stones, or simply in water.
How to grow tulips by March 8 in the ground
Forcing in the ground is a simple and popular method. It is in the soil that it is easiest to organize optimal conditions for perennials.
Preparation of containers and soil
You can grow tulips by March 8 at home in spacious wooden boxes. They must be selected in width in accordance with their convenience, and in depth so that it is possible to fill the soil with a layer of at least 10 cm into the container. Drainage holes must be present at the bottom of the containers.
Tulip boxes must be at least 15 cm deep
It is recommended to take a light, breathable, but nutritious mixture as a substrate. For example, you can mix:
- sand, humus, peat and turf soil in a ratio of 1: 1: 1: 2;
- sod land, humus soil and sand in a ratio of 2: 2: 1.
In both cases, you can add a little ash - 1 cup per bucket of soil mixture.
So that the perennial bulbs do not suffer from harmful microorganisms, it is recommended to disinfect the substrate before planting - spill it with boiling water or place it in a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes.
Preparation of planting material
Even with the most careful selection, the bulbs can still be infected with fungi or pests. To successfully plant tulips by March 8 at home, it is recommended to pre-disinfect the material, for example:
- soak for half an hour in a weak light pink manganese solution;
- immerse in Fitosporin solution prepared according to the instructions for 20 minutes.
Tulip bulbs will sprout faster without brown scales.
Before planting tulips at home by March 8, it is recommended to clean the bulbs of brown scales. First of all, this will allow you to see if there are any spots under them that indicate fungal diseases. In addition, the cleaned material germinates faster.
How to plant tulips by March 8 in the ground
The prepared soil is poured into the boxes with a layer of at least 10 cm. The disinfected planting material is laid to a depth of 3 cm, not forgetting to leave 2 cm of space between adjacent bulbs.
When planting between tulips, you need to leave free space
Sprinkle the bulbs with soil on top, then watered abundantly. If, as a result, the ground above the tops is washed out, it will need to be filled up.
Care rules
Immediately after planting, the seedlings must be removed to a cold, dark place. If the containers are small, then the top shelf of the refrigerator will do; wide drawers should be taken to the basement or cool balcony. The main thing is that the bulbs are closed from light, and the constant temperature does not exceed 7 ° C.
The chill should take 16 weeks in duration. During the "cold" planting period, moisturize as the soil dries.
How to drive out tulips by March 8 in the ground
After 16 weeks of cooling, the tulips must be transferred to a warm place, by which time they should have given their first shoots. The classic method is forcing in a greenhouse, where the bulbs begin to germinate especially quickly. However, this is not at all necessary, the procedure can be carried out at home.
Step-by-step instructions for forcing tulips by March 8 is as follows:
- No later than February 14, boxes with bulbs are removed from the basement or refrigerator and placed in a room with a temperature of about 12 ° C for several days. The lighting should be dim.
- After 4 days, the temperature in the room with the landings is raised to 16 ° C during the day. At night, it is advisable to slightly reduce it to 14 ° C.Lighting at this stage can be increased up to 10 hours a day.
- Sprouting tulips should be watered for three weeks as the soil dries up.
- Twice plantings should be fed with calcium nitrate with a concentration of 0.2%.
Tulips are transferred to light and warmth for distillation in early February.
After the buds appear on the stems, the room temperature will need to be lowered again to 15 ° C. If flowering is delayed in early March, you can hurry it up - raise the temperature up to 20 ° C.
How to grow tulips at home by March 8 in hydrogel
Potting soil isn't the only option for growing tulips. In addition to the soil, hydrogel can be used for distillation - a modern polymer that perfectly absorbs both moisture and fertilizers.
Planting tulips in a hydrogel by March 8
Hydrogel has several advantages over primer. The use of polymer saves space, and it does not need to be specially prepared for planting tulips and even more so disinfected. All you have to do is wet the granules with water.
In general, the process of forcing tulips by March 8 is very similar to the standard one. In October, peeled and disinfected bulbs must be kept cool. But it is no longer necessary to plant them in the ground. It is enough to put the planting material on the top shelf of the refrigerator on a damp cloth:
- For the next 16 weeks, the bulbs are kept in the refrigerator, periodically moistening a rag.
- In early February, the planting material will need to be removed and transplanted into a hydrogel. To do this, the granules are abundantly soaked in cold water and wait until they swell, and then poured into a glass vase or a wide bowl.
Hydrogel beads can be used instead of tulip soil
Instead of soil for tulips, you can use hydrogel balls. Bulbs, which should already sprout by the beginning of February, are placed in a polymer substrate. The hydrogel should only cover half of them - you don't need to completely immerse the tulips in the granules.
How to distill tulips by March 8
After planting in the hydrogel, the growing ones are rearranged in a lighted place, first away from bright light, and after 4 days directly on the windowsill.
As the polymer dries, water is added to the container - in small amounts to moisten the granules. Twice from the beginning of February to the beginning of March, you can add top dressing - a solution of calcium nitrate.
The temperature during the distillation is kept at the level of 16-18 ° C with a slight decrease at night. It is very important to provide good lighting for the seedlings - at least 10 hours a day.
Alternative forcing methods
The easiest way to plant tulips by March 8 is in soil and hydrogel. But you can use other growing methods as well.
Forcing tulips in sawdust by March 8
If you don't have the right soil or polymer granules on hand, you can use ordinary sawdust to germinate the flowers. Their advantage is that they are excellent at retaining moisture and can retain nutrients.
Tulips can be driven out in sawdust
Sprouting in sawdust is carried out according to the standard algorithm - the bulbs are planted in containers filled with an unusual substrate in October, after which they are stored in the refrigerator until February. One month before the planned flowering, the container is removed and transferred to the heat. During cooling and forcing, it is important to periodically wet the sawdust so that it does not dry out.
Forcing tulips in the water by March 8
If desired, forcing tulips can be carried out using only water. The growing algorithm is very simple:
- In the middle of autumn, the bulbs are sent for cooling in the refrigerator on a damp cloth.
- In early February, the planting material is removed from the refrigerator and the roots are soaked in warm water with a growth stimulator for 2 hours.
- Cold water is poured into a tall vase with a wide base and narrow neck, after which tulips are placed in it. The bulbs should be supported by the neck and the roots should be pulled down, but not touching the water level.
- The vase is placed in a room with diffused lighting and left until the roots begin to stretch down and green leaves appear from above.
- After that, the vase is moved to a lighted windowsill.
When forcing hydroponically, the tulip roots must not touch the water
The temperature for germination under hydroponic conditions should be 14-16 ° C. The water needs to be changed from time to time; you can put an activated carbon tablet on the bottom of the vase so that the liquid does not deteriorate.
How to grow tulips without soil by March 8
Another way is to sprout tulips on drainage stones. The algorithm is almost the same as for distillation in water. The difference is that you can take any glass container for the bulbs, not just with a narrow neck.
A layer of small stones is poured onto the bottom of the vessel; you need to fill it about a quarter. Pure cold water is poured on top, which should completely cover the drainage. After that, the bulb is placed on the stones in a stable position so that it does not touch the water itself. But the roots that appear should descend into the liquid.
You can germinate tulips on stones, while only the roots descend into the water
In the video about growing tulips by March 8, it is noticeable that forcing on drainage stones exactly repeats the standard procedure. Perennials germinate at a stable temperature and with sufficient lighting; water is replaced with clean water as needed.
How to care for tulips so that they bloom by March 8
To ensure flowering no later than and no earlier than March 8, you must:
- control the temperature in the room, if the buds appear ahead of time, you can make the conditions a little cooler, and if flowering is delayed, add heat by 2-3 ° C;
- monitor the lighting, tulips should receive sunlight for 10 hours a day, but if no buds appear, daylight hours can be increased to 12 hours;
- in early February, feed the plantings with nitrogen fertilizers, and during the bud formation period, add potassium sulfate or calcium nitrate.
During the forcing process, tulips need to be fed with nitrogen and potassium.
The main condition for successful forcing remains the adherence to planting dates.
When and how to cut
The timing of the cut depends on the purpose of the cultivation. If the flowers are supposed to be presented to friends, then you can remove them from the bulbs 3 days before the holiday, when the buds will have time to be almost completely colored. But tulips for sale usually need to be stored for about 2 weeks, so they are cut to full color.
A cut on the stem of a tulip is made obliquely - this way the flower will last longer
The cut is carried out in the morning. In order for the flowers to stand for a long time, you need to cut off the stem obliquely.
Storing flowers after cutting
Cut tulips wither very quickly without liquid. At home, for long-term storage, they are placed in a vase with very cold water, which is changed daily. You can add pieces of ice to the container, they will help maintain the desired temperature.
Tulips keep fresh for a long time in clean and very cold water
There is also a dry storage method, which is used when growing for subsequent sale. In this case, the tulips should be wrapped in damp paper and sent to the refrigerator or cellar, making sure that the individual buds do not touch each other. The method allows you to keep flowers for 2 weeks after cutting.
If stored dry in paper, tulips may not fade for another 2 weeks.
What to do with the bulbs after distillation
If tulips have sprouted in the ground or in sawdust, the bulbs may not be thrown away after cutting, provided that there are leaves on them.
It will not be possible to use the planting material in the current season, because after forcing it will be depleted. But the bulbs can be processed in a solution of Fundazol or potassium permanganate, and then dried and stored in a cool dry place until September. In the fall, they are planted in the ground.
Possible reasons for failure
Successful distillation is not always successful the first time. But it is quite easy to establish the cause of the failure:
- If tulips are gaining green mass, but not blooming, then most likely they do not have enough sunlight.
- If the flowers are reluctant to develop and do not even have time to grow leaves by March 8, then the reason may be a lack of heat or a lack of nutrients.
- Too early flowering usually occurs if the room temperature is above 16 ° C. At low temperatures, the opposite situation is observed - the buds open later than March 8th.
During the forcing process, most problems can be noticed in a timely manner and their own mistakes can be corrected.
Professional advice
For early distillation no later than March 8, experts recommend choosing only the largest bulbs. Small planting material can germinate successfully, but not bud.
If the bulbs are chilled in the refrigerator, keep them away from fresh fruit. The latter release ethylene, which is harmful to flowers.
The first tulips in March are grown from the largest bulbs
During the cooling process and during forcing, it is important not to overwet the tulips. If the soil is too moist, the bulbs will simply rot. You also need to observe moderation in dressing, in particular, bursting leaves speak of an excess of nutrients.
Conclusion
Planting tulips by March 8 is not particularly difficult if you adhere to the correct dates. To obtain early flowers, the bulbs must first be cooled for a long time, and only then transferred to a warm and lighted place.
