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Spring. There is still snow in some places, the ground has not yet moved away from the frost, and the first sprouts of tulips are already breaking through the ground. The first greens are pleasing to the eye. And in a few weeks tulips will be one of the first to give bright colors to people tired of the gray winter days. And even spring frosts cannot stop them - tulips bear the first signs of spring. And in order for these flowers to please us and our loved ones in early spring, they should be taken care of in advance. Moreover, these plants of the bulbous family are unpretentious in care. It is important for them to comply with the terms and rules of planting. And learn about when to plant tulips in autumn or spring and how to properly cultivate the soil before planting, you will learn from this article.
Even a beginner can cope with this matter, and with the onset of the first spring month you will receive not only emotional, but also aesthetic pleasure from bright flowers of various colors.
When to plant tulips: fall or spring
Experienced growers are of the same opinion regarding the time of planting tulips: flowers should be planted in autumn. Only with autumn planting can you see these first flowers in your garden in early spring. The ground has not yet warmed up, and the green shoots have already hatched. Moreover, when tulips are planted in spring, their growth and flowering are significantly delayed. bulbs tulips simply do not have time to take root in such a short time.
Spring planting of tulips is also dangerous because it is during this period that the bulbs are much weaker and very susceptible to various fungal diseases. And with autumn plantings, gardeners have enough time to pay attention to these delicate flowers.
What other factors affect the seasonality of tulip planting
Many summer residents ask a reasonable question: why, in general, dig up and then re-plant tulip bulbs in the fall? Why bother if these unassuming spring flowers can grow quietly in one place for several years? How should tulips be planted correctly in the fall so that in the spring they will delight us with colorful buds?
However, there are several "buts" in the correct approach to tulip cultivation:
- according to agrotechnical rules, tulips should be planted in their original place no earlier than five years later, which gives rise to timely transplantation of tulip bulbs in the fall;
- every year the planting material will become smaller without proper care and sorting. As a result, after a few years, the flower beds will no longer bloom as violently as before, even in the presence of abundant greenery;
- before planting, tulip bulbs must be processed annually, protecting them from fungal diseases and infections. Bypassing the processes of sorting, processing and planting bulbs, you expose tulips to another danger: temperature extremes and excessive humidity also negatively affect the formation of children. They often become smaller and become very weak, which leads to a gradual degeneration of the characteristics of the variety;
- sorting of planting material. This procedure should be carried out annually when it comes time to plant tulips in the fall. Thus, you will be able to put aside weak, sick or infected planting material in time and prevent a general infection of all flowers;
- spending a minimum of time when planting tulips in the fall, you can adjust the planting density. You can also lay the foundation for beautiful flower beds or garden compositions on autumn days, taking into account the variety, color and height of the plants. Moreover, it is on spring days when the warmth comes on flower growers that a large number of gardening work falls on. And planting tulip bulbs in autumn frees up some precious time, especially since this process is not at all burdensome;
- self-grown planting material is the pride of any gardener. After all, buying tulip bulbs sometimes resembles a guessing game. And why are the extra costs, if you can grow the bulbs yourself. Only in this case, you can be 100% sure of the quality and preservation of the characteristics of the variety of each tulip.
Summarizing all of the above conditions, we can draw an unambiguous conclusion: planting tulips in open ground is best done in autumn.
What month to plant tulips
Before you start planting tulips in the fall, it is important to decide in which month you need to plant the bulbs. The optimal time is from the second half of September to the end of October.
With early planting, the bulbs can germinate before frost and the flowers will freeze. It will be useless to wait for the frozen tulips to bloom in the spring.
A later landing is also undesirable. The bulbs need a minimum of three to four weeks to take root. If the planting of tulips is carried out with a delay, then in the spring its consequences will not be long in coming: in the spring they will bloom much later or you can be left completely without flowers.
In any case, when planning the planting of tulips, it is necessary to focus not only on the recommended dates, but also take into account the climatic characteristics of each region.
- in Siberia the climate is more severe, autumn comes there earlier than in the central regions. Therefore, the question: when to plant tulips in this region, one might say, rises with an edge. It is recommended to plant bulbs from the third decade of August to mid-September. If the autumn is warm, then the planting period may last until the end of the first autumn month, but not later;
- in the Urals milder climate. But the timing of planting tulips in open ground depends on the area of residence. In the north of the Ural region, planting can be done in the second decade of September, in the southern regions this period is longer - landing must be done before October 10;
- in Moscow and Moscow region weather conditions dictate different dates for planting tulips. The planting of bulbs in the Moscow region starts from September 20 and works are completed no later than mid-October;
- in the southern regions of Russia planting work begins no earlier than October. There is no rush to plant bulbs too early here. Florists are waiting for the required temperature regime to be established. Autumn comes into its own only from the second decade of October.
Regional affiliation is a secondary factor in determining when is the best time to plant flowers. It only roughly determines in which month you need to pay attention to weather conditions and start preparing for planting work. It is not worth trusting the forecasts of weather forecasters. Experienced tulip gardeners have noted several signs of the coming autumn, in which it is necessary to prepare the soil and plant the bulbs in open ground.
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Wherever you live, it is first and foremost important to pay special attention to the falling temperature of the earth.The most ideal temperature indicators for the onset of the moment when it is time to plant tulips in the fall are + 8˚С + 10˚С. In this case, the depth at which it is necessary to make test measurements must be at least 15 cm.
The air temperature indicators at night are also important - it is necessary to complete all planting work until the mercury column drops below + 2˚С + 3˚С. It is with these parameters that the bulbs will have enough time for the root system to develop, but at the same time they will not have time to release the first leaves.
Compliance with the specified dates for planting tulips in autumn guarantees that in the spring, with the first warm rays of the sun, soft green shoots immediately appear from under the ground, and in a few months you will be able to see tender and beautiful fruits of your labors on your site.
Sometimes circumstances develop in such a way that it is not possible to carry out timely planting work. How to plant tulips in the fall if it snowed early, difficult weather conditions or urgent employment caused a slight delay? Provided that there is still time before the onset of frost, you should not postpone such a responsible matter to spring. It is necessary to immediately start planting work and complete them as soon as possible in compliance with all the rules.
Preparing the soil for planting
No matter how beautiful the land on the site is, the preparatory stage of preparing the soil for planting cannot be skipped.
Every florist knows that by spending a minimum of time on this simple process, he will get the best result. For beginners, this information will also be useful.
We list the key points of planting work:
- Before planting, it is important to choose the right area for planting the bulbs. The peculiarities of tulip cultivation will help you to make your choice. These flowers are very fond of sunlight. Therefore, a place for a tulip flower bed should be chosen sufficiently illuminated, without darkening. Lack of sunlight necessarily affects the appearance of flowers. Not only do they grow weak, their stems stretch upward and bend, and the buds are likely to be small and less vibrant compared to plants of the same species grown in a sun-lit location.
- Tulips need to be protected from cold winds. Strong gusts can easily break their fragile stems. Frequent winds can negate all efforts to improve the site.
- It is necessary to dig up the soil for planting 1 - 2 weeks before the start of work. But what if the heavy rains did not spoil you this fall? The day before digging, it is necessary to moisten the area abundantly. Dig up the soil to a depth of 20 - 25 cm.
- Too dense and heavy soil will make it difficult for young roots to grow and it will be very difficult for young shoots to break through it in the spring. Therefore, during planting, it will be necessary to add sand directly to the holes or grooves in such soil immediately before planting the tulip bulbs. Moreover, the sand will prevent the bulbs from rotting, as water will seep into the lower layers of the soil.
- The chemical composition of the soil is also an important factor when growing tulips. Therefore, it is worth considering in advance which organic and inorganic fertilizers should be added to the soil when digging, and which immediately before planting should be immediately added to each hole. When choosing vitamins for the earth, you should pay attention that tulips love an alkaline environment. It will be useful to fertilize the soil with dolomite flour, compost or potassium nitrate. Too acidified soils must be deoxidized by adding 2-3 handfuls of wood ash to each hole when planting.
- Immediately before starting preparatory work, you need to pay attention to the occurrence of groundwater. The roots of tulips can go deep up to 50 cm. Too humid environment will provoke rotting of the bulbous root system, and as a result, the bulb itself and the aerial part of the flower. To avoid this kind of trouble, you should choose more elevated areas for planting tulips.
- After carrying out agrotechnical work, it is necessary to level the soil without leaving pits and dents on the surface. Rainwater will drain into them, and with the onset of sharp frosts, the planted bulbs can freeze and die.
Firstly, by such actions you will provoke an outbreak of fungal diseases of the bulbs. And secondly, this type of fertilizer can severely burn the roots, and the bulbs are likely to die.
Do not panic and think that planting tulips in the fall in the ground is too difficult. On the contrary, a beginner can also cope with it. The following video will help you in your endeavors.
How to properly plant tulip bulbs in autumn
Do you want to make a flower arrangement with blooming tulips? Or plant flowers with a carpet? Or maybe you will like small groups of tulips of different varieties, chaotically scattered throughout the summer cottage? Regardless of what you want to see in the spring, there are some guidelines to follow on how to properly plant tulips in the fall. By following these simple instructions, you are guaranteed to get even, large, bright tulip buds close to the ideal shape. Items are listed in order of importance, and it is advisable not to skip a single action to obtain the desired result.
Moreover, the process of planting and caring for tulips is not burdensome and does not require large financial costs.
- Select and prepare the bulbs correctly. The dug out bulbs are sorted immediately. Unsuitable for planting specimens (infected with putrefactive bacteria, too small) should be immediately set aside. The largest and medium-sized ones should be soaked in a weak solution of potassium permanganate (light pink color). Such an antiseptic treatment will disinfect the planting material. Having decided on the timing of planting, tulip bulbs can be treated with solutions to stimulate growth and strengthen the root system.
- Following the rules for forming a flower bed, you need to correctly distribute the bulbs over the prepared area, taking into account the variety, color and height of the plant. Tall tulips are best planted in the center and short ones around the edges so that larger flowers do not block much-needed sunlight in smaller varieties.
- It is more convenient to plant tulips in grooves or holes. But before making holes in the ground, it is important to know to what depth tulips should be planted. So, the grooves in the ground need to be made small, no more than 12 - 15 cm. When planting, it is important to take into account the size and grade of the planting material. The largest tulip bulbs need to be planted at a depth of 15 cm, and those that are smaller - 10-12 cm. With a ruler, you do not need to run through the beds and measure each bulb. The depth should be about three times the diameter of the bulb.
- Make neat grooves to the desired depth. The distance between the bulbs, as well as the planting depth, depends on their size. Small specimens should be 6-8 cm apart from each other, and large ones by 10. Row spacings should be made wider - at least 20-25 cm, so that all tulips receive enough sunlight. If you want to end up with a bright floral carpet, then the planting material should be planted in a checkerboard pattern. At the same time, for 1 m² you will need at least 100 small bulbs, or up to 50 large ones.
- On the future flower bed, it is useful to make markings or put plates with the name of the variety and color of tulips, so that later, when digging up, not to confuse the bulbs.
- Before planting, it is advisable to treat the tulip bulbs to protect them from rodents.Experienced flower growers advise to smear each bulb with Vishnevsky ointment or spray it with kerosene from a spray bottle. Alternatively, you can turn to chemical protection, because these little pests can negate all your efforts.
- The bulbs of prepared tulips should be planted in the holes gently, without effort. In this process, it is important that there is no air gap between the bulb and the soil.
- And the most pleasant moment comes. Having covered the grooves or holes with earth, it is important to level the ground so that there are no pits and depressions on the site, into which water can flow.
Moreover, they will make your work easier when it comes time to dig up the bulbs. Even the smallest tulip babies will remain inside the plastic container, and you will not confuse the varieties of your favorite flowers.
When and how to properly plant tulips in plastic baskets in autumn, you will learn from this video:
Bulb care after planting
It is naive to believe that after you have covered the bulbs with soil, then caring for the tulips in the fall is completely unnecessary. It is advisable to additionally cover the site with mulching material, which is excellent for straw, spruce branches, sawdust, dry leaves.
In the absence or minimal amounts of precipitation in the autumn, it is advisable to water the area planted with tulips after 10 days. Focus on the condition of the soil.
It is important to keep track of the amount of precipitation in the winter. If Zimushka is generous with snowfalls, then there is no need to take any action to preserve the bulbs. But if on the contrary, then on the site on which the tulips are planted, it is necessary to manually throw as much snow as possible, covering the future flower beds with a snow-white blanket.
This will keep your flowers from freezing. As you can see, caring for tulips is not difficult at all.
It is important to have a great mood and a desire to create a small paradise in your garden.
