Content
Terry tulips are very popular all over the world. They differ from other species in openwork petals and the volumetric shape of the bud. Tulip Ice Cream is one of the finest double flower varieties. It can be two-tone and one-color. The buds look especially beautiful during the blooming period: the petals unfold at the same time, forming an airy snow-white cloud that crowns the colored base.
Description tulip Ice Cream
The buds of the Ice Cream tulip look like ice cream, especially the top, in the form of a lush snow-white cap.
In some sources, there is another name for the flower - "Plombir"
There are many petals on the bud, more often they are two-colored. Their upper tier is white. The lower part of the bud is pink, red or lilac. The colored petals of the lower tier have wide green veins. Varieties with monochromatic inflorescences are less common. The petals framing the entire bud are terry, inside they are smooth and even.
The Banana Ice Cream variety was bred relatively recently, it is distinguished by the yellow core of a luxurious lush flower
The diameter of a half-open bud is about 7 cm, when the flower blooms completely, its size will exceed 10 cm.
The stem of the flower is thick, strong and massive. Its height reaches 0.4 m, it is painted in a deep dark green color.
Leaves are large, long and wide, their length is slightly shorter than the stem. The color is pale green with a smoky bloom. In the photo you can see that the tips of the ice cream tulip leaf can turn yellow.
The buds bloom in mid or late May, the process lasts until July. The cut flower retains its color and shape for a long time, does not crumble. The aroma of flowers is intense, bright.
Planting and caring for Ice Cream tulips
The breeders of the variety assure that the culture does not require special attention and grows in any conditions. This is not entirely true, in practice, the Ice Cream tulip is a delicate plant that needs care and attention.
Selection and preparation of the landing site
Ice Cream tulip bulbs are recommended to be planted in open, well-lit flower beds, protected from strong winds. The crop tolerates light shading well, but the brightness of the buds and the height of the stem can be affected in such growing conditions.
Before planting, the soil is carefully dug up, fluffed up. You can mix garden soil with a little sand or clay. If the soil is heavy, humus is introduced into it (10 kg per 1 m2) or peat. If the site is waterlogged, the beds are made high.
The design of high beds will protect against water accumulation in the winter months, prevent tubers from getting wet
The bulbs begin to be prepared in February. First, they are treated with a weak solution of manganese or Fundazol, then rooted in flower pots filled with garden soil.
The soaking procedure will disinfect the planting material and prevent the appearance of mold.
At the beginning or at the end of March, depending on the weather conditions, the hatched bulbous plants are transferred to open ground.
Landing rules
Landing in the soil on the site is carried out in early spring, as soon as it gets warmer. By this time, the Ice Cream tulip bulbs are ready for germination.
Algorithm of actions:
- Fertilize the earth with compost, dig it up.
- Dig holes with a flat bottom, 15 cm deep, the distance between them should be at least 10 cm.The depth of the hole depends on the size of the tuber: small ones are rooted by 7-10 cm, large ones - by 15 cm.
- Pour a thin layer of sand on the bottom of the landing hole.
- Immerse the germinated bulbs in a potassium solution for 1 hour.
- Place the plant in the hole with the sprout up, dig in with previously removed and fluffed earth, pour with warm water (+ 30 ᵒС).
Tulips are planted in groups or rows
Terry tulip Ice Cream is a late variety that easily tolerates a drop in temperature. You can plant a crop in October. Only large, strong, healthy bulbs are suitable for autumn planting. The autumn rooting procedure is carried out similarly to the spring one. After a month, the beds with bulbs are spud, insulated with spruce branches.
You can also plant the Ice Cream variety in containers, having previously made drainage holes in the bottom and covered with a layer of expanded clay. To root the bulbs, a soil mixture is taken from turf and compost soil, sand and peat, taken in equal parts.
Watering and feeding
Tulip Ice Cream needs regular, moderate watering. If the weather is warm, but not hot, the plant only needs one moistening of the soil per week.
In summer, when the thermometer rises above + 30 ᵒС, and there is no rain for a long time, tulips are watered every other day
Ice Cream tulips need regular feeding. The first is carried out during the rooting of the bulbs by adding compost to the soil.
During the period of growth, budding and flowering, the soil is fertilized at least 5 times per season. For these purposes, a complex mineral fertilizer is used for bulbous crops. As soon as the first buds appear on the stem, Ice Cream tulips are watered with a potassium solution. The substance stimulates the appearance of buds, accelerates their flowering, prolongs it.
In one place, Ice Cream tulips can grow up to 5 years. But flower growers recommend to annually dig up the bulbs and plant them again to preserve varietal traits.
Reproduction of tulips Ice Cream
All tulips are propagated by bulbs. It's not easy to get Ice Cream kids. No more than 2 of them ripen on each bulb. The strongest should be selected.
After flowering, the buds are cut, and the leaves and stems are left to dry completely. Then the bulbs are harvested. The planting material is dug up at the end of July or at the beginning of August, left to dry out in the open air for a couple of hours. Then the bulbs are cleaned of soil residues and dry husks. In the process, the roots should be examined, damaged and affected by mold should be removed.
Tubers are laid out on a litter or cardboard in a dry place in one layer. Store for 2-3 weeks at a temperature of + 20 ᵒС. Then it is reduced, brought to + 12 ᵒС. In such conditions, the bulbs are stored until planting.
Diseases and pests
During the growing season, Ice Cream tulips are regularly weeded to get rid of weeds. This helps prevent the development of garden diseases: gray mold, mold.
The tulip suffers from rot, if the soil is waterlogged, this should not be allowed
The main garden pest of tulips, Ice Cream, is the snail. It is easy to spot it by regularly grooming the plant. The slug is removed from the beds, and the soil is sprinkled with a special powder that repels these insects.
Slugs and snails eat young shoots and leaves of the Ice Cream tulip, destroy bulbs
An effective remedy against garden pests is tobacco dust. It is sprayed on flower beds.
Conclusion
Tulip Ice Cream is a beautiful flower with lush buds of an unusual shape. They look like ice cream. If the beds with these flowers are broken near the porch or under the windows, in addition to the beautiful view, you can be enchanted by the delicate aroma of a blooming tulip. Caring for a rare variety is not difficult, it is important to carry it out regularly and take into account all the recommendations of experienced florists.
