Among your favorite flowers are tulips of all colors and you would like to know how you could beautify your garden every spring? You need some information on how and when to plant them, how they are cared for and how you can multiply them, things about which you will learn something in these lines.
Tulips are a genus that includes over 100 varieties of flowering plants ( blue tulips, beaten, variegated, etc.) that belong to the family Liliaceae, being “out of place” from North Africa, southern Europe and Asia, their scientific name being “ tulip ”. These beautiful flowers are a symbol of the Netherlands, which, since the 17th century, has been proud of their cultivation. Are you interested in planting tulip bulbs or how often you should water them? Find out from these lines.
Short history
Tulips have been cultivated in Turkey since the 11th century, in the 15th century they became a symbol of the Ottomans, at the same time being introduced in the West thanks to merchants and diplomats. There was even a “tulip mania” in this century, in which they became a commodity.
In the 17th century, an infection of Dutch bulbs led to the emergence of variegated varieties, sold extremely expensive, which triggered the tulip crisis in February 1937, when prices simply fell.
Even today, the Netherlands remains a major producer of tulips, including breeding programs designed to produce hybrids and ornamental botanical crops.
When planting tulips
There are two periods in which tulip bulbs can be planted, namely autumn and spring.
Adequate planting is done in autumn, in October or November, when the gladiolus bulbs are removed , so that the bulbs of red tulips or other colors do not catch the first frosts. Planting can be done in the solarium in the first half of December. A selection of the bulbs will be made first, so that the dry or damaged ones are not included, choosing only those without scratches or cuts or softer areas to the touch.
The planting depth of tulips is three times larger than the bulb itself, meaning about 6 cm, so that the plant does not freeze, but can germinate in time in spring, to bloom. The distance between the rows will be 20 cm, the distance between the Dutch tulips remaining up to 10 cm, so as not to damage the flowering.
After burial, the field will be covered with mulch foil or straw, to prevent the freezing of white or other tulip varieties, and water abundantly, the next hydration being done in spring.
The planting of tulips can take place in spring, towards the end of March, when the soil does not freeze, the constant night temperatures must be over 10 degrees. Tulip bulbs can be planted at twice the depth of their length, so that they can sprout and bloom in time. Water very well and regularly.
How and where Dutch tulip bulbs are planted
Tulips require a clayey and sandy soil, well worked beforehand, with humus and neutral pH (6.5–7.5). For heavier soil, pre-planting treatments will be used. A tulip field needs sun, good lighting, protection from the winds, not near buildings that would obstruct the sun’s rays during times of day.
Tulips are not flowers for shady places, although late varieties can be planted in partial shade. It is not necessary to fertilize the soil with manure because it can cause root rot. The ground should be straight, with no unevenness that can lead to water retention.
You can plant tulip bulbs in pots or in water, if you prefer to keep them at home, being able to control the flowering period.
When tulips bloom
Depending on the variety, the specific period for obtaining beautiful tulip flowers will vary. Generally, it is between April and May. When the external temperatures are constantly 10–15 degrees during the day for 4–6 weeks, you will be able to see how the bud appears ready to open. In the case of spring planting, in a maximum of one month the plants should bloom. Usually, red or other tulip flowers begin to wither when the shock blooms.
Care
There are no difficulties when we talk about tulips and their care, the feeding being done with organic substances such as ash, compost or weed maceration.
Loosening is done after the rain, to avoid the earth’s crust which prevents the tulip bulbs from sprouting and piercing the soil and which leads to their rotting due to lack of oxygen.
Watering takes place only during periods of drought, and the best sprinklers can be used during the flowering period, when watering will be done twice every 10 days, stopping the process when the flowers have opened. Water should not fall on flowers because it can lead to fungal proliferation.
After flowering, the flower is removed, leaving the leaves until they wither almost completely, these representing the food of the plant.
Multiplication — When the tulips are removed
Multiplication is done by bulbs. If you are already in the garden and you are wondering when the tulip bulbs are removed, find out that the right time is after the leaves have turned yellow, in June — July, or six weeks after flowering.
There will be around five new bulbs, in addition to the one already planted, which can be harvested, they must be cleaned of soil debris. They are left to dry in a place protected from sunlight and air, where the temperature is constant, up to 25 degrees.
After drying, tulip bulbs can be stored in a cool, dry and dark place, with temperatures between 10 and 12 degrees, in a paper bag or canvas bag or perforated box.
The flowers will be harvested in the morning or in the evening, when the bud is colored, keeping it in a dark place, where the temperature does not exceed 15 degrees Celsius.
Diseases and pests
Tulips can be affected by various pests in the form of bacteria, viruses, fungi or insects.
The viruses will be caused by viruses transmitted by insects such as spiders, leaf lice or already infected bulbs, being necessary to remove the tulips and replace the production with another plant for the next years, after disinfection and treatment with lime.
The rot of the package and the fall of the tulip flower is caused by a fungus called Pythium de barynum, which is treated with antifungals and hygiene of gardening utensils, as well as with the removal of affected specimens.
Pests include leaf lice (aphids), root spider mice, mice and rats that will lead to production death if not removed in time.
