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Tulips are bright and versatile symbols of spring. Summer residents and flower growers love to experiment with these colors. Growing tulips from seeds at home, at first glance, is incredible, but you just have to try, and young sprouts will overcome any doubts.
Tulips are rarely grown from seeds, but this method is also practiced.
Is it possible to grow tulips from seeds
Today, these flowers are associated with Holland, but many centuries ago they were first grown in Asia. The name itself comes from the ancient Persian word, which translates as “turban”. Tulips were especially highly valued in the Ottoman Empire.
In the 16th century, flowers came to Europe. Since then, the world has been swept by a real tulip fever. Breeders are constantly creating new hybrid varieties, surprising with the shape of the petals and colors.
The usual planting material for all are bulbs. The seed method of reproduction is questionable. It is quite possible to get beautifully flowering tulips from seeds. The only “but” is that the growing process will be long (5-10 seasons). But this will not stop enthusiastic flower growers. To see how a precious bulb is formed from a small seed is a real miracle. You can also try your hand at breeding and get original varieties of tulips.
Growing tulips from seeds is a very long process.
When to plant tulip seeds
It is best to do the procedure in the fall (September-October). But if the tulip seeds (pictured below) were collected in the spring, the dates are slightly shifted, and you can start planting in the last days of October or the first half of November. In the first spring, a thin sprout will appear, which will have only one leaf. In the second year, this leaf will become even larger, and the bulb bud will be almost completely formed.
Tulip seeds are best harvested in early autumn.
How to grow tulip seeds at home
Some flower growers plant seeds directly into the ground. If in winter the air temperature is below -5 ° C, plantings require additional shelter in the form of a dense film or branches.
Many people prefer to grow tulips from seeds at home. This allows you to get stronger and more viable plants in the future. To do this, use greenhouses, and also carry out cultivation in room conditions (in pots or containers).
Seed collection and soil preparation
The tulip should be in full bloom. Then the stem is tied up so that the arrow is in a strictly vertical position. Mature boxes begin to crack. This is the first signal that you can start collecting them. Ripe seeds usually darken and acquire a red-orange hue. The box is carefully separated from the base with sharp scissors and transferred to a dry, dark room. It must dry completely.
Tulip seeds are harvested when the pod is cracked
When the planting material is ready, you need to take care of the soil. Often use ready-made soil, which is sold at any gardening store. You can prepare the soil mixture yourself by combining peat with organic matter and coarse sand. The substrate must be nutritious, loose, well pass moisture and oxygen.
Rules of landing
It is not difficult to get seedlings of tulips from seeds.
The whole process includes several stages:
- Containers (oblong boxes or pots) are prepared in advance and small holes are made in the bottom.
- Drainage is placed at the bottom, and the finished soil mixture is poured on top. It is leveled and depressions of about 3 cm are made. After that, the seeds are densely sown (each grain in its cell) and sprinkled with sand.
- The first month of the container is covered with ordinary cling film with holes for ventilation. The temperature in the room is not lower than + 15 °C. As soon as the first sprouts hatch, the containers are transferred to a warm room with a comfortable room temperature. It is not recommended to place tulips near heaters and batteries. This will quickly evaporate the life-giving moisture.
Watering and top dressing
Tulips do not like drought. Landings must be regularly moistened using drip irrigation. It is convenient to do this at home using a small watering can, a small spray bottle or an ordinary syringe. Do this procedure about once every 6-7 days. It is best to use warm settled water.
Seeds will die in waterlogged soil.
As top dressing, you can use organic and mineral fertilizers. For these purposes, humus or compost, sterilized chicken manure in granules, wood ash, and complex mineral preparations are suitable. It is very important for tulips to receive the necessary macro- and microelements (copper, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen, boron, molybdenum, iron, zinc, magnesium).
Preparing for landing in open ground
In the 3rd year, active vegetative division begins, and small onion babies appear. In early August, they are divided and transferred to open ground. Holes are made on a pre-prepared site (the depth of each is from 10 to 12 cm). For small onions, a distance of about 9 cm is maintained between the holes.
Pure river sand is poured into the recesses and watered with water and salt (1 cup per 10 liters). Before planting, it is useful to hold the bulbs in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection. In regions with cold winters, the bulbs will need to be additionally insulated with a layer of humus about 5-6 cm thick. If the baby bulbs are planted in the spring, they will not bloom, but by the fall they will have time to get stronger and grow well.
Further, the plants are provided with the usual care: regularly watered, fertilized, carefully loosened the soil and periodically inspected for diseases and pests.
How to store tulip seeds in winter
Breathable paper bags that can be folded into plastic containers are best suited for this. For tulip seeds, the same conditions are provided as for any other flowers: in a cool, dark room with a normal level of humidity. If there is dampness, mold will form on the seeds. Foil cannot be used as packaging, as this causes the seeds to lose their germination capacity.
The bulbs are stored in a cardboard container at room temperature, out of direct sunlight. For planting material, which should lie until spring, the optimum temperature is within + 15 ° C.
Useful Tips
Growing tulips from seeds is a rather complicated process. Not every flower grower decides on this. Those who have practiced this method of cultivation know many secrets of growing tulips from seeds.
Proper care will allow you to get strong sprouts
A few recommendations:
- The correct temperature regime and regular watering will allow you to get healthy and strong sprouts.
- Do not plant tulip bulbs near potatoes or cabbage.
- Bulbs affected by disease or pests must be dug up and burned in a timely manner.
- It is permissible to plant tulips until the very cold weather, but in the spring they will bloom much later than the due date.
- Young plants need to be protected from sunlight. If this is not done, the green mass will grow to the detriment of the formation of buds.
- Every year, tulips are advised to be planted in a new place. This will protect them from disease.
- After flowering, the bulbs must be dug up and carefully sorted out. All questionable specimens are immediately disposed of.
- At home, you can regulate the flowering of tulips. To admire the beautiful flowers in winter, you need to water and feed them twice a week. Pots after budding are rearranged as far as possible from the batteries.
- Tulips can also be grown in hydrogel or water.
Conclusion
Growing tulips from seeds at home is the choice of the most patient flower growers. This method allows you to breed new varieties, adjust the size of the flower and its color. Complicated care is not required, but incredibly beautiful tulips, grown with their own hands from a small seed, will reward patience and work and become indicators of skill.