Parrot tulip: photo, description, best varieties

Parrot tulips look like the plumage of exotic birds, hence the unusual name. The variegation of color and the unusual shape of these varieties delight the eye and allow you to create a bright island on the site. Parrot tulips arose due to gene mutations, their progenitors were late-flowering varieties.

Description of parrot tulips

Varieties of parrot tulips are classified as highly decorative crops. They are distinguished by a long thin stem and a large flower. The height of the shoot varies between 35-55 cm, the bud reaches 12 cm in length and 20 cm in diameter (when the flower opens).

The best varieties of parrot tulips

A variety of parrot tulips allows you to choose a variety that meets the needs of any grower. The most popular varieties:

1. Tulips Apricot Parrot have a pinkish-peach color of the buds. The stem height does not exceed 40 cm. Flowering time is April. This parrot variety is used not only for landscaping the site. Flowers are suitable for cutting.

   

2. Black Parrot refers to one-color parrot species. It has a noble purple color and openwork petals. The length of its stem is about 45 cm. Flowers are used for cutting. The flowering period falls at the end of April – the first days of May.

   

3. In the parrot variety Red Parrot the buds are painted in carmine-red shades. Its height ranges from 40-65 cm. It belongs to late-flowering parrot species.

   

4. Of the two-color varieties, it is in demand Estella Reijnveld (Estella Rizhnveld). Small buds (up to 7 cm in length) are full of crimson red and creamy white stains. Culture blooms in May. Use a parrot variety in landscape design, as well as for cutting. Tulips grow in well-lit flower beds, but partial shade is also suitable for them.

   

5. Yellow-red bicolor parrot cultivar Texas Flame (Texas flame) reaches a height of 45 cm. Tulip flowers are cup-shaped, strongly dissected, have a weak aroma. The flowering of the variety is long, medium late.

   

Planting and caring for parrot tulips

Ornamental crops require special attention. For planting parrot tulips, you need to choose a suitable site and provide proper care.

Selection and preparation of the landing site

The earth should be loose, fertile. For parrot varieties, the site should be open, with good lighting, but without drafts. The earth is first dug up to the depth of a shovel, weeds are removed.

Rules of landing

When planting, they maintain a distance between the holes of at least 20 cm. The bulbs are buried in the ground by 10-15 cm, covered with soil and slightly crushed. The site is watered and mulched with peat or straw.

Watering and top dressing

Parrot tulips need regular watering. If it rarely rains, the earth is moistened at the rate of 20 liters per 1 m².

Watered at intervals of 2 times a week

After flowering, the earth is moistened for two weeks, then watering is stopped.

In the spring, after the foliage appears, the crop can be fed with any mineral fertilizer. After flowering, the dried parts of the plants must be removed. Leaves are pruned only after they have completely turned yellow and died.

Reproduction of parrot tulips

Reproduction of tulips at home is carried out with the help of children. To do this, a site with parrot varieties is carefully dug up, taking out the bulbs. The procedure is carried out after the foliage has dried (in August).

Child specimens are separated and inspected for rot and spotting.

Damaged bulbs are discarded, large and healthy ones are sent for storage in a dry and cool room.

Parrot tulip babies are planted in the fall, but if the deadline is missed, the spring procedure is also allowed.

Seeds collected on their own are not used for planting, since it will not be possible to obtain an ornamental culture corresponding to the varietal characteristics.

Diseases and pests of parrot tulips

The danger for parrot tulips is viral and fungal diseases. Among them are:

1. White rot. The causative agents are viruses. The disease is most often recorded in regions with acidic soil. Excessive watering or high humidity due to precipitation can provoke the appearance of the virus. The disease can be detected in the spring, when part of the planting material does not germinate or gives small sprouts that quickly turn yellow and die. Digging up damaged plants, you can see bluish-gray spots on the bulbs, while the roots will seem completely healthy. White rot can affect the neck and growing point. In this case, you can notice a whitish coating, which soon begins to turn brown. The plant dies, and the spores of the fungus continue to live in the soil for 5 years.
2. White stripe. Occurs in acidic soils with excessive nitrogen content. It affects flowers and leaves of plants, causing dwarfism and the appearance of white stripes.
3. Botrytis rot. Its appearance provokes the fungus Botrytis cinerea. The bulbs darken, becoming brown and soft, they can reveal black spots, consisting of mushroom mycelium. Tulips sprout poorly or do not appear at all. The sprouts that appear are sluggish, weakened, they quickly break and die. The appearance of the disease is promoted by high humidity or late disembarkation.
4. The August illness (necrotic blotch) often affects early-flowering crops, but can also occur on parrot tulips. It is caused by the tobacco necrosis virus. Infection occurs with mechanical damage to the bulbs. The disease can be suspected by longitudinal brown strokes, as well as by twisted and drooping stems. When examining the bulb, putrefactive brownish areas can be seen on it. Daughter bulbs and children are affected, the disease does not spread to neighboring plants.
5. Fusarium wilt. The causative agent is a fungus that is activated at temperatures above 20 ° C and high humidity. A sign of infection is the staining of the roots in a yellow-brown hue, as well as poor flowering and crushing of flowers.

   

6. Gray rot. Its appearance is associated with fungi. The provoking factor is rainy and cool weather. You can identify the disease by deformed buds and twisted stems. When examining the bulb, one can notice gray-yellow spots of various sizes on it.

   

To prevent the development of diseases, the following recommendations should be followed:

1. Carefully inspect the dug bulbs. If stains, cuts and other flaws are detected, reject them. Before planting, recheck the material for visible damage.

   

2. Storage should be carried out in cool rooms where the air temperature is 15-19 ° C, and humidity does not exceed 60%.
3. 2 weeks before planting, the bulbs are treated with a solution of Fundazol, Benlat.

   

4. Immediately before planting in the ground, parrot tulip bulbs are etched in formalin (1%) for 5-6 hours.
5. Choose a sunny and well-ventilated area for growing.
6. Planting should not be allowed to thicken, extra bulbs should be dug up and planted, keeping a distance of 20 cm between neighboring plants.
7. If the soil is too acidic in the territory, it is periodically limed.
8. If diseased bulbs are detected on the site, this area is not used for growing tulips for 5 years. If it is not possible to allocate another flower bed for parrot tulips, the soil is disinfected with a formalin solution. To process 1 m², 10 liters of 1,5% of the composition will be required. Then the soil is covered with a film or spunbond.

Of the pests, the danger is:

1. root mite, damaging the bulbs of parrot tulips. Warm weather (25°C) and high air humidity (more than 75%) contribute to the reproduction of the pest. Unfavorable conditions lead to the fact that the tick passes into the dormant stage, but does not lose viability. To combat it, various methods are used: heat treatment of the bulbs, pouring with chalk, pickling in a Keltan solution, spraying with Rogor.
2. greenhouse aphid damages foliage, shoots and peduncles of parrot tulips. It is also a carrier of viral diseases. Chemical sprays are used to control aphids. As a preventive measure, it is recommended to plant pyrethrum and other insecticidal crops around the perimeter of the flower bed.
3. Onion hoverfly larvae affect the bulbs of parrot tulips. To combat them, a solution of karbofos or heat treatment of planting material is used. Effective and deep digging of the soil on the site in the autumn.
4. Purple owl. To combat it, dusting the lower part of parrot tulips with mothballs is used.
5. Cartilage larvae. You can get rid of them with the help of deep digging of the soil.
6. Wireworm. To eliminate the wireworm that damages the bulbs of parrot tulips, it is enough to spread the bait around the perimeter of the bait (pieces of potatoes, beets). The introduction of ammonium nitrate into the soil helps to reduce the number of larvae.

Photo of tulips parrot

The design of the territory sometimes causes difficulties for beginner gardeners. Photos of parrot tulips in the landscape will help with ideas for creating unusual colorful flower beds.

Tulips of parrot varieties can grow not only in open areas, but also in special flowerpots

Bright flowers are able to decorate the shore of any reservoir.

A circular planting looks unusual, where various tulips alternate

For parrot varieties, good neighbors will be:

• conifers, which not only shade the beauty of flowering plants, but also become protection from the wind for them;
• blueberries, forget-me-nots will create a pleasant contrast of wealth and modesty;
• cultures with decorative foliage (euphorbia).

Parrot tulips can be planted in flower beds, in flower beds, in special containers, in open areas.

Conclusion

Parrot tulips are extraordinarily beautiful both in a flower bed and in a vase. They are grown to decorate the territory, as well as to create colorful bouquets. Propagated with the help of bulbs on the site and in the greenhouse. With proper care, seedlings practically do not get sick.