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Unpretentious care tulips attract attention with bright colors of buds. The duration of flowering depends on compliance with the technology of planting bulbs. Today we will tell you how tulips are planted in the fall.
Benefits of planting tulips in the fall
You can plant bulbous flowers in open ground both in spring and autumn. However, according to experienced gardeners, autumn planting has more advantages. In the autumn, when nature is actively preparing for the upcoming winter, tulips are activated in growth and development. Bulbs planted in the ground intensively absorb useful and nutritious substances from the soil. The root system undergoes natural hardening. At the end of the winter cold, the flowers throw out powerful arrows and delight with abundant and long flowering.
Bulbs planted in spring do not have time to grow a powerful root system. Flowering will be late and very scarce. The buds are small, the shades of flowers are muted, the stems are thin and weak. In some cases, flowering is completely absent.
You can dig up tulip bulbs only when most of the leaf plate dries. The rhizomes extracted from the ground are cleaned of the remnants of foliage and clods of earth, dried thoroughly and sent for storage in a shaded and well-ventilated place. We do not recommend covering the container with bulbs with a cloth or gauze. Lack of fresh air can cause tubers to rot.
Video “Autumn planting of tulips”
In this video, experts talk about the features of planting bulbs in open ground.
Ideal timing for planting tulips in the fall
The speed of adaptation and survival of bulbs planted in autumn depend on the observance of planting dates. Late planting is fraught with the death of flowers. Tubers do not have time to adapt to the new growing environment. At the first frost, they freeze and begin to rot.
Therefore, it is necessary to plant tulips in open ground at certain times, which differ for different regions.
Middle lane and Moscow region
The temperate continental climate of central Our Country is characterized by snowy winters and frequent temperature fluctuations. Planting tulips in the regions of central Our Country, including the Moscow region and the Leningrad region, falls almost in the middle of autumn. Planting bulbous flowers begins in the last ten days of September, ends – closer to mid-October. At the same time, the air temperature at night should not be lower than +3 °C.
Siberia and Ural
Planting tulips in Siberia starts early – in the last ten days of August. Such an early planting of tubers is due to the climatic zone of the region. Planted plants should have time to take root before the first frosts, which come very early in Siberia.
As for the Urals, the timing of planting tulips depends on a particular area. So, in the northern part of the region, tubers are planted in open ground in mid-September. In the southern part of the Urals, planting an ornamental crop may be delayed until the second decade of October.
Central regions
The central regions of the country are characterized by rainy and damp autumn. The first night frosts occur at the end of September, and sleet at the beginning of October. For this reason, tulips are planted in the first month of autumn. Flowers planted in October may not take root and freeze with the first frost.
South of the country
The southern regions, including the Stavropol Territory, Kuban, Crimea, Krasnodar Territory, Volgograd, Astrakhan and Rostov Regions, are characterized by warm and mild winters. Bulbs can be planted from mid-September to the second decade of October.
If autumn turned out to be dry and hot, flower tubers planted in the ground should be thoroughly moistened. For this, water-charging irrigation is carried out.
How to plant tulips
Determining planting dates is only half the battle. It is equally important to know how to properly plant tulip bulbs in open ground in the fall.
Site and soil selection
Tulips are demanding to the place of permanent growth. It is better to plant bulbous flowers on hills. If you plant plants in a lowland, where melt or rainwater often collects, there is a high probability of tubers rotting. Also undesirable is the close occurrence of groundwater.
The best option is a garden area open to sunlight and well protected from wind and drafts. Please note that the lack of sun adversely affects the intensity and duration of flowering plants.
Loose, airy and fertile soil is suitable for planting bulbs. The acidity level should be in the range of 6,5–7,8 pH. Heavy clay soil should be diluted with river sand, peat and manure (5 kg per 1 m²). The addition of sand and organics will help improve the water permeability and nutrition of the heavy soil.
Land preparation
Since tulips grow well and bloom profusely in a nutrient medium, it is recommended to prepare the site in advance. First, the area is cleared of weeds, then they begin to improve the soil composition. For 1 m² of land you need:
- wood ash – 150–200 g;
- potassium sulfate – 30 g;
- ammonium nitrate – 25 g;
- superphosphate – 40-50 g;
- compost – 2 buckets.
Fertilizers are applied to the soil 2-4 weeks before planting. If the weather is dry and hot, the soil should be well moistened and leveled with a rake. Loose and slightly moist soil contributes to the rapid rooting of tubers.
Planting tulip bulbs
You can plant tulip bulbs in rows or in holes. The distance between rows is 20-25 cm, between holes – 6-10 cm.
The depth of penetration depends on the class of planting material. Extra-class bulbs are deepened by 15–18 cm, the second and third parsing – by 10–12 cm. Tulip babies are planted to a depth of 6–8 cm.
The planted bulbs are sprinkled with river sand and wood ash. Now the beds / holes are covered with earth. Failure to comply with the planting technology will lead to the loss of planting material. To avoid accumulation of water, the beds / holes are carefully leveled with a rake. A drainage system is formed around the flower bed to remove excess moisture.
Care of plantings
The first watering is carried out 10 days after planting the bulbs. Watering a flower bed from a watering can. On the second or third watering, top dressing with ammonium nitrate is performed. 1 g of the drug is required per 15 m² of flower beds.
Planting care involves removing weeds and loosening the top layer of the earth. It is not necessary to cover bulbous crops with mulch, since an increase in temperature can provoke premature growth of tubers.
Preparation for winter
Closer to the beginning of winter, beds with tulips begin to prepare for the upcoming frosts. Bulbous cultures are insulated with a layer of straw, hay, dry fallen leaves and cardboard crushed into pieces. The height of the covering layer should be at least 5 cm. Pine spruce branches are laid on top of the insulating layer.
Tulip bulbs can be covered with white propylene bags, old burlap or agrofibre.
We do not recommend using plastic wrap. Polyethylene does not allow air to pass through, the accumulation of condensate leads to rotting of tubers.
Author’s advice
Useful Tips
Simple tips and recommendations from experienced gardeners will help speed up adaptation and increase the percentage of germination of bulbous crops. When choosing a place for planting tulips, you need to consider the predecessors. If earlier tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, melons or watermelons grew on these beds, it is better to find another place for planting bulbous crops. To destroy pathogenic bacteria and harmful organisms, the soil is treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or fungicides diluted with water.
Don’t forget about transplanting tulips. Varietal crops are transplanted to a new place of annual growth, unpretentious varieties – 1 time in 2-3 years. Landing on the same place of growth is possible after 3-4 years.
Autumn planting of tulips in open ground requires the attention and responsibility of gardeners. Incorrectly selected dates and non-compliance with planting technology will lead to the freezing of the bulbs.