Tulips make a beautiful addition to lawns and gardens. It is also quite easy, with the right maintenance and attention, to grow beautiful tulips year after year: no precise watering times and no complicated fertilization techniques. Whether you are a beginner or a professional, this flower is an excellent choice for any garden.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Planting the Tulip Bulbs
Step 1. Plant the bulbs in the fall, 6-8 weeks before the start of winter
The best time to plant tulip bulbs is October or November in most climate zones (the warmer the climate, the later they should be planted), as the soil temperature should be below 15 ° C.
- If you buy tulip bulbs in the summer, you can keep them in the refrigerator (or other cool, dry place) for about 2 months before planting season. In any case, do not place them near apples, because the latter release ethylene, a substance that would destroy the bulb.
- Most bulbs need a "cold period" of 12-14 weeks to be healthy when spring arrives. Do not buy bulbs after December 1st, unless they have been "pre-cooled".
Step 2. Choose an area that is sunny for at least part of the day, but which also receives shade
If you are in the southern part of Italy, plant them in a place that receives the sun only in the morning: tulips want the sun, but they also need fresh soil; don't let the sun burn them.
If you live further north, getting the sun all day might also be good for tulips (the ground will be cool enough of course); but if you live further south where it's warmer, receiving shade in the afternoon will keep the earth cooler
Step 3. Choose a sandy, well-drained soil with a pH between 6 and 6.5
No type of tulip loves excessive humidity: the soil should in fact be well drained, from neutral to slightly acidic, fertile, and even sandy.
Wet earth would mean death for tulips. Never deliberately bother watering your tulips - all you can do is make sure the drainage system is working at its best by adding torn pine bark or even sand from the area to the soil
Step 4. Prepare the ground
Before planting tulip bulbs, use a hand spade or rotary tiller to prepare the soil. Try to turn the sod to a depth of 30-40cm, then mix 5-10cm of compost into the soil.
Step 5. Plant the bulbs at a depth that is about 3 times the height of the bulb:
the bigger the bulb, the deeper your hole must be, in any case it should at least exceed 20 cm. Soften the soil to ensure drainage or create an elevated bed.
- The larger the bulb, the larger the bloom will also be.
- If you live in a very hot climate zone, you may need to refrigerate the bulbs for the first 4-6 weeks to simulate a cold climate. In this case, water them lightly every two weeks to conserve some moisture.
Step 6. Plant the bulbs at least 15 cm from each other:
they need at least 10-15 cm of free earth around them, otherwise they will invade and take possession of other people's nutrients. Choose an area of land that allows each of your tulips to have its own "territory".
- Plant each bulb so that the pointed end protrudes from the ground, then fill the hole with soil and press the potting soil to completely plug.
- Tulips multiply rapidly: even if you plant only a few, in a couple of years you will have an entire family.
Step 7. After planting the tulip bulbs, cover them with a layer of bits of leaves, wood or mulch
If you have rodents or other animals in your garden that worry you, you may want to build a cage or enclosure around the bulbs.
- Use a 2.5-5 cm layer of mulch, leaves or pieces of wood to protect the bulbs, keep weeds under control and conserve moisture.
- If you are planting evergreens, you will need to feed them every year to restart the growth process: you can use organic material, compost, or the balanced nourishment that the bulb releases over time every autumn.
Part 2 of 3: Caring for Tulips
Step 1. Water the tulips once they are planted
Right after planting, tulips do indeed need to be watered to trigger growth, but this will likely be one of the few times you will need to water them.
Don't re-water them until you see the leaves - at which point you can give them a light sprinkle but nothing more
Step 2. When they are growing, water the tulips only during a dry time
If it hasn't rained in your area for a few weeks, give your tulips a splash of water. This will be one of the rare occasions in which you will have to intervene by moistening the soil.
Often tulips need less water during spring, as there is already more rain and humidity. Most of the time, the climate will take care of this plant for you - normal rainfall is all it needs
Step 3. Do not let the tulips remain immersed in water
If too much rain has fallen in your area, try to drain any excess rain out. Tulips can't stay soggy - soggy soil could mean a quick goodbye to your beloved plants.
If you notice that the area where you planted the tulips accumulates water, you would probably do better to move them to another place. Unearth them keeping the earth around the bulb and find an area where the rain can fall but also be absorbed
Step 4. Fertilize the tulips once in early autumn and once in early spring for continuous growth
A good fertilizer liquid works best about 3-4 weeks after planting.
- Spray or pour about a tablespoon of flower or plant fertilizer around each tulip bulb. This will be enough for the entire period of "hibernation" during the winter: tulips are in fact able to store nutrients for long periods of time.
- Did you forget to fertilize during the autumn? You can use a fast-acting nitrogen fertilizer on the growing leaves.
- Tulips are very easy to maintain. If they are annuals, they may not need fertilizer at all - with the right climate you may almost forget about it once planted, since no watering or fertilization is needed.
Part 3 of 3: Caring for Tulips after Flowering
Step 1. Check for fungal infections or diseases
Botrytis tulipae fungal infection creates brown dots on the leaves and turns the flower gray. If any of your bulbs are sick, take them out and throw them away to prevent them from infecting other tulips. If only part of the plant is damaged, cut it off to see if you can save it.
- The only thing you can do to prevent disease is to take proper care of your tulips: you just need to make sure that they get a little humidity, a little shade, and that they are planted in a good, slightly acidic soil.
- Aphids can be a problem, but they can be easily eliminated by spraying water.
Step 2. After flowering, remove the dead flowers from the tulips
Once they begin to wilt, tulips produce seeds that weaken the bulb, making it unsightly. This practice of removing dead flowers works for both evergreen and annual plants. Here's how it's done:
- Take some shears and cut the flower head off the stem once it is completely wilted.
- Leave most of the stem in place for about six weeks (or until the leaves begin to turn yellow).
- Cut the leaves off to ground level and throw away the dead plant once the six weeks have passed. Mark the location if you wish so that you can find the bulbs later.
- In any case, do not do this with tulips of the same species, if you do not want them to reproduce with their seeds and turn into an entire colony.
Step 3. If you are dealing with annuals, take out the bulb as well
Some tulips are annuals, meaning that their entire life takes place over the course of a year, they will not be reborn and will not reproduce. Once all the bulbs are in bloom and dead, throw the whole plant away from the bulb to the tip.
Many farmers and gardeners prefer annuals when it comes to tulips. They are easy to grow, cheap, and when a year has passed it's all over. In this way they can grow more the following year and experiment with different varieties
Step 4. It is important that you know if your tulip has a chance to grow back
If it is an evergreen, you have left the bulb in the ground and cared for it properly, next year you may find that you have another bunch of beautiful tulips (you may also find that you have too many: tulips reproduce quickly). Here are the varieties that are most likely to regrow without requiring virtually any effort on your part:
- "Olympic flame" tulip
- Tulip "sprig of mint"
- Crocus tulip
- Triumph tulip "Negrita"
- Veridiflora green tulip.
Advice
Pull out the bulbs after the leaves and stem have turned brown to get more tulip bulbs to plant in other areas
Warnings
- Be cautious about fertilizing tulips immediately after flowering - this can increase the chance of them getting sick.
- Using more than 5cm of mulch can hurt tulips by keeping them too far out of sunlight.
