A Detailed Guide to the Latest Tulip Growing Methods
Tulips are long-day flowering plants that prefer sunny, sheltered conditions, a warm and humid winter, and a cool, dry summer climate. They can grow normally at temperatures above 8°C and generally tolerate lows of -14°C. They are very cold-hardy; in severely cold regions, if covered by thick snow, the bulbs can overwinter in the open ground, but they fear intense summer heat. If summer arrives early and midsummer is very hot, the bulbs find it hard to get through the summer after dormancy. They require a humus-rich, loose and fertile, well-drained, slightly acidic sandy loam. Alkaline soil and continuous cropping should be avoided.
Tulip Propagation Methods
The main method is separating the small bulblets. In autumn, from September to October, plant the small bulbs separately. The mother bulb is annual, that is, it is renewed every year. After flowering, 1 to 3 new bulbs capable of flowering the following year and 2 to 6 small bulblets develop at the base of the bulb, and the mother bulb dries up. Within the mother bulb's scale leaves, one new bulb and several daughter bulbs form. The number of daughter bulbs produced varies with the cultivar and is also related to cultivation conditions. The swelling of the new bulb and daughter bulbs is usually completed within one month after flowering.
In early June, the dormant bulbs can be dug up, cleaned of soil, and stored under dry, ventilated conditions at 20-22°C, which favors flower bud differentiation in the bulbs. Separate the daughter bulbs from the large bulbs and store them in a ventilated place at 5-10°C. Plant them in autumn, from September to October. The planting site should be given sufficient leaf mold and an appropriate amount of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer as a base fertilizer. After planting the bulbs, cover with 5-7 cm of soil.
Sow in the open ground in autumn at a depth of 1-1.5 cm. The number of daughter bulbs produced within the mother bulb's scale leaves varies with the cultivar and is also related to cultivation conditions. They can germinate the following spring, but take four to five years to flower. The swelling of the new bulb and daughter bulbs is usually completed within one month after flowering.
Tulip Growing Methods
Tulips can be grown in the ground or in pots. For both planting methods, cultivation can be carried out in late October. For ground planting, the plant and row spacing is 14-16 cm, with sufficient base fertilizer applied, a covering soil depth of about 4 cm, and a trench depth of 15-20 cm; water after planting. Around germination and before and after flowering, apply 2 to 4 light feedings of fertilizer. For pot planting, choose plump, large bulbs; a 30 cm flower pot can hold 3 to 5 bulbs. The top of the bulb should be level with the soil surface. After planting in autumn, bury the pot in the soil, then dig it out in spring and place it in a sunny, well-ventilated spot; with normal watering and fertilizing, it will flower on time.
Ground planting requires well-drained sandy soil with a pH of 6.6-7. Deeply plow and prepare the soil, using rotted cow manure and leaf mold as base fertilizer, along with a small amount of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, and plant in beds at a planting depth of 10-12 cm. Generally, topdress after emergence, at the flower bud formation stage, and after flowering. The bulbs root in winter; before flowering in spring, topdress twice. They flower from late March to early April, and in early June the aboveground leaves turn yellow and the plants enter dormancy. During growth, watering is generally unnecessary; just keep the soil moist, and water appropriately in dry weather. The key points of cultivation and management are basically the same as for hyacinths; however, tulip cultivars cross easily and become mixed, so isolated planting should be practiced. Tulip bulbs contain a lot of starch and are easily eaten by mice during storage, so storage should be carefully managed.
Tulips are bulb plants and need to go through a certain low-temperature stage, and can only flower normally after the flower stem has grown fully. Conventional cultivation is the ordinary cultivation method, one in which the tulip bulbs have not been given cold treatment.
Tulip bulbs should be planted in deep, fertile sandy soil; their root growth hates waterlogging above all, so the chosen site must have smooth drainage. For the planting bed, the bed width is generally 30 cm with a trench depth to match; where the terrain is flat, the trench should be dug deeper. If the soil in the first year of planting is rather clayey, two cubic meters of peat and 5 kg of compound fertilizer can be used per 100 sq m as a base fertilizer for soil improvement. Tulips should not be continuously cropped; land where tulips have been grown in the previous year or two is best not used for planting again. One month before planting tulips, the land should be deep-plowed and sun-exposed to kill fungal spores and remove weeds. Then, on a clear day, drench the soil with a 100-fold dilution of 40% formalin (to a depth of more than 10 cm) for disinfection, then cover with plastic film for about one week. After removing the film, break the soil up finely and prepare to plant.
Plant in sunny, well-drained sandy loam; generally, planting can be considered when the soil temperature is stable below 12°C. After deep plowing, apply rotted cow manure and other phosphorus and potassium fertilizers (7-10 g of phosphorus pentoxide and 13-15 g of potassium oxide per sq m). The planting depth should be about twice the height of the bulb, and the plant and row spacing should be 2 to 3 times the transverse diameter of the bulb. After covering with soil, do not water again, but add a cover of rice straw to increase soil moisture and prevent soil crusting. Just before the young shoots emerge and unfold their leaves, apply 1 light nitrogen fertilizer; after bud formation, increase the fertilizer concentration (10% fertilizer to 90% water). During growth, watering is generally unnecessary; simply keep the soil moist. If the weather is dry, give 1 to 2 thorough waterings (to a moistening depth of about 15 cm). For those used as cut flowers, cut them when the flower buds have completely changed color; the ornamental period in a vase is about 10 days.
Before planting, the bulbs should be disinfected by soaking them in potassium permanganate solution or formalin solution for 30 minutes, then dried and planted. For commercial planting, the density can be controlled at 12×12 cm or 13×12 cm, with slight differences depending on the cultivar. Generally, cultivars with strong upright leaves and short plants can be planted somewhat more densely.
For exhibition planting, the spacing can be 20-25 cm, and the planting depth should be 4-5 cm from the top of the bulb to the soil surface. After planting, water thoroughly once to prevent drying out and dehydration. Tulips are mostly grown in pots for ornamental use, and also used as ground cover plants and for medicinal purposes.
Tulip Pest and Disease Control
1. Common diseases: The pathogens of tulip pests and diseases can be carried by the bulbs, or carried by the soil to infect the bulbs, and mostly occur in high-temperature, high-humidity environments. The main diseases include stem rot, soft rot, color breaking, damping-off, and blind buds, while the main pest is aphids.
2. Control methods: Carry out thorough soil disinfection before planting, use virus-free bulbs for cultivation whenever possible, promptly dig out and destroy diseased plants, and apply 1 to 2 fungicide treatments during greenhouse growth for better results; good ventilation should be maintained to prevent high temperature and high humidity; when aphids appear, they can be sprayed and killed with an 800-fold dilution of 3% natural pyrethrum.