Tulip Potted Planting Methods and Care Tips

Tulip, also known as foreign lotus and grass musk, is a bulbous flower of the Liliaceae family, Tulipa genus. Underground it has a conical tunicated bulb, 3 cm to 4 cm long, 2 cm to 3 cm in diameter, with a brown bulb coat, and white fleshy fibrous roots emerge from the stem plate at the base of the bulb. The leaves are of two kinds: 2 to 3 basal leaves growing from the center of the bulb, broadly lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, green with a white bloom; and 1 to 2 stem leaves, smaller than the basal leaves, lanceolate in shape. The flower is solitary at the top of the stem, growing upright in a cup shape, with 6 tepals that clasp together, opening during the day and closing at night and on cloudy or rainy days, with 6 stamens and 1 pistil. The fruit is a capsule, the seeds are flat, and it blooms in early spring.

Tulip varieties are rich in types, and according to incomplete statistics, there are currently more than about 8000. Flower colors include white, yellow, red, pink, deep red, rose red, lotus pink, and so on, as well as varieties with multicolored streaks and two-colored front and back. There are both single-flowered and double-flowered varieties. Flower shapes include spherical, ovate, bowl-shaped, cup-shaped, lily-flowered, and so on. Plants come in tall, medium, and short forms. The flowering period varies as early, mid, and late.

Tulips originated in the Mediterranean coast, Central Asia, Turkey, and other places, and are now cultivated all over the world, especially in the Netherlands, where they are most numerous. In recent years, some large cities in China have introduced many superior varieties from the Netherlands, used for garden landscaping and potted ornamental display.

Tulip is a typical Mediterranean-climate autumn-planted bulbous flower, cold-tolerant and heat-averse, preferring a mild climate, fresh and humid air, and sufficient light. The suitable growth temperature is 15°C to 18°C. In the Beijing area, entering summer often brings rapid temperature rises and dry monsoon winds, and the plants quickly enter dormancy, making it relatively difficult to overcome bulb degeneration. For potting, it requires a humus-rich, loose and fertile, well-drained sandy potting soil, with pH preferably between 6.0 and 6.5.

Tulips are usually propagated by dividing bulbs. The planting bulb flowers in the current year and produces 1 to 3 new bulbs, with several small daughter bulbs below. Afterward, the old planting bulb dries up and disappears, and the bulb's lifespan is 1 year. New and old bulbs are replaced once each year; the new bulbs can flower the following year, while the small daughter bulbs need to continue to be grown for several years before they grow large enough to flower.

Potted tulips are planted in pots in early October. Healthy, plump, firm, and glossy bulbs should be selected, and planted in pots with an inner diameter of 20 cm, with 5 to 7 bulbs per pot. First fill the pot halfway with soil and level it, then plant the bulbs into the soil to half their depth. Note that the side toward which the bulb's growing tip leans, which tends to be the flatter side, should be arranged evenly, then water thoroughly, and after the potting soil settles, set the bulbs upright again, then place the pot in a sunny cold frame or a sheltered, sunny spot in the courtyard. Cover with 20 cm of loose, moist soil, without pressing it firm, and keep the covering soil moist at all times, neither too dry nor too wet. After 60 to 80 days of low temperature, when the roots have grown sufficiently and the bud center begins to sprout (early to mid-December), take the pot out, clean off the covering soil, then loosen the surface potting soil and fill in fertilized potting soil up to the rim. Fertilized potting soil is ordinary potting soil with 30 percent fully decomposed barnyard manure and a little sesame paste residue added. Move the pot indoors to a place with diffused light and keep the room temperature at 5°C to 10°C; it must not be too high, otherwise the leaves will be thin and small when the buds emerge. When the leaves gradually unfold, water and mist appropriately to keep the potting soil and environment moist. Before budding, move it into sunlight, raise the room temperature to 15°C to 18°C, and apply 0.2% monopotassium phosphate solution 1 to 3 times. By New Year's Day it can bloom. If you want it to bloom at Spring Festival, you can appropriately delay the time of moving it indoors. When the flowers fade, they should be cut off immediately to benefit the development of new underground bulbs. After flowering, it is best to create a lightly shaded, fresh, and humid environment as much as possible to prolong the plant's growth period, which benefits the full development of the new bulbs. As the temperature rises continuously in early summer, the plant's leaves gradually wither; it is best to let them dry naturally and not cut them off too hastily, so that the leaf nutrients can be transferred to and stored in the new underground bulbs, which benefits flowering the following year. Once the bulbs enter dormancy, they can be taken out of the pot and stored properly, and strong bulbs selected again for planting in autumn.