How to Fertilize Tulips? A Detailed Guide to the Correct Fertilization Method

Tulips are perennial bulbous flowers of the lily family. The plant grows 30-40 cm tall, with an ovate bulb covered by a scaly membranous tunic. Flower colors include bright red, black-red, yellow, white, purple and others. They prefer a warm, humid, sunny or semi-shaded environment and cannot tolerate intense heat. They require sandy loam rich in humus and with good drainage.

1. Home cultivation. Bulb division is commonly used for propagation. Generally, after rooting and leafing out, apply a top dressing once every half month, mainly phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, with an appropriate amount of Jinbaobei bacterial fertilizer added, which can make the flowers more intensely fragrant.

2. Greenhouse production. Tulips need large amounts of nutrients during the budding stage and the bud-emergence stage, and tulips grown for cut flowers are even more sensitive to fertilizer. If fertilizer is insufficient, the stems and leaves grow weakly and the flower stems are frail. After rooting, apply some nitrogen fertilizer appropriately, applying 2 kg of calcium nitrate per 100 sq m in 3 applications, with a one-week interval between each pair of applications. The calcium ions in calcium nitrate can also prevent tulip damping-off. When the bulb sprouts and the new shoots emerge 2-3 cm above the soil, potassium fertilizer, nitrogen fertilizer and an appropriate proportion of Jinbaobei bacterial fertilizer should be applied. After the flower buds form, apply potassium fertilizer once more, or spray potassium dihydrogen phosphate on the leaves, to promote tulip flowering.