A beginner's guide to tulip planting in August
Tulips are spring flowers with a sophisticated shape of buds of various shades. They are one of the first to delight summer residents after a long, cold winter. To enjoy the abundant and long lasting flowering, it is important to follow the planting guidelines. The procedure is carried out in August - November, depending on the climate in the region.
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Is it possible to plant tulips in August
The end of summer and autumn is the most suitable period for planting tulips. Spring planting is not practiced, since the bulbs do not have enough time for rooting and further development. The plant will not be able to release leaves and buds until the onset of cold weather.
Important! The main reason for planting tulips in August is the need for bulb stratification. The cold test is required for the natural hardening of the plant in natural conditions and wintering without losses.
Tulips, planted in August - October, delight with bright and large buds and long flowering. Plants planted in spring even if they release buds, they will not delight gardeners with either beauty or size, and the shades of the petals will mostly be dull and inexpressive.
Pros and cons
Benefits of planting tulips in August:
- building up a powerful root system;
- maximum supply of nutrients from the soil to the bulbs;
- safe wintering;
- natural hardening of the planting material;
- abundant and long-lasting spring bloom;
- rich selection of varieties.
Disadvantages:
- with late planting, the risk of incomplete rooting and freezing of the bulbs increases;
- damage to planting material by rodents, pests, pathogens of fungal and bacterial infections.
Landing dates
There are no exact dates for planting tulips, it all depends on the weather conditions in the growing region. As a rule, the procedure begins at the end of August and ends in October. The rooting period of the bulbs takes 30–40 days. Therefore, gardeners recommend monitoring the weather conditions in order to start planting tulips before frost. Planting too early is undesirable - the bulbs will sprout and die with the onset of the first frost.
Optimum air temperature for planting tulips: + 15 ... + 17 ° С during the day, + 5 ... + 7 ° С at night. Soil temperature should be + 6… + 10 ° С.
Auspicious days according to the lunar calendar
Gardeners who trust the lunar calendar plant tulips in the waxing moon phase. It is believed that this contributes to the enlargement of the bulbs. Landing during the waning moon provokes their shallowness.
Planting dates in 2020:
- August - 1, 2, 6, 10-12, 16, 20-26, 28, 29;
- September - 3-9, 15, 16, 19-21, 24-30;
- October - 3-6, 8-11, 13-15, 26-28;
- November - 2, 5-9, 16-19, 22, 24, 27-29.
Landing dates in 2021:
- August - 10-15, 17-19, 27-29;
- September - 1, 2, 8–12, 15, 16, 19, 20, 25, 29, 30;
- October - 7-13, 16-18, 21, 27;
- November - 2, 3, 6-10, 13, 14, 17-19.
The most successful days are considered to be when the Moon is in Libra and Taurus. Plants planted during this period bloom long and profusely.
It is interesting:
Suitable varieties for August planting
Early tulips are suitable for planting in August, which germinate in March. Consider the most popular varieties:
- Candy Prince - a variety with large buds of light lilac color. Suitable for creating combined flower arrangements, is unpretentious in care.
Candy Prince - Monroe It stands out among other varieties with large white or creamy white buds, a pleasant aroma and long flowering (up to 15 days). The plant reaches 20-25 cm in height.
Monroe - Monte Carlo - large buds reach 10 cm in diameter, petals are bright yellow. Plants are resistant to disease and temperature fluctuations.
Monte Carlo
Preparatory stage
When planting tulips, it is important to choose a place for the flower bed, prepare the soil and the bulbs.
Site and soil selection and preparation
Tulips prefer lighted areas without gusty winds and drafts with light sandy loam, humus-rich soil. A heavy and sandy soil for flowers is not suitable. Clayy, clogged soil is loosened with river sand. Too poor sandy fertilizer is fertilized with turf, humus and peat (20 liters per 1 m²).
Reference. There should be no stagnant water on the site. With a close occurrence of groundwater, tulips are planted on hills or earthen embankments. To combat the high occurrence of groundwater, drainage grooves are constructed at a depth of 50 cm.
An excess amount of organic matter negatively affects flowering: the buds take an irregular shape, the forming peduncles are bent. When fertilizing the soil with fresh manure, the roots often rot, so the daughter bulbs become unsuitable for further reproduction.
Plowing green manures into the soil has a beneficial effect on the development and growth of tulips. Disinfected compost has this effect. It is important that the soil is neutral or alkaline. To determine the pH of the soil, litmus strips are used, which are sold in gardening stores.
To normalize acidity, slaked lime, chalk or dolomite flour (400–500 g per 1 m²) is embedded in the soil. In addition to organic matter, the soil is fertilized with minerals that contribute to long-term flowering and an increase in buds. The most popular mineral additives are superphosphate (30–40 g per 1 m²), potassium sulfate (20–30 g per 1 m²), wood ash (100–200 g per 1 m²).
Selection and preparation of planting material
Both purchased planting material and collected independently must be disinfected.
When choosing bulbs, pay attention to:
- size - it is better to take large specimens with a high percentage of germination compared to small ones;
- Density - Bulbs must be firm and tough;
- dried bottom - this material has excellent germination.
Sluggish planting material with a rotten smell, traces of mold and white spots is not used for planting.
Before disinfection, the hard shell is removed from the bulbs. The material is soaked in a solution of "Fundazol" or potassium permanganate (5 g per 10 l) for 30 minutes.
How to properly plant tulips in August
When planting tulips, it is recommended to observe a number of nuances: the depth of planting the bulbs, the distance between them, the crop rotation.
Step-by-step instruction
The disinfected planting material is immediately planted on prepared flower beds. It is not recommended to keep the bulbs in a swollen state for a long time due to the threat of a decrease in germination. Furrows are made on the plot with a depth of 10–15 cm. The bulbs are planted in loose soil 5–7 cm deeper. The planting depth is influenced by the characteristics of the variety:
- extra-class bulbs are buried by 15-18 cm;
- material of II-III analysis is planted to a depth of 10–12 cm;
- children only slightly deepen - by 5-6 cm.
Dry soil is preliminarily watered with warm, settled water. Fertilizer is applied to the bottom of the furrows, if this was not done when plowing. A layer of river sand (4-5 cm) is poured on top. The bulbs are buried with the bottoms down.
In the work, they use a landing cone, which is convenient for making recesses, or a garden trowel.To minimize the risk of root breakage, it is not recommended to press the material hard into the soil. Before filling the furrows, the bulbs are powdered with wood ash.
Reference. It is important to observe crop rotation and return the plants to their original place only after 3-4 years.
Tulips are planted not only directly in the ground, but also in containers or boxes. This method is popular in many countries.
The container should be roomy. The containers are filled with a ready-made substrate for flowers, which is previously disinfected with a solution of "Fitosporin" or potassium permanganate. The soil is prepared independently by mixing turf, vermiculite, humus, river sand and perlite with coconut fiber in a ratio of 4: 1: 1: 1: 1. The structure of the mixture must be loose.
Pits are dug on the site, the depth of which corresponds to the height of the container, sand is poured and containers with a substrate are placed. Prepared bulbs are planted, keeping a distance of 5-10 cm, depending on the size of the material. A nutritious substrate is poured on top, the area is mulched with peat or humus.
Planting scheme and depth
To plant tulips, the following rule applies: the depth is equal to the height of the bulb multiplied by 3. For example, medium or large bulbs 4-5 cm high are buried 12-15 cm.
The generally accepted scheme for planting bulbous plants looks like this: the distance between the bulbs is 10–20 cm. With this arrangement of planting material, neighboring plants will not interfere with each other during growth.
When to plant tulips in different regions
The timing of planting tulips directly depends on the climate in the region. In the middle zone of the country (Moscow region, Leningrad region) flowers are planted in mid-September - early October. In areas with short summers (Siberia, Urals), tulips are planted in mid-August - September, when the soil temperature at a depth of 10 cm is + 10 ° C. The plot is mulched with a layer of peat 10–12 cm in order to protect the bulbs from early frost.
Varieties that do not need to be dug for 3-5 years (Foster, Kaufman, Greig), Darwin hybrids, Triumph, simple early and late, species tulips are recommended to be planted next to varieties resistant to drought, perennials with shallow roots.
Planting dates in the southern regions are shifted to a later time, taking into account the peculiarities of the climate. Here, planting is performed in October - November.
Conclusion
Tulips are planted mainly in the fall to take root. It is important to be in time before the arrival of frost and not to plant the material too early. In a favorable temperature environment, the bulbs release roots and die during frost. When landing, it is important to comply with the terms, focusing on weather conditions and the lunar calendar.
In the south, flowers can be planted in October - November, in the middle lane - in mid September - early October, in Siberia and the Urals - in mid August - September. The bulbs are buried by 10-18 cm, depending on their size, into prepared furrows or into boxes or containers.