The tulip plant is one of the flowering bulbs that are planted during October and November, provided that the cultivation is done in sunny places and in fertile, well-drained soil.
How to grow tulips.
Growing tulips at home.
Tulip bulbs need to be planted in fertile soil with good drainage and in sunny places. The planting takes place during the month of October and November in the ground at a depth of 12-15 cm, and the distance between the bulb and the other is 15 cm.
Water needs in tulips.
Tulip plants in the spring are lightly irrigated, and the plants are fertilized with NPK integrated fertilizer at the beginning of the growing season (spring), but the fertilization has no effect on the characteristics of flowers in the first year, but it helps to improve the characteristics of flowers in the following seasons.
Fertilizing in the first season of bulb growth helps to form new bulbs that appear after planting.
When flowering, the flowers must be picked from their base with one leaf and the remaining leaves left until
they are dry.
best places to plant tulips.
Short types of tulips are planted next to the house, and on both sides of the roads. Short varieties are planted in the front places or are planted in prominent and clear places in the garden or in rocky gardens, as well as between trees and shrubs, as well as in places confined between the house and the car garage In the home garden.
Short types of tulips are also planted in window gardens in suitable pots.
As for the tall types of flowering tulips, they are grown in flower beds as well as flower galaxies, as well as in the outer borders of the home garden.
Tulip bulbs are grown in groups in basins, and these basins are either square in shape, triangular, circular or semi-circle shape, provided that one color of flowers is planted in those basins and in all their forms.
In the back basins of the garden, it is preferable to plant more than one color, taking into account the contrast in choosing the colors of the flowers.
Growing tulips indoors.
Tulip bulbs can be pushed to flower in December and January, when the plant is indoors, by planting the bulbs in September in pots and placing them in cold stores for 10-12 weeks and lightly irrigated.
After that, the pots are moved indoors in a dark and warm place at a temperature of 16 degrees Celsius for a period of 2-3 weeks.
When the plant begins to grow above the surface of the soil and is 3-5 cm long, the plants are moved to the lit places inside the rooms at a temperature between 18-20 degrees Celsius.
In the cultivation of bulbs, soil consisting of a mixture of agricultural soil and house moss is used, and pots with a diameter of 15-20 cm are used, and a number of 8-10 bulbs are
planted in each pot.
Methods of paying tulips for flowering.
There are several ways to push tulips to flower, as follows:
First: The first way to push tulips to flower.
This method is done by following these steps:
1- Exposing the bulbs to a low temperature that begins after the formation of the flower parts for a period of 6 weeks, provided that the temperature is 9 degrees Celsius.
2- After that, the bulbs are moved to a cool dark place outside the house for 5-6 weeks.
3- After that, the bulbs are moved to bright places inside the house.
Second: The second way to push tulips to flower.
This method is done by following these steps:
1- Store dry onions at a temperature of 5 degrees Celsius for 12 weeks.
2- The bulbs are then planted in suitable pots, or they are planted in basins, flower beds, between trees and shrubs, or in selected places according to the desire of the home owner.
Uprooting tulips.
Tulip bulbs may be left without plucking in their place, taking care of fertilization and irrigation, where they are left in place for a period of 3-4 years.
Or the bulbs are uprooted from the ground after their leaves are completely dry, and the remnants of vegetative growth are carefully removed and the bulbs are left for a week or two until they are completely dry, then they are placed in a cool, well-ventilated place on perforated tables and should not be placed in closed bags or closed boxes at all.
Tulips growing problems.
Tulip bulbs are exposed to some problems that must be overcome to get good flowers, and these problems are all of these.
common tulip plant problems solutions and treatment
Usually, the emergence of flowers occurs, but they are not fully developed, and some parts of the flower may be damaged, where damage to the flower cover or edge occurs, and they may turn green, and the flower market may appear, but the flower parts may be incomplete, and death of the flower may occur in an early stage Or the flower stem is not formed except for the first leaf, or the flower stem is completely lost.
The reason for the emergence of these problems in the following cases:
1 – The main reason is the high temperature before planting and during the transfer of bulbs as a result of the effect of high temperature during transportation.
2- Pushing the bulbs to flower when they are in an early stage, or exposing them to high temperatures.
Sudden change in temperature.
Second: The problem of the watery neck:
This problem appears in the case of bulbs that were previously pushed to flower, where the lower back neck is weak, then the flower falls and bends during opening or after picking.
When analyzing these parts, it was found that they contain a small percentage of calcium.
This condition is treated with fertilization during the growth period, especially the addition of calcium.
Third: the chalky shape of the bulbs.
In this problem, white chalk-like spots appear on the bulbs when stored, and this white dot spreads over the entire bulb, and the bulb becomes solid like a stone.
This situation is due to the following reasons:
1- Mechanical damage (transportation and handling) to bulbs before they are stored.
2- Uprooting the immature bulbs.
3- Storing the bulbs while they are still wet It did not dry out completely.
4- Storage in poorly ventilated and humid warehouses.
5- Exposing the bulbs to direct sunlight for a few hours continuously, after removing the peel from the bulbs.
Fourth: The solid base:
The hard base means the crust, which prevents the penetration of the roots after their growth, and this is due to the early plucking of the bulbs before their full maturity. This also causes exposure to high temperatures during growth, which leads to the hardness of the crust.
Fifthly: water absorption:
This means the appearance of black spots on the leaves, which appear when transferring bulbs from places exposed to frost to inside the greenhouse under high temperature, as well as under conditions of increased humidity inside the greenhouse after heavy irrigation.
Diseases affecting tulip bulbs:
The tulip plant is affected by many diseases, including the following:
Streptococcus bacterial disease.
Tulip bulbs are infected with streptococcus bacteria and this disease appears on green leaves as soon as they appear above the surface of the soil.
Where the stems of the affected plants are very short and have a gray (gray) color.
In this case, the infected bulbs are uprooted from the ground, burned away from the garden, and some pesticides are sprayed on the fallen leaves on the surface of the soil, while collecting the leaves and burning them away from the garden.
And tulip bulbs should not be planted on the same plot of land unless it has been sterilized and disinfected.
Brown spot disease in tulips:
Brown spot disease, which is caused by the fungus Botrytis tulipae and can be overcome by spraying systemic fungicides every two weeks or spraying with some fungicides such as Dichlofluanid or spraying with the fungicide Dithiocarbamate.
Gray onion rot disease:
This disease is caused by the fungus Sclerotium tuliparum, and this disease is treated by burning the affected bulbs and the part of the soil surrounding them. Also, do not plant bulbs in the same place until after 5 years.
Root rot disease:
Tulip bulb root rot is caused by the fungus Pythinum spp Rhyizoctonia. To treat this disease, the infected bulbs are uprooted and the soil sterilized.
Insects that infect tulip bulbs:
Among the most important insects that infect tulip bulbs are:
1- Toxic nematodes:
Bulbs infected with poisonous nematodes are treated by spraying with diazinon at a rate of 5 g next to the affected plant, then irrigation or spraying with well-known nematode pesticides such as the granulated tamek pesticide, fioridan or nemacure pesticide.
2- Aphids:
Treatment is with malathion 57%.
3- Mice and cats:
Mice and cats eat tulip bulbs when covering the bulbs with rice straw in the winter, and the control is done using poisonous baits, especially mice.