Tulips are a beautiful decoration for any flower garden or lawn. You can grow beautiful tulips all year round with the right care and attention. It's pretty easy – there's no watering schedule and it doesn't require complicated fertilization techniques either. Whether you are a beginner or a professional, this flower is a good choice for any type of garden.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Planting Your Tulip Bulbs
Step 1. Plant your tulips in the fall, about 6 to 8 weeks before winter
Tulip root is best planted in October or November in most climates (the warmer your climate, the later in the year you should plant it). Soil temperature should be below 15°C.
- You can store your tulip bulbs in the refrigerator (or another cool, dry place) about 2 months before planting if you buy them in the summer. However, do not store them near apples, as apples give off ethylene, which can damage the roots of the tubers.
- Most tubers need a 12-14 week cooling period to bloom beautifully in spring. Do not buy root bulbs after December 1 unless they have been refrigerated beforehand.
Step 2. Choose a shady place
It's also a good idea to stay in the sun for at least a few days after you plant your tulips. In areas like southeastern America, plant it in an area that gets only morning sun. Tulips need sunlight, but they also need cool soil – don't place tulips in areas where the sun can burn them.
If you're in an area further north, all-day sun may be fine for the tulips (the soil is naturally quite cool). But if you're further south where the climate tends to be hotter, a shady spot during the day will do better to keep the soil cool
Step 3. Choose a well-absorbed sandy soil with a pH of 6 to 6.5
There is no sub-species of tulip flower that prefers excessive humidity. Soil should be well absorbent, neutral to slightly acidic, fertile, and even sandy.
Wet soil can kill tulips. Never intentionally over-water your tulips -- you must ensure smooth absorption by adding shredded pine bark or even sand to the area
Step 4. Plant the root of the tuber to a depth of 3 times the root of the tuber
The bigger the root, the deeper the hole should be. We recommend that the hole has a depth of more than 20 cm. Loosen the soil to ensure water infiltration or make a soil bed.
- The bigger the root, the bigger the flower that will bloom.
- If you live in an area with a very warm climate, you may need to store the roots in your refrigerator for the first 4-6 weeks to simulate cold weather. Give it a little water every few weeks to keep it moist.
Step 5. Leave a distance of about 15.2 cm between the roots of the tubers planted
Roots need about 10.2 to 15.2 cm of soil area alone to grow optimally, otherwise they will interfere with each other's nutrient absorption. Determine the size of the plot of land that will allow each of your tulips to have a "home of its own."
- Plant each tuber root perpendicular to the top. Cover the hole again with soil and press firmly.
- Tulips breed quickly. Even if you plant only a few, you will get a lot of fruit in just a few years.
Step 6. After planting the roots of your tulip bulbs, coat the tops with chopped leaves, wood chips or straw
If you're concerned about rodents or pets in your garden, you may need to build a cage or fence around the roots of the tubers.
- Cover the soil with a 2.5 - 5 cm layer of straw, leaves, or wood chips to protect the roots, control weeds and retain moisture.
- If you are growing perennials (perennials), you will need to feed them every year to get them to thrive again. You can use organic matter, compost, or a root diet that provides consistent nutrition throughout the fall to start the process.
Part 2 of 3: Taking Care of Your Tulips
Step 1. Water your Tulips after planting
Right after planting, usually tulips really need water to trigger their growth. This will likely be one of the few times you will have to water it.
Don't water it again before the leaves start to grow. If you see growing leaves, you just need to give a little splash of water
Step 2. Water the tulips only in the dry season
If it doesn't rain in your area for a week, give your tulips a spray of water. This will be one of those rare occasions where you have to apply a little moisture to the soil.
Tulips usually hardly need watering throughout the spring because it usually rains and the weather is quite humid. The weather will help you care for the tulips you plant in the spring with normal rainfall
Step 3. Don't let the tulips get waterlogged
If it's raining heavily in your area, remove any excess water around the tulips if possible. Tulips can't stand standing water, and soaking soil will kill your beloved flowers.
If you notice that the area where you are growing your tulips is prone to waterlogging, it would be best if you move your tulips to a drier area. Dig and scoop up the soil around it and find an area that stays in the rain, but dries out quickly
Step 4. Fertilize your tulips in early fall and once in spring to keep them growing
A nutritionally balanced liquid fertilizer is very good to apply to tulips that have been planted for about 3-4 weeks. This is especially important for perennial tulips.
- Sprinkle or pour about a tablespoon of flower or plant fertilizer around each tulip bulb root. The fertilizer provided will provide sufficient nutrition for your tulips during the winter "hibernation" period. Tulips are amazing at storing nutrients for a long period of time.
- If you forget to fertilize in the fall, you can apply a nitrogen fertilizer to the growing leaves.
- Tulips are usually quite easy to care for. If your area only has one season, chances are you won't need to apply fertilizer at all. In the right climate, you can grow tulips without worrying about watering and fertilizing.
Part 3 of 3: Giving Tulips Care After Flowering
Step 1. Check for "blights" and diseases of the tulips
"Blight" (or tulip flame) causes brown spots on the leaves and also causes the flowers to turn gray. If one of your bulbs becomes diseased, dig the root out and remove it to avoid transmitting the disease to other tulips. If only a small part of the plant is damaged, cut it off and see if you can save the plants.
- The only thing you can do to ward off disease is to take good care of your tulips. You'll want to make sure that your tulips get adequate moisture, adequate shade, and are properly planted in slightly acidic soil.
- Aphids can be a problem, you can get rid of them with just a spray of water.
Step 2. After flowering, cut the tulips
Tulips produce seeds once they begin to wither, and the seeds will weaken the tulip, making it look unattractive. This pruning practice is especially good for annuals and seasonal crops. Here's how to do it:
- Cut the flower heads from the stems with scissors once they are fully wilted.
- Leave most of the stems in place for about six weeks or until the leaves begin to turn yellow.
- Trim the leaves from the top of the tulip to the bottom just above the soil surface and remove any remaining tulips after six weeks have elapsed. If necessary, mark the location, so you can find the roots later.
- However, do not do this to the tulip species, as it would be very beautiful if you let them multiply and fill your garden with beautiful tulips.
Step 3. If the tulip you are planting is an annual tulip, dig out the roots
Some tulips are annuals, meaning their entire life lasts only one year -- the annual tulip and its offspring will not grow back. Once all the tulips have bloomed and died, remove the entire plant from the roots to the tips.
Many growers and gardeners prefer annual types of tulips when they grow tulips. Annual tulips are easy to grow and care for, inexpensive, and are finished at the end of the year. They could plant more next year and experiment with different types if they wanted
Step 4. Know if your tulips might grow back
If you plant perennial tulips, leave their roots in the soil, and take good care of them, a bunch of beautiful tulips will probably grow in the coming year (there will probably be a lot of tulips growing ahead -- because tulips reproduce quickly). Here are the types of tulips that are most likely to grow back without requiring great effort on your part:
- "Olympic Flame" Tulip
- "Peppermint Stick" Tulip
- Crocus Tulip
- Triumph Tulip's "Negrita"
- "Spring Green" Veridiflora Tulip
Tips
Dig up and remove the tuber roots once the leaves and stems have browned so that the area can be used to plant new plants later
Warning
- Do not fertilize after the tulips have just bloomed. Doing so can increase the chances of the tulips developing disease.
- Using straw that is too thick (more than 5.1cm) will harm the tulips, because it is difficult for the tulips to receive sunlight because it is blocked by the straw.
