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How to prune tulips after flowering. How to care for tulips after flowering. Care for tulips after flowering in the garden, at home

Florists are often interested in the question of what to do with tulips after flowering. After the tulips have faded, the trouble with them does not end. To make them happy with colorful blooms in the new season, a number of actions will be required. It is necessary:

  • Water tulips abundantly after flowering;
  • To feed;
  • Dig and store the bulbs properly.

So the last petals from the tulips showered, but this does not mean that the planting can be abandoned without care. For the formation of good quality onions, the creation of favorable conditions will be required. However, caring for tulips after flowering in the garden is quite simple, even a schoolboy can handle this.

Do I need to cut tulips after flowering?

When to crop tulips after flowering photo

When to cut tulips after flowering? First cut the flower stalk: cut the flower stalks after all the petals have crumbled. If you leave the peduncles, the bulb will give nutrients to the formation and maturation of seeds. If you cut off the ground part completely, the bulb also does not get the necessary amount of nutrients, so be sure to leave the leaves. When the leaf plates turned yellow and dried on their own, then the bulbs are ripe and you can dig them out.

Watering tulips after flowering

Within 1-2 weeks after cutting the peduncles, it is necessary to water the plantings abundantly, loosen the soil and remove weed grass.

How to feed

Immediately after flowering, feed tulips with potassium-phosphorus fertilizer to prepare for future wintering and flowering; you can’t add nitrogen.

Tulips after flowering what to do video:

When to dig out tulips after flowering in the open ground

Should I dig up tulips after flowering?

You can not dig out tulip bulbs for several seasons in a row. Dig bulbs if necessary, planting less often when the lawn has become thickened. They also have to dig in regions with harsh winters for storage indoors until spring.

When to dig tulip bulbs after flowering?

When to dig out tulips after flowering in Siberia and Moscow region? Dig the tulip bulbs when the leaves turn completely yellow and dry. Follow these steps:

  • To dig out the bulbs, it is better to choose a warm sunny day so that the bulbs can dry out normally;
  • Work shovel carefully so as not to damage the roots and bulbs of tulips;
  • After digging, carefully inspect the bulbs. Painful in appearance, rotten discard;
  • If you dig a bulb in rainy weather, rinse them and dry them in a warm, ventilated room;
  • If there are signs of disease (fungus, spots, dots), treat the bulbs with fungicide, then store them separately from the total mass.

When to transplant tulips after flowering

When to dig and plant tulips after flowering? It is not worth replanting bulbs of tulips that have just faded. It is necessary to wait until the ground part begins to turn yellow and dry (it is advisable to cut off the faded peduncles immediately after the leaves are showered). By this time, all the nutrients will go into the bulb and it will be ready for the new growing season. Tulips are planted after flowering or in June, immediately after excavation, or in mid-September to mid-October. In regions with severe winters (for example, in the Urals), many flower growers plant tulips in the spring.

Tulip transplant after flowering in June

The leaves should flow and dry, then proceed to transplant. To do this is quite simple: dig out the bulbs and plant less often, maintaining the same level of planting. You can not specifically dry the bulbs, but plant them immediately after digging. You can cut dry tops already after transplanting, it is more convenient to control the depth of planting. But if you are sure that you are not mistaken, you can trim the leaves immediately.

How to store tulips after flowering

How to store tulip bulbs after flowering?  After the dug up tulip bulbs are dug up, dried and sorted, we proceed to storage. It is best to use mesh boxes, bulbs can be laid in 1-2 layers, so they do not rot. In addition to sorting and unfolding properly, an important component of the proper storage of bulbs is the appropriate temperature. So:

  • In July, store at a temperature of 24-26 ° C;
  • In August, lower the mark to 20 ° C;
  • Starting in September, a temperature of 17 ° C is required if you plan a spring planting;
  • In the following months (until planting in spring in open ground), store at a temperature of 12-15 ° C.

It is very important to observe the correct temperature regime when storing the bulbs, since during this time the kidneys are formed, leaf plates and peduncles are laid.

Store bulbs in a dry, ventilated area. Periodically look at the bulbs, discard damaged (rotten) ones, so as not to ruin all the planting material.

How to dig and store tulips before planting in the fall we look at the video:

Dug tulips can also be planted in the fall, in the middle - the second half of September, until mid-October. Learn how to dig and save tulips before autumn planting from the video.

In order to grow a large bulb or propagate a variety, on the 4-8th day of flowering, it is necessary to cut off the flowering head. This measure helps to increase the mass of the bulb.

Remove crumbling petals, yellowed leaves from the garden - they will rot, which contributes to the development of pathogens in the area.

To greatly facilitate the work of caring for tulips, plant them in plastic baskets (there are also special containers for this). After flowering, dig out the containers with the bulbs and rearrange them in a secluded place for the ripening of the bulbs.

How to understand that a tulip bulb has ripened? Dig one of them and carefully inspect. The ripened onion has superficial scales of a pleasant saturated brown color, with a slight glossy shine.

For flower growers, the question of the timing of digging up tulips is quite exciting, their future growth and flowering depends on this. I will explain to those who are not yet in the subject: they dig up tulips when they bloom, for summer vacations, plant in autumn, they winter in the garden.

The opinions of gardeners differ, there are those who do not dig bulbs at all, believing that it is better not to disturb the flowers. But this is a very vague argument, in fact, without digging up the tulip bulbs they are smaller, they are reluctant to multiply, the risk of diseases and pests is increased, and if you do not dig up more than 2 years, it is very difficult to find the bulbs - they literally go to the depths.

Varietal tulips of the Dutch selection (up to 90% of them on the world market), even acclimatized to our latitudes, are noticeably smaller without transplantation. Sometimes, due to the banal lack of time (garden, berries) and laziness, expensive and beautiful varietal tulips disappear. Although my grandmother dug out outbred simple red tulips every year, they bloomed every year for everyone! It is permissible to dig them out after 2, maximum 3 years, if this is not done, then the bulbs will gradually go deep into the ground so that there is not enough strength to germinate.

There are varieties that completely lose varietal characteristics without drying and a warm dry period in the summer - in other words, in the second year, flowers of a different color and terry will bloom from un digged bulbs. Sometimes they do not bloom at all, unfold the leaves, vegetate their period and safely fade, not even pleased with the flower. Sometimes they wither away and completely disappear. An angry flower grower can blame unscrupulous sellers and breeders, but in fact, you just need to know in advance which variety you are purchasing.

In general, all tulips can be divided into three groups:

  • Requiring annual excavation: lilac, fringed, parrot, green, terry late, rembrandt tulips
  • Varieties that can not be dug up for 2 years: Darwin hybrids, Triumph tulips and simple ones - it is possible, but not desirable, i.e. ideally, it’s better to dig out every year.
  • Tulips that can grow up to 5 years without digging are varieties and hybrids of Kaufmann, Foster, Greig.

Although there are tulips that lose varietal characteristics due to inconsistent conditions, our climate zone does not help, neither proper planting nor care. This is explained by the genetic dependence of the variety on clear climatic factors (temperature deviations of 3-4 ° C already cause deviations in the formation of color or terry). Especially capricious are some varieties of Kaufman tulips Tulipa kaufmanniana, Greig tulips Tulipa greigii, some terry varieties, for example, varieties "Stresa", "Miranda", "Princess Charmant" and others).

Producers do not have much benefit in striving to develop sustainable varieties, their policy is simple - you buy new bulbs every year, and after flowering, throw them out, buy new ones.

By the way, there are light, resistant varieties among fringed tulips: “Blue Heron”, “Lambada”. Of the simple ones - the purple “Queen of the Night”, the Darwin hybrid “Blushing Apeldoorn” and the lilac-colored “Claudia”, from the Triumph group - “Yokohama” and “Arabian Mystery”.

Why dig up tulips

To summarize, why do you still need to dig up tulip bulbs:

  1. The need to divide the overgrown nest of bulbs, otherwise they lack nutrition area.
  2. Selection of healthy planting material and culling of damaged and weak bulbs.
  3. Adaptation to the local climate. Tulips are very thermophilic, during normal cultivation they lack warming, because the temperature at the depth of the beds or flower beds is much lower than the ambient temperature. Even in the southern regions of Russia, the soil temperature at a depth of 15-20 cm in June-July is not always sufficient, for example, to grow parrot and fringed varieties (this leads to a loss of variety). And we can store dug bulbs in the most optimal conditions.
  4. Soil preparation for the next cycle: during the season, the soil is compacted, depleted, loses nutrients and porosity, having cleaned the flower bed, it can be qualitatively prepared for fresh plantings.
  5. Plant the bulbs to the desired depth, if you do not dig up tulips, the bulbs gradually "go" to the ground.
  6. Another reason for the need to dig up the Dutch is their tendency to rot. There are varieties whose bulbs need to be dug up earlier, immediately after flowering, when the leaves just begin to turn yellow, and do not leave even in dry ground - they rot.

How to determine the timing of digging tulips

There is a general rule: you can dig out the tulip bulbs when one third of the leaf turns yellow. If you dig up at this stage, you will save the entire bulb nest intact - they do not fall apart. In central Russia, this is approximately the end of June, the beginning of July.

Advice on how to determine the time for digging the tulip bulbs: if the end of the tulip stem can be easily wrapped around your finger, it’s time to dig it out.

Even if the weather is dry and hot, do not leave tulips in the ground - if you are late with digging, when the leaves are completely dry and yellow, the nests of the bulbs easily break up when digging, the bulbs are small, it is difficult to select them all, you have to sift the soil.

However, there are exceptions to the rule - if in the spring and early summer the weather turned out to be damp and cold - unfavorable for tulips. No need to wait for yellowing, the bulbs need to be dug up and dried well. It is necessary to dig out, first of all, the earliest varieties that bloomed in April. Later varieties, immediately after flowering, you need to feed and dig out after 2 weeks. These bulbs, dug up prematurely, can be planted for ripening in containers, boxes. Those. sprinkle dry leaves and peduncles and put in a warm, dry place.

How to dig bulbs

Bulbs need to be dug up on dry ground when it is friable and pliable. Dig out with a pitchfork, grabbing a piece of land slightly departing from the planting, if the leaves and peduncles are still strong, shake off the ground and do not cut off the aboveground part - the remaining tops still give out nutrients to the bulbs.

If the ground is moist, rinse the bulbs in plenty of water. Then inspect.

A sign of ripening of tulip bulbs: the scales are dense, acquire a golden brown color.

Pay attention to mold and rot. Then the bulbs should be washed in a pink solution of potassium permanganate or foundationazole, you can use the drug maxim, copper chloride or medex. Stand in the solution for 30 minutes.

The bulbs are now ready for storage.

How to store tulip bulbs

First, the bulbs must be dried. For this we use cardboard boxes. It is important to sort by grades and be sure to sign immediately. We lay out in one layer.

Together, lay only healthy, good onions without spots. All suspects in the quarantine box, possibly alarms will be in vain and the bulbs well lie, especially after treatment with fungicides.

You can dry the bulbs like onions in nylon nets for vegetables in which they are sold in the supermarket.

It is important that the place for drying is well ventilated, not in the sun, slight shading, best of all - the attic of a country house or in a barn.

In the first two days, the old covering scales will dry on the bulbs, they can be removed like peel from the onion. Remove residual dried roots and debris. Well-dried bulb nests break up easily, if you do not want to, carefully separate them.

After drying and removing leaf debris (dry ones can be easily separated), you need to calibrate the bulbs in order to decide what to do next. First, select the largest ones for planting, with this, everything is simple for tulips - the larger the bulb, the better. The ideal size is a diameter of at least 4 cm, the shape is round. We plant a trifle as well as large ones, just remember that in the first year they may not bloom - they can be planted separately.

Storage temperature

The first month, the temperature is needed around 24-25 ° C, not lower than 23 ° C, with humidity not higher than 70% and very good air movement. For example, it is unacceptable to store in a garage, any garage is an unsaleable box where mold can easily grow, it is better to store it right on the street, under a canopy. If the weather has failed, we take the bulbs home on the mezzanine or under the bed, an old proven method ...

Temperature is important for a flower bud to form in the bulb. Sometimes flower "primers" warn us to raise the temperature, but in fact, the temperature depends on the needs of the varieties, for example, parrot and fringed tulips need to be stored at a temperature of about 30 ° C.

Since August, the temperature must be lowered, on average, about 20 ° C, if the bulbs were in a warm house, transfer to a barn or to the veranda. From the end of August to the beginning of September it is even cooler, about 15-16 ° C, it is these temperatures that are maintained in Dutch greenhouses, where everything is verified to a degree. But as humidity rises, it is already unacceptable to store it under a canopy on the street, look for a dry place.

Experts argue that it is impossible to deviate from the rules and violate the cyclical ripening of tulip bulbs: in the first month after digging, the buds of a flower, the formation of buds replacing (the main young bulb) and daughter bulbs, the laying of buds of leaves are laid. Two months later, the rudiments of stamens, ovary, pestle.

If the temperature regime deviates from the norm and the needs of the variety, after distillation or when growing in open ground, the formation of “blind” buds is observed (drying has not yet been opened).

However, blind buds can form for a number of reasons (insufficient cooling period before distillation, infection with Fusarium, etc.)

We store dug bulbs until the optimum planting dates, until about mid-September - mid-October, when the soil temperature is + 9-12 ° C, it depends on the region and the weather.

You must have heard or read stories about how someone has the same parrot tulips grow without digging and bloom for everyone to enjoy. Indeed, sometimes not digging up the summer is not fatal, but experienced gardeners know everything, even if the summer is warm, they can get by, but cooling for a week can lead to rot and other diseases.

Olga Treuhina

Tulips grown in the garden delight the eye with their bright flowering in early spring, when all other plants only awaken from hibernation. But their flowering does not last long, and after that, a period of dormancy begins in the bulbs, when they begin to prepare for the next season. The rest period is a crucial moment in the cultivation of tulips. The flowering of next year depends on the observance of the rules for digging and storing bulbs.

Is it necessary to dig up tulips after flowering

Tulips are frost-resistant flowers that are not afraid of even the most severe frosts. They winter without problems in open ground and spring break out of the ground when the first heat. At the same place, tulips can be grown for more than one year, and this does not affect their vegetation. But this does not mean that the bulbs can be planted in the ground once and forget about them at the end of flowering.

Tulip bulbs must be dug up every year.

Tulips require careful care, not only during the growing season, but also after it. Bulb care after flowering is an important event on which the preservation of the size and brightness of the color of the flowers depends. Inexperienced flower growers often encounter a situation where purchased varietal bulbs, elegantly blooming in the first year after planting next spring give small, inconspicuous flowers. And a year later, only leaves appear on the planting site of the bulbs, and not a single flower is formed.

Inexperienced flower growers conclude that they were the victim of cheating sellers. But this opinion is erroneous. In fact, the cause of poor flowering is the result of improper care of the bulbs. Bulbs of varietal tulips must be dug out of the soil to care for them annually.

This must be done for the following reasons:

Therefore, the need for annual digging and drying of tulip bulbs for their proper development is beyond doubt. Therefore, after flowering in the open ground, all the bulbs need to be dug, sorted and dried.

In general, all varieties of tulips can be divided into three subgroups:

  1. Digging up every year. these include fringed, lilac, green, terry late, Rembrandt.
  2. Varieties that can be excavated once every two years. These are Darwin hybrids, Triumph tulips and simple, non-varietal species.
  3. Tulips that you can not dig out for 5 years. These include hybrids of Kaufman, Greig, Foster.

Dates and technology of digging tulips

The answer to the question of when to dig tulips depends on several factors. The timing is affected by climatic and weather conditions, variety and age of flowers. Most often, the digging dates come in late June and early July. But for early varieties, time may come in mid-June. Later varieties can end their vegetative period by the end of July.

The specific period of digging of bulbs can be determined by the condition of the aerial part of the flower. Yellowing of the leaves is a signal that the roots have begun to die, and the plant goes into a dormant state.

If the leaves of the tulip began to turn yellow, and the stem became more dry, then it is time to dig up the plant.

You should not rush the procedure until the leaves dry. If the bulbs are removed from the soil too early, they will be immature and subsequently poorly winter. It is also not worth delaying the process, since there is a risk of losing bulbs in the garden. Children from overripe bulbs easily fall off and are lost in the soil. In addition, the long stay of the bulbs in moist soil will lead to their defeat by fungus and mold.

Important. If spring stood out cold and rainy, but the summer heat did not come. Bulbs must be dug up without waiting for the leaves to turn yellow. In this case, the bulbs are planted for ripening in boxes filled with dry soil.

Dig bulbs only in dry weather, when the soil freely scatters. Plants are carefully removed from the soil along with the leaves and stems remaining on the bulbs. The remains of the aerial part and too long roots from the bulbs are cut off. The bulbs are washed in a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate, having previously removed the covering flakes from them.

After digging, the tulip bulbs are carefully cleaned of the earth and washed in manganese.

If you dig the bulbs in wet weather, you need to thoroughly wash all the soil from them. Raw bulbs are recommended to be treated with Fundazol or Maxim. In a solution of these preparations, the bulbs must be kept for 30 minutes.

Bulb drying and sorting rules

Before sorting, the bulbs are pre-dried and only then sorted by grade and size. Before drying, sorting is not recommended, since you can accidentally damage the delicate surface of the bulbs.

Bulbs must be dried in a well-ventilated place, protected from the sun. It is best to lay them in one layer on the shelves in the barn or in the attic of the country house. In the first week after drying, the upper, coarse scales and the remains of the roots will fall from the bulbs.

After drying, the bulbs are laid out in different boxes, sorted by size and grade. At the same time, specimens with injuries and signs of the disease are rejected. A healthy onion has a hard, smooth cream-colored surface. On top of the bulb is covered with a thin, golden brown scale.

Methods and conditions for storage of bulbs until planting

Bulbs are sorted and stacked in wooden boxes.

The question of how to store bulbs before planting in the fall also causes difficulties for beginner gardeners. Ideal place for bulbs - wooden boxes. This storage option is preferable to the use of cardboard boxes, which soak over time.

Large specimens are laid out in one layer, a trifle can be laid in 2-3 layers. To remove excess moisture and additional protection, some growers recommend sprinkling bulbs with dry sawdust.

Bulb storage temperature

Boxes with tulips are set in a dry, ventilated area. The optimal storage temperature in the first month is 24-25 degrees with a humidity level of not more than 70%. If weather conditions permit, boxes can be installed under a canopy right on the street. In cold and damp weather, leaving the bulbs on the street is not worth it. It is better to bring tulips into the house and place under the bed or on the mezzanine.

In August, the storage temperature of the bulbs must be reduced to 19-20 degrees. If the bulbs were stored at home until then, it is recommended that they be moved to the barn or to the veranda. In summer cottages, it is permissible to lower the bulbs into the basement. Since the end of August, the temperature of the content of the bulbs should not exceed 15-16 degrees.

Some flower growers store bulbs all the time before planting in the refrigerator at a temperature of 8-9 degrees and claim that after such storage tulips bloom beautifully and do not get sick.

Lighting and Humidity Requirements

During storage, the bulbs must be protected as much as possible from light access. Under natural conditions, the bulbs are constantly in the ground, so the extra light is unnatural for them. So that the natural physiological processes in the bulbs are not disturbed, they need complete darkness.

Tulip bulbs cannot be stored in rooms with high humidity.

Bulb humidity is absolutely contraindicated in bulbs. The humidity level in the room where tulips are stored should not exceed 70%.  Otherwise, the bulbs will damp and begin to mold.

At the same time, excessive dryness is also dangerous for the bulbs. When stored in a hot, dry room, the bulbs dry completely and literally turn into dust.

Experts say that maintaining all bulb ripening cycles ensures that varietal traits of plants are preserved. In the first month after extraction from the soil, the bud of a flower and the formation of buds of the replacing and daughter bulbs are laid. In the second month, the laying of leaf primordia occurs. And in the last month, the stamens, ovaries and pestle are laid. Violation of the recommended temperature conditions leads to the formation of "blind" buds during the cultivation in the soil.

Compliance with the rules for digging and storing bulbs ensures that tulips will delight the summer resident with their luxurious flowering for more than one year. This procedure is not complicated, so you should not neglect it, so that in spring, flower beds are decorated with elegant, large flowers.

This video will help you understand how to dig up tulips and when to do it.

The end of spring, the beginning of summer. One of the first spring flowers faded - tulips. The florist begins other troubles. It is necessary to dig the bulbs in a timely manner, sort them, lay them in storage and plant them in the fall at the optimum time.

Consider each type of work in more detail.

Why dig tulip bulbs?

There are several reasons. A feature of the growth of tulip bulbs is their constant desire to go deeper. If you do not dig out the bulbs after each flowering, then with each season the tulip children go deeper and deeper into the soil. From a great depth it is more difficult for them to grow. Seedlings every year become smaller and smaller, flowering stops. Over time, tulips will stop sprouting. The flowers will fade.

Another reason that forces gardeners to dig bulbs every year is the rapid degeneration of varietal tulips. It is noted that if exotic varieties of tulips (parrot or fringed) are not dug up at the end of the season, then after a short time the tulips return to their original form. Most often, tulips become ordinary, red.

Another reason tulips are best dug is the need for a dormant period. During this time, a flower arrow forms in the bulb. For the safe progress of this process, an elevated temperature is required - at least 25 ° C, but not higher than 35. At the landing depth, it is impossible to maintain such a temperature even in the southern regions.

Prolonged cultivation of any plant in one place leads to the accumulation of waste and pathogens around it. The annual digging of bulbs and planting them in a new place will reduce the likelihood of infection of plantings and provide plantings with fresh soil.

Currently, many tulip lovers plant bulbs in planting baskets. Do I need to dig bulbs planted in this way, because they almost do not go deep into the soil? Yes, of course, the tulip baby will not go to great depths, but the small bulbs remaining in large numbers will interfere with flowering, taking food from the mother bulb. In addition, digging up tulips planted in a basket will not take much effort and a lot of time, and almost everything, including the smallest ones, will be dug up the bulbs.

Another reason to dig tulip bulbs is sorting. Bulbs are sorted by size. In autumn, it is better to plant large and small bulbs separately, rejecting sick and weak plants.

There are exceptions to any rule. Species tulips and tulip bulbs of some varieties can be left in the place of growth for several seasons.

When to dig out tulips, optimal timing?

Choosing the right time to dig up the bulbs is very important for getting abundant flowering in the next season.

When tulips are planted by curtains among perennials, they can be dug in two to three seasons. You can decide whether or not to dig bulbs, given the flowering intensity. Plants, luxuriantly flowering, with healthy leaves can not be dug up annually.

In advance, when you need to dig bulbs is impossible. In each region, this happens differently. You can determine the required time by external signs.

  1. The main sign of the time to dig tulips is the color change of the leaves after flowering. Withered and yellowed leaves are the first sign that bulb formation has completed.
  2. Another sign showing that tulips need to be dug is the wilt of the peduncle. If the pedicel can be wound on a finger without breaking, it means that all the necessary substances from it have gone into the bulb and it can be dug out.
  3. Another sign of bulb ripening is the color of the bulb coverings. In sufficiently ripened bulbs, the outer layer is deep brown and dried.

But pull with this is not worth it. In an optimally ripened bulb, the children hold tight and do not fall off with a light touch. Having missed the necessary timelines, there is a danger that most of the small bulbs will remain in the soil and give small shoots for the next year.

In central Russia, the optimal time for digging tulip bulbs comes in late June - early July. And of course, you need to dig up tulips, given the timing of flowering. Early flowering varieties are dug up earlier, late flowering - later. To wait until all the best solution fades away. The bulbs of early-flowering tulips overripe and lose the baby, and in late-flowering tulips, bulbs have not yet formed.

How to dig tulips so that the bulbs are well kept?

Bulbs start digging on a clear day when the soil is well-dried. In this case, dry and loose soil will fall off easily and painlessly.

As a tool, it is better to use a pitchfork. Using a shovel, the probability of causing damage to the bulbs increases. After digging up the tulips, it is better to dig the plot again, removing the remaining bulbs.

It is better to keep the forks or the shovel when digging the bulbs vertically - so there is less chance of damaging the bulbs.

It is not worth taking tulips out of the ground, pulling them by the stem - the stem can remain in the hands, and the bulb in the ground.

How to save bulbs before planting?

Get the abundant flowering of tulips in the next season if you properly prepare the bulbs for storage. It is better to cut flowers before buds open, leaving at least two leaves on the plant. If the flowers are not cut, then try to avoid the formation of seeds, weakening the bulb.

Dug bulbs need:

  1. To dry. Dug bulbs are dried in the shade at a moderate temperature for up to three weeks.
  2. Choose the optimal storage conditions. At the initial stage of storage, the temperature should be at least + 15ºС, optimally + 25ºС and air humidity 70%. Gradually, the temperature should be reduced and brought to + 13ºС by the time of disembarkation. This will complete the ripening and harden the bulbs before planting. It is better to store planting material in trays, with a layer of no more than 3 rows, protecting from rodents and insects. Lighting for stored tulips is not required, weak, diffused light is allowed. Good ventilation will help protect tulip bulbs from diseases before planting.
  3. Before laying for storage, the bulbs are cleaned of the earth, freed from integumentary scales, dried roots are removed, and the bulbs are sorted by size. The depth of planting depends on the size of the planting material.

How to dig and store tulips: video

We plant tulips in the fall

Most often, tulips are planted on a flowerbed in the fall. By this time, the dormant period ends and the bulbs begin to sprout. Timing is almost unlimited. You can plant in the early autumn, and you can later, along with garlic, shortly before frost. Some gardeners plant tulips in early spring. In this case, they will bloom in mid-autumn. Such terms require a lot of labor - in the middle of summer, in the very heat, the flowers will need to be removed for a while in a cool place, in the basement or refrigerator. In late September, plants are returned to the flowerbed for flowering.

When planting tulip bulbs, you need to remember that:

  • Depending on the size of the bulb, the depth of planting is chosen. It should be equal to three bulb diameters, but not more than 15 cm.
  • Larger bulbs look more harmonious in the center, smaller on the edges.
  • Distances between large bulbs leave about 10 cm, 5-8 will be enough for small ones.
  • The space between tulips of different types and colors is left at 20 cm - this will prevent bulbs from getting mixed up during growth.
  • A layer of sand is poured at the bottom of the hole, the onions are distributed on the surface without pressing them into the sand.
  • Landing holes are covered with earth and leveled.
  • In dry weather in the fall, 10 days after planting, the flowers are watered.

Tulips will decorate and delight any site in the spring - plant and grow them correctly. And admire the flowers for many years!

Bright tulips bloom in the spring of one of the first flowers. They captivate with their beauty, and in Holland they are even considered a symbol and pride of the country. These delicate plants need careful regular care. Florists pay special attention to fertilizing, weeding, watering and transplanting tulips. But not everyone knows that at a certain stage after flowering, they need pruning. It is very important to know what to do with tulips after they bloom.

In early spring - in April - you can notice the first leaves of tulips. Plants begin to bloom a little later - in the last spring month. However, there are early varieties of tulips, which are full of already in late March, and later - only in the second half of June.

Tulips can be admired forever, but their flowering period is very short. Flowers begin to fade and the question arises of what needs to be done with them next.

After the tulips fade, they need to be cut and transplanted or dig bulbs for storage in the winter. Trimming tulips is definitely needed, so every gardener should know how this process goes right.

How to prune tulips after flowering

After the flowering of tulips is over, certain chemical reactions still occur in the leaves and peduncle. It is these parts of the flower that nourish the plant with useful substances so that new bulbs develop well. Therefore, completely wilted leaves and inflorescences should be pruned after flowering.

If you do this earlier, then the chances are good that the bulb will disappear. Some drooping flowers themselves shed wilted leaves and peduncle.

After flowering should be cut off the heads of tulips. When the flower fades, the plant gives seeds, but for the bulb it is not very good, because it becomes weak. The process goes like this:

  • using scissors, you need to separate the head of the tulip from the stem;
  • the stem remains in place until the leaves turn yellow. This will happen in about a month and a half;
  • it is necessary to trim the foliage at ground level and remove everything that is above the ground;
  • the location of the flower should be noted in some way so as not to lose the bulb.

You should not carry out such manipulations with varietal tulips, but plant them with seeds.

It is recommended to cut and dig out the flower bulbs 3-4 weeks after the tulip fades. It should be noted that tulips cannot bloom all the same on the same day. This is a long-term and time-consuming process, so you need to be patient.

Tulip bulbs are stored under certain conditions

There are one-year-old tulips that will not germinate in the second year. Parts of such tulips, including the bulb, are thrown away after flowering. Many gardeners like these flowers because they are inexpensive, they are easy to grow and you don’t need to think what to do next.

After digging the bulbs, they must be stored until spring. Bulb storage rules are as follows:

  • remove garbage, earth from the surface of the bulb;
  • mark the date of bulb collection and tulip variety;
  • put the bulbs in a wooden container (box);
  • store in a dark, dry place, warm (up to +17 degrees) and without drafts.

In spring, the bulbs are planted in the ground after a thorough check for rot and damage.

The most favorite, the first spring flowers are tulips. Probably, there will be no grower who does not have at least some of these elegant plants on the flower bed. Unfortunately, the flowering time of the spring messengers is very short, but the care and preparation for flowering are quite long.

And it is very disappointing when all the efforts do not live up to expectations, and these beautiful flowers with a perfect shape become smaller, lose varietal traits, or even do not throw buds at all.

To avoid such grief, you need to understand the developmental features of this sacred flower of the East and find out what determines its good condition and decorative properties.

Like all plants, tulips form seeds to continue. However, the forces of the flower are not infinite. If they are aimed at ripening seeds, then on the development and ripening of the bulb there are few of them.

In order for her to receive the maximum amount of nutrients, it is necessary to perform several necessary operations after the end of flowering tulips. The larger the bulb, the stronger the plant and the more abundant it will bloom.

Thus, the main rule of good flowering of tulips next year: all efforts should be directed to strengthening and improving the bulb! The operations of nutrition, ripening, storage and planting of bulbs are divided into 5 stages:

  • 2-3 weeks after flowering;
  • 5-6 weeks after flowering;
  • end of June to early July;
  • july-end of September;
  • beginning - mid-October.

Stage 1 - pruning, watering and top dressing

The duration of flowering tulips depends on their variety and is usually from 5 to 8 days. Without waiting for all the petals to fall off, the flowers are removed, cutting off only their heads and keeping the stems. At this stage, the leaves do not touch, they are necessary for the ripening of the bulb.

But the fallen petals must be removed, they can rot and affect healthy leaves with the fungus. After pruning the flower stalks, the plant must be watered intensively for about 15-20 days: at this time, the bulbs are ripening intensively in the ground, and due to sufficient watering, they absorb nutrients more actively.

It is recommended to alternate watering with plain water and a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate. To stimulate the accumulation of the necessary plant reserves, it is fed with phosphorus and potassium, but in no case with nitrogen. In addition, there should be no chlorine in the fertilizer.

Important! You need to adhere to the main principle of the use of fertilizers - it is better to underfeed than to overfeed!

Bulbs especially negatively react to an excess of fertilizers: a high percentage of mineral salts in the soil leads to rotting of the roots and even death of plants. To prevent this, it is recommended to reduce the dosage of fertilizers by half from the recommended in the instructions.

When the foliage of tulips is removed

Stage 2 - leaf removal

Five to six weeks after flowering, the leaves of the tulips will turn yellow, they can be removed. It is preferable to pick them off rather than cut them off. Dead leaves should be easily pulled out of the ground. If this does not happen, you still have to wait.

It is impossible to remove “living” leaves, because through them the bulb receives energy and nutrients through photosynthesis. If green leaves are removed, the tulip bulb will remain underdeveloped, which will degrade the quality and quantity of flowers next year.

Having removed the foliage, it is necessary to leave the stem as a kind of mark indicating the location of the bulb. As a rule, tulips alternate with other flowers, most often perennials, whose stems hide not very decorative faded tulips. Such combinations are harmonious, pleasing to the eye.

Tulip bulbs: dig up or not

Stage 3 - digging bulbs

After correctly carried out two stages, the bulbs formed, scored a sufficient amount of nutrients and increased in mass and size. If you leave them in the ground, this will worsen the appearance of next year's landings for the following reasons:

  • tulips for planting are planted close to each other, in one nest. An increase in size creates crowding, bulbs will prevent neighbors from actively developing;
  • each year, the bulbs sink deeper and deeper in the soil, their depth can reach one and a half bayonet shovels, where the soil is less fertile. In addition, germination difficulties may occur;
  • hybrid and varietal tulips lose the attributes of the variety after growing in one place for 4-5 years. There is a degeneration of plants and, as a result, small and non-ideal buds, the absence of flowering and the risk of death of the flower.

Important! For varietal tulips, a digging procedure is required.

Life hack: If digging tulips seems time-consuming, you can do without it. To avoid pulling the bulbs into the ground, they are planted in special pots with bottom holes (commercially available), a water-permeable container is made from a plastic basket or mesh box.

How and when to dig tulips

The period for digging is the end of June or somewhat later. At this time, the plant has already completely yellow foliage and a limp stalk. The bulb should have a fully formed root system, brown spots are visible on the scales.

When digging bulbs, the following rules must be observed:

  • the bulbs are sorted in orderly order from early to late;
  • sunny weather is preferable for this work, which allows to dry the bulbs;
  • bulbs dug in wet weather first need to be washed from dirt and only then dried;
  • so as not to damage the root when digging, they stick a shovel into the soil as deep as possible;
  • dug bulbs are disinfected in a solution of potassium permanganate (5%).

Bulbs can be dried not only under the sun, but also using a lamp until the scales dry. The sick and weak are finally sorted out, and the healthy ones, divided by grades, are laid out in previously prepared containers (in 1-2 layers).

How to store tulip bulbs

Stage 4 - Bulb Storage

Dug and dried tulip bulbs are placed in mesh, breathable boxes and put away in a dry, shaded room. It is very important to establish the temperature regime for storing the bulbs:

  • until the end of August the temperature should be around +20;
  • with the beginning of September, reduced to 15 degrees.

As a rule, this corresponds to the average daily temperature.

The main thing is not to allow sharp changes in temperature and humidity during storage so that the bulbs do not crack.

When to plant tulips

Stage 5 - planting tulips

In October, when the air temperature reaches 4-7 degrees, the bulbs can be planted in the ground, having previously treated them with a pink solution of potassium permanganate or fungicide.

Correct fit conditions:

  • change landing sites annually.
  • plant to a depth equal to three times the diameter of the bulb;
  • the soil should be well moistened;
  • cover the bottom of the pit / trench with 2-3 cm of river sand to prevent rotting of the bulb.
  • a week after planting the bulbs, feed with ammonium nitrate;
  • before the onset of frost, mulch the planting site with a thin layer of peat.

Tulips are a recognized symbol of spring and love. In the language of flowers, each species of this flower has its own symbolic meaning.

Red is true love, white is forgiveness, purple is reverence. A multi-colored bouquet means a sincere compliment to the one to whom these lovely flowers are presented. Let your garden give you compliments every year!

What to do when tulips have bloomed:

An important nuance in the care:

What will happen if you do not dig up tulips:

Tulips are one of the earliest spring bulbs that adorn a flower bed with a vibrant riot of colors. Care for these plants is needed not only during the budding period - after its completion they also require attention. Only in this way it is possible to achieve high-quality re-flowering, preserve the health and strength of the tulip.


The main task of caring for tulips after flowering is the formation and maturation of strong, strong bulbs. Watering should be regular for 2 weeks after budding, and it is imperative to monitor the soil getting wet to a depth of about 30-40 cm. Only in this case can the bulbs not adapted to extract moisture from the lower tiers of the soil be avoided.

Feeding with complex mineral fertilizers, which contain potassium and phosphorus, be sure to include in the care of tulips. Always follow the recommended dosage of 30-40 g per 10 l of water, not exceeding it - overfeeding inhibits the development of bulbs. 1 bucket of solution is enough to water 1m 2 flower beds. Please note: components such as chlorine and nitrogen should not be present in the top dressing!

Skipping the feeding of tulips after flowering is undesirable, because it is it that contributes to the full formation of scales of the replacing bulb. Also, due to a sufficient amount of nutrients, the growth of lateral children, which are subsequently used for reproduction, is stimulated.

Wilted flowers should be removed immediately, before the formation of seeds in the seed box. At the same time, it is recommended to remove only the heads, leaving the peduncles and leaves intact. If the wilted petals remain, the plant will weaken, which will certainly affect future flowering.

The ground part is removed after complete yellowing and drying, when the bulb is fully formed. You can remove the leaves with your hands - usually they can easily be separated with a slight effort. Do not forget to mark the place of planting, so that when digging up, you do not accidentally damage the bulbs.

How to dig bulbs

It is recommended to dig out tulips from the open ground every year, and in regions with a temperate climate, such care of the bulbs is required. If you leave the bulbs in the same area for 2-3 years, they can suffer from fungal diseases and other infections, which affects the quality of planting material.

After correctly pruning, the bulbs are dug up in the last days of June - early July, but in any case, you need to focus on the degree of "ripening". It is better if the weather is dry and sunny - in such conditions, tulips will quickly dry before storage. The earliest varieties are first removed from the flowerbed, then the later ones.

During the excavation, carefully inspect the bulbs:

  • They should not have rot, mechanical damage, pests or strange formations. At the slightest suspicion of infection, dispose of the diseased planting material to prevent infection of the remaining tulips and plants in the flower bed;
  • In quality bulbs, the formed roots and brown scales are always visible - this is what guarantees high-quality flowering in the next season. Discard non-sprouted specimens immediately.

Storage preparation


Tulip bulbs must be dried for a week in a dry, dark and well-ventilated place. It is prohibited to leave planting material in the open sun.

When the tulips dry out, re-rejection of sick and damaged specimens is carried out, the earth is removed from healthy tulips. You also need to separate the large bulbs from small "children", which will be planted separately.

To store tulips, you need to prepare a suitable box with a well-ventilated bottom. Otherwise, the bulbs may rot, especially if the humidity in the room rises. Wicker baskets made of natural materials, paper containers or wooden boxes are also suitable.


To planting material is well preserved until the next season (2-2.5 months), in the room you need to create optimal conditions:

  • For 3-4 weeks after digging from the ground (until the end of July), the temperature mark should be within + 24- + 25 degrees, and humidity should be at 70%;
  • In August, the temperature is recommended to be reduced to +20;
  • September is considered the “coolest" month of storage, since the bulbs should be stored at + 16- + 17 degrees.

Sudden changes in temperature and increase in humidity are not allowed - this leads to damage to the bulbs up to cracking. You need to lay tulips in a maximum of two layers - so they can fully "breathe".

Planted in the ground


You can plant tulips in open ground on a new site in September, when the temperature drops to + 5- + 7 degrees. The work is carried out in several stages.

  1. The bulbs are re-processed with a potassium permanganate solution and dried.
  2. A well-drained, windless and lighted place on a flower bed is selected.
  3. Shallow furrows or dimples are made in the soil, equal to four times the size of the bulb itself.
  4. The site is abundantly spilled with water, then the bulbs are planted without being pressed into the ground.
  5. It is recommended to re-water the bed already with planting material so that the earth envelops the tulips - this contributes to a better survival.
  6. The landing site is covered with a layer of soil, and a week later a small amount of ammonium nitrate is introduced into the soil.

With the onset of cold weather, do not forget to shelter tulips in the garden, mulching with peat, straw, dry leaves or sawdust - this will prevent freezing of plantings.

Neighboring tulips bloom in the spring, and mine are ready to jump out of the snow almost. I always simply knew that it was necessary to dig them out every year, well, at least varieties and hybrids.

I do not gloat, maybe they don’t have enough time for flowers, maybe everything is fine, but it’s more pleasant for me to see the early arrows and magnificent buds. The riot of colors of the tulip meadow raises the mood and confirms that these flowers are grateful for the care.

Often I hear the question of what to do with tulips, after they have faded. Many gardeners after falling petals in a hurry to quickly cut off the leaves to zero. We will understand why it is a bad idea to intervene in the natural course of things.

Advice! To mask withering tulips between the rows, you can place annual flowers or bring flowerpots on the stem in which ampelous plants grow: petunia, lobelia, nasturtium.

When almost all the petals are dropped, you can trim the head, but not the peduncle itself. The fact is that after flowering in the bud, the seeds ripen, and all nutrition will be directed to these needs, but we do not need it. For us, it is more important that certain processes begin in the bulbs.

There is an accumulation of nutrients for the next year and the laying of kidneys for future children. Therefore, the aboveground part of the plant is simply vital to the one that is underground. And in general, tulips need more care after flowering, while they are sitting in the open ground.

Watering and feeding faded tulips

Within 10-14 days, after flowering, water the bed intensively, help the bulbs to intensify the work of accumulating useful ingredients from the soil. If it is depleted, it is necessary to fertilize.

Tulips like fertile, friable soils; therefore, do not refuse the annual application of humus and wood ash. But when, after flowering, a dormant period sets in, fertilizers will not interfere with planting.

They should contain phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen, manganese, iron, boron, zinc - all the elements necessary for respiration, growth, nutrition. Make sure that the nitrogen in the list is in small doses, its increased indices are needed exclusively before and during flowering.

Do I need to crop and when to do it

Leaf removal may or may not be done. If you choose the first, then wait until the stems become soft and turn yellow. This is the best time for cutting or tearing off the leaf part, and it begins 20-30 days after flowering.

Dig to plant again in autumn

According to science, tulip bulbs are recommended to be dug up: varietal every year, and “simpletons” after 2-3 years. What happens if you don’t? It’s very scary - nothing, the flowers will not disappear, except that hybrids will begin to fade and degenerate soon.

But we don’t need it. So we dig up tulips to maintain the varieties (in vain, what if they bred, bought), and also in order to avoid the consequences of the following plan:

  • Bulbs multiplying, take away space and food from each other, from this they become smaller;
  • Every year they dig into the ground a few centimeters, you will not notice how the bayonet’s bayonet is not enough to dig them out - and this slows down the forcing of the flower;
  • Ill, rotten onions infect neighboring ones, and in general may one day not come out in the spring;
  • And, finally, the main thing: for the formation of buds during dormancy, tulip bulbs need at least 20-25 degrees. In the land of such conditions, of course, no.

We start digging with early varieties, and then move on to late tulips.

What to do with onions during storage

Dug onions in a brown-yellowish peel are laid out under a canopy for ventilation, where it is warm and there is no direct sunlight. After a few days, you can gently peel off the earth and fallen skins (it is not necessary to tear off specifically). We leave it for another 20 days.

Then the storage temperature drops slightly, well, this is what happens, because August is in the yard. During this time, and still far from planting, you need to sort the planting material. We arrange large, medium and small onions in different containers. By grades, it’s already divided, probably. What is it for?

The fact is that when planting, we will plant bulbs of different caliber at different depths: large ones are lower, and shallow ones are superficial.

Advice! Planting bulbs of different sizes on separate rows will ennoble the beds, give them an aesthetic appearance, because the flowering of a single-caliber material will occur simultaneously.

By mixing large and small tulips, you will put off the flowering of the latter, if at all due to lack of lighting.

On summer storage and drying are the bulbs until planting, which is carried out in September-October.

Planting tulips in autumn

A bed for tulips can be prepared in advance, introducing humus, some ash or fertilizers (superphosphate, potassium salt) under digging. It’s better to choose another place, but if it’s permanent, then it’s okay, but we dig and fertilize the earth every year.

The day is selected dry, the weather is already cool, and the temperature of the soil should be 8-10 degrees.

We mark the rows, for bulbs of different sizes, they differ. Between the rows of large onions is a distance of 20 centimeters, of small ones - 10-12 cm. The planting depth is selected from the calculation of the three bulb sizes. So we make trenches in size of calibrated material.

Water the holes, put the bulbs of tulips in them and sprinkle them on top of the ground. Additional watering will have to be done after 4-5 days, because intensive rooting begins. And before frost, you can mulch the plantings with humus, peat or compost.

Tulips do not need shelter, bulbs of a frost-resistant culture will undergo stratification (hardening) during the winter, so that with the first rays of the spring sun, wake up and start growing.

What forms do landings give

Tulips can be planted in rows, where small bulbs will grow in front, and large ones in the background. Plantings also have peculiar nests: several large bulbs are placed in the middle, and small ones are planted around the perimeter.

The beds look beautiful in the spring, if tulips are planted by variety and flowering time, because there are both early and late plants, and there is no way to count the color and hybrid variety.