If you want gorgeous tulips to flaunt on your site in spring, you need to familiarize yourself with the basic rules for planting bulbs. Tulips that bloom in spring should be planted in autumn. Thus, they will have time to grow roots for the arrival of cold weather.

When you plant tulips depends on their quality and quantity. The difficulty lies in the fact that depending on the weather conditions, the timing may be different. As a rule, landing is carried out from mid-September to mid-October. Landing can be carried out at different times:

  • 6 weeks before the soil freezes;
  • after the ground temperature is less than 15°C.
  • after the first severe frost.

You can also focus on the timing of the appearance of the bulbs on sale and start planting in 1-2 months.

Many flower growers prefer to plant these flowers and any other bulbs on the growing moon. Their experience suggests that the bulbs planted during this period become larger. If you do this on a waning moon, the planting material will shrink.

How to buy quality tulip bulbs?

Before you buy bulbs, you need to inspect them well. If you plan to plant them in open ground, prefer specimens with a diameter of 3-4 cm. Bulbs large sizes suitable for forcing at home. It is unacceptable that they have cracks and stains. You need to purchase only dry, heavy and strong onions. Such planting material radiates with health and is ideal for planting. It is worth considering that even one diseased bulb can be infectious for everyone else.

Read also:

Everything you need to know about correct transplant tulips

It is desirable that the planting material has brown scales, which protects them from damage. As for the shell, it should be intact, but thin. If the scales are dense, this is a sign that the digging time has been delayed. It can also slow down germination. There should be no mold on the surface of the planting material. It is acceptable that the rudiment of the stem is visible, but it should not grow. If the bulb is of high quality, its bottom will be dense with tubercles of roots.

Important! Do not plant those specimens that have a soft bottom or have growing roots.

Preparing bulbs for planting

Before planting, the bulbs must be dressed. Such an event will help protect against many ailments. A weak solution of potassium permanganate is suitable as a disinfectant. Dip the planting material into it for half an hour.

Before planting, the bulbs must be dressed

Site selection and soil preparation

Special attention will have to be paid to the choice of site. It is important that it is well lit. If planted in a shady spot, the flowers will grow deformed with faintly colored buds.

Particular attention should be paid to site selection.

By themselves, tulips do not tolerate stagnant water in the ground, so they must be planted on a flat area without holes. These flowers are resistant to cold and strong winds. If we talk about the quality of the soil, it should have a neutral pH level. If it is too acidic, they will begin to form "blind" buds. It takes 1-2 months to prepare the soil for flowers. It must be dug to a depth of 30 cm and fertilized. What top dressing to use depends on what qualities the soil has. If it is infertile, it must be fed with fertilizers for bulbs, which contain the appropriate components.

You can also prepare the soil yourself. For 1 sq. m. of land you need to take:

  • rotted manure or compost (2 buckets);
  • wood ash (1 cup);
  • dolomite flour (0.5 kg);
  • double superphosphate (50 g);
  • potassium sulfate (30 g);
  • ammonium nitrate (25 g). You need to add this component to the composition just before landing.

Growing tulips is easy and fun. They bloom early in spring, delighting eyes tired of a gray winter, and are unpretentious. But some rules of working with them still need to be observed. When tulips are planted in autumn, they have time to get stronger before winter, and with the onset of heat, they confidently begin to grow. The task of the gardener is to determine exactly when to plant tulips in the fall.

Determining the optimal timing

There are two options - to plant tulip bulbs in the fall or after the snow melts. Flowerbeds planted at the end of the year bloom earlier, because they have time to grow roots before the cold weather. But for this to happen, it is necessary to accurately calculate the time for disembarkation.

It takes about four weeks for the bulb to take root. The soil should have a temperature of 7-10 ° C. Night temperatures should not fall below 3 ° C. If it is colder and damp, the bulb will not take root, it may be affected by rot. If it stays warm for a long time, the onions will start to grow, and the regrown leaves will inevitably die from frost. And even if the bulb overwinter, it will be greatly weakened, it will bloom late, the buds will be small. Another reason why it is undesirable to plant tulips long before the cold weather is weeds. They will strengthen in the beds and will be the first to grow in the spring. Therefore, it is difficult to determine exactly when it is best to land. There are certain time intervals for different weather zones in which tulips can be planted in the ground:

  • Central part of Russia - from the end of September to October 10. The temperature in the soil is measured at a depth of 10-15 cm, and when it is confidently maintained within 7-10 ° C, it is time to plant tulip bulbs;
  • Southern Urals - it is optimal to plant flowers starting on September 15, and in the Middle Urals - closer to the beginning of the month;
  • in Siberia, you can also plant these flowers, they overwinter, but they need to be planted early, the best dates are the end of August - the beginning of September.
  • Southern regions of Russia - landing is carried out after October 20 and until mid-November.

How to plant tulips

Landing is the most important event, there are no trifles in it. It is required to prepare the bulbs, correctly select a site, plan a flower bed or plantation, and carefully plant flowers in a prepared place.

Planting material preparation

The basis of the future beautiful flower bed is a good planting material and it is time to prepare it in the summer. It is very important in which month to dig up the flowers. This should be done when the above-ground parts of the plants are already yellow, but not yet dry. Onions are well dried, cleaned of dirt and plant residues. They are poured into shallow boxes in a thin layer, and stored in a dry room. The temperature should be 20-25 ° C. Closer to disembarkation, it should be gradually brought to 15 ° C.

When it's time to plant tulips in the fall, the bulbs should be sorted out, cleaned, damaged and diseased thrown out, sorted by size. To prevent diseases and better rooting, it is useful to soak the bulbs for 30 minutes in a pink solution of potassium permanganate. It is useful to treat them with Zircon or Epin preparations, following the instructions.

Location identification

Tulips grow well in well-lit places, closed from the wind, with light, nutritious soil. If there is little sun, the flowers will be dim and stretch. A strong wind can bend the stems, or even break.

Tulips do not like excessive humidity, so it is desirable that the groundwater is no closer than 0.75 m.

It is impossible to break a flower bed in a plot where other plants from the bulbous family were previously cultivated. Surely, the soil is already infected with specific pests and bacteria.

Site preparation

Tulips perceive acidified soil poorly. The reaction of the soil is desirable neutral, slightly alkaline. In the case of acidic soil, liming is carried out. Slaked lime or chalk is added, from 200 g to 500 g per sq. m. It is very useful to add humus or peat, about 2 buckets per 1 sq. m. Superphosphate and potash fertilizers are applied at 50 g per square meter. m, and ammonium nitrate in the amount of 25 g per sq. m. Categorically it is impossible to use fresh manure, it will cause a burn of the roots, and the plants may die. Clay soil should be diluted with sand to make it lighter. Approximately twenty days before the planned planting, the area where the tulips will be planted must be dug up so that the soil settles a little before planting.

Landing

If the bulbs are large, they are placed no closer than 10 cm to each other. If small, the step can be reduced. The distance between rows is 20-25 cm.

  1. You need to decide what kind of future flower bed you imagine. And in accordance with this, prepare the wells. If you are growing flowers for sale, it makes sense to plant them in grooves.
  2. The deeper the bulb is planted, the depth is three bulb diameters. Therefore, it is convenient to pre-sort planting material by size.
  3. At the bottom of the groove or hole, you need to pour about 2 cm of sand, this will facilitate rooting.
  4. Sprinkle the bulbs lightly with wood ash and plant them in the prepared place, pressing lightly so that an air bubble does not form under the bottom. But don't push too hard.
  5. Planted onions need to be covered with earth and tamped a little.
  6. At the end of the work, the site is leveled so that there are no depressions left in which water can stagnate.

If the autumn is dry, after a week and a half of planting, you can water it.

A great way to plant tulips is to plant in a basket. It has a lot of advantages:

  • provides protection against mice, which pose a real danger to the bulbs;
  • allows you to compactly plant onions of one variety and not confuse them with others;
  • eliminates the possibility of losing the bulb underground during digging;
  • on heavy soils, it makes it possible to fill only a container with a fertile mixture.

When using this method, the bulbs are placed in a mesh box, which can be bought at the store. But there is more budget options- you can use cake lids cut off plastic bottles, disposable plastic containers for large products. It is important not to forget to put more holes in them, for example, with a soldering iron. You can even take a net in which vegetables are sold.

The container is installed in a hole or groove and planting continues in the prescribed manner.

Care after landing

Closer to winter, when the ground is already frozen by 3-4 cm, it is useful to mulch the area with flowers with straw, humus or dry leaves. With a little snowy winter, you need to try to heat this area with more snow. With the onset of spring days, the covering material can be removed.

Many novice gardeners are wondering if it is necessary to dig up tulips at all every year, because they can grow for several years in one place and without a transplant. Experienced gardeners confidently answer - it is necessary. The bulbs are given by children who also germinate, the planting thickens, the flowers become small. The soil compacts over time, the plants begin to suffer from a lack of nutrition, oxygen and excess moisture. Due to the irremovability of crops, specific pathogens and pests accumulate in the earth.

Therefore, planting tulips in autumn is a must, and flower lovers must decide when and how to plant them in order to decorate their garden with beautiful flowers in spring.

Tulip is a flower for group planting, which looks spectacular only in the friendly company of its fellows. To arrange a beautifully flowering flower bed, it is necessary to use only healthy bulbs for planting and further provide them with comfortable conditions. In order for the composition of tulips to become a real decoration of the site, it is necessary to plan in advance the planting pattern and the final design of the flower garden.

Unlike many other flowers, tulips are usually planted in autumn, not spring. Inexperienced gardeners are surprised by such agricultural technology. In fact, the timing of disembarkation is directly related to life cycle plants.

If you plant bulbs in spring time, the stems of the plants will be thin, and the flowering will be very weak. A completely different result will await you during the autumn landing.

It is enough to analyze how a similar process proceeds in wild-growing tulips:

  1. In early spring, the aerial parts of the flower are formed. Blooming among the first, tulips cheer us up, delight us with their delicate beauty when all nature is just beginning to awaken.
  2. With the arrival of hot and sunny days the petals fall off, the leaves wither, only the underground part of the plant remains alive. Instead of the old bulb, a new one is formed, replacing the mother bulb.
  3. In autumn, when nature begins to prepare for a dormant period, tulip bulbs, on the contrary, become more active. Growth processes begin in them, leading to the formation of roots that will store food for the growth of the aerial part next spring.

Therefore, it is the autumn planting of tulip bulbs that is considered appropriate. With the arrival of spring and suitable temperature values, the buds will bloom and show themselves in all their glory. Someone may be perplexed, why dig bulbs out of the ground if it is a perennial plant?

But if you leave them in the ground from year to year, over time, the tubers may disappear altogether. This is due to the following reasons:

  • Constantly being in the ground, the bulb is at risk of waterlogging, temperature changes, contact with pathogenic microflora - as a result, a new bulb is formed too weak.
  • Taking nodules out of the ground, you can control the quality of the planting material, remove diseased, too small specimens, and plant only selected bulbs in the future.
  • If the tubers are not dug up, daughter bulbs are formed in large numbers, but small size. Over time, the variety simply degenerates.

The annual transplantation of bulbs allows you to form flowerbeds of the required shape and density, which cannot be achieved with the chaotic growth of tulips. In addition, the grower gets the opportunity to independently propagate his favorite variety and plant it elsewhere.


The timing of planting the bulbs directly depends on the weather conditions in the autumn season. Most of all, the rooting process is affected temperature regime.The root system actively grows at a soil temperature of 6-9°C at a depth of 10 cm. If the readings go beyond these limits, the roots will also form, but will be weaker.

The full rooting process takes place within a month and it is desirable that all this time the soil temperature remains positive.. If the bulbs are planted too early, the heat can cause sprouts to sprout. When determining the landing time, it is difficult to predict how the weather will behave, you have to focus on averages for a particular climatic zone.

In the middle lane

Data on the climatic features of central Russia indicate that the time suitable for planting tulips will come from the last ten days of September to mid-October.

It is advisable to plan landing operations for these dates, unless the weather brings unexpected surprises. You need to focus on the night air temperature. When the thermometer starts to consistently show +3°C for several nights in a row, it's time to plant your favorite tulips.


Planting dates for the Moscow region coincide with the planting dates for bulbs in middle lane Russia. The weather conditions of the Moscow region have standard parameters typical for a temperate continental climate with its pronounced seasonality.

The snow cover here falls steadily in November, although it happened that weather anomalies shifted this period to September or December. The task of the gardener is to have time to plant the bulbs before the first snow falls.

In the Urals, in Siberia

The Ural region has a large extent, therefore, within it, the favorable time for planting the bulb will vary. In the Middle Urals, it is better to complete these works towards the end of the second decade of September, and gardeners in the South can safely postpone planting until the beginning of the second decade of October.

Quite another thing is the harsh climate of Siberia. Freezes here can hit too early. In order not to freeze the bulbs, it is better to plant them in the last days of August. With a favorable weather forecast, the dates can be moved closer to mid-September.

Advice! If it suddenly got colder, and you did not have time to plant tulips at the right time, it is better not to postpone the procedure until spring. Landings in this case are insulated with needles, straw, leaf litter or fallen snow.


Not only the timing, but also the features of planting affect the further well-being of the culture. It is necessary to choose the right site, prepare the soil, plant tulips according to the recommendations of specialists.

Location selection

The place chosen for planting tulips should be elevated, well-lit by the sun, protected from drafts. Ideally, if it has a slight slope to drain excess moisture.

With a close occurrence of groundwater, rotting of the roots may begin, after which the bulb will also deteriorate.

Due to lack sun rays the stems will be excessively long, but thin and fragile. Gusts of wind can easily break the flower stalks of the plant, so it is better to plant tulips on the leeward side.

The culture likes an alkaline environment. Adding ash during planting will help deoxidize the soil. At the same time, such an additive will serve as a fertilizer.


Land preparation needs to be done 2-3 weeks before the intended landing. Tulip likes loose, fertilized soil with good moisture permeability. The place chosen for the flower bed must be dug to a depth of 20 cm. This is easier to do if the earth is moist.

In dry weather, it is recommended to shed the soil 2 days before planting the bulbs. You can improve the structure of heavy clay soil by adding sand. In a loose environment, the roots will grow comfortably. After digging, the soil should be leveled. At the same time, the soil needs to be fertilized. This can be done by removing compost, wood ash, dolomite flour and potassium nitrate.


Compliance with the rules of planting will allow you to get large spectacular flowers, no matter what the area and density of planting will be. Bulbs should first be sorted out, rejecting too small and affected by rot.

Before planting, you can soak the material in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 20-30 minutes, and then treat it with a growth stimulator.

Planting depth depends on the size of the selected bulbs. According to the rules, they are planted at a depth three times greater than the size of the tubers. These figures are very approximate. Of course, when landing, you do not need to use a ruler, do everything by eye.

Usually, large bulbs are planted to a depth of about 15 cm. Bulbs are pre-sorted by size. Experts advise planting large specimens in the center of the flower bed, smaller ones at the edges. After all, the size of the grown tulips is directly related to the initial dimensions of the bulbs.

On a note! The larger the tuber, the more tall flower is formed from it.


  1. Between large tubers, you need to maintain a distance of 10 cm, and between small ones, observe an interval of 6 cm.
  2. To get the effect of carpeting, tulips are planted in a checkerboard pattern. For 1 sq. m will take about 100 bulbs. If you plan to plant flowers in rows, please note that the row spacing should be about 20-25 cm.
  3. When planting tulips of different varieties, the flowering time of each group should be taken into account, then it will be easier to care for the flower bed.
  4. The tuber is placed in the planting hole without pressure, otherwise it can be damaged. In this case, there should be no air pockets around. In the process, the soil should be lightly tamped.
  5. After planting all the bulbs, the surface of the flower bed must be carefully leveled so that there are no depressions on it, in which water can accumulate and stagnate after rain.

Attention! For planting tulips, it is convenient to use plastic trellised baskets, the use of which can greatly facilitate the work of digging up the bulbs. Reduces the risk of damaging tubers or confusing varieties.


After planting, tulips are not watered, because it often rains in autumn. In the event that no precipitation has occurred within 10 days, moisten the flower bed. If the weather corresponds to the climatic norm, it is not necessary to cover the bed with an additional layer of mulch.

Excessive heat can provoke premature growth of the bulbs, and when frost occurs, the sprouts will die. On this autumn care for tulips after planting ends. It will only need to be resumed in the spring, after the appearance of the aerial part.

Preparing for winter

In a situation where the cold comes unexpectedly early, and you are afraid that the tubers in the ground will not have time to take root, it is recommended to mulch the soil. In this case, the roots will continue to develop, and the bulbs will overwinter properly.

If there are a lot of rodents in your area, you can protect plants from them by building a shelter from spruce branches. In frosts, animals can become more active in order to find food for themselves. Additionally, spruce branches will serve as protection in severe frosts.


Knowing about some of the intricacies of growing tulips, you can save yourself from mistakes and spoiled mood caused by the death of flowers or weak flowering. Here are some recommendations regarding the agricultural technology of this crop:

  1. Varietal plants with large unusual flowers are very whimsical in care. Provide them with a sufficient amount of macro- and micronutrients. Only then can you count on full flowering.
  2. Fertilizing plants are also vital for dense carpet planting. Indeed, in this case, the colors have to compete for nutrients, and this greatly weakens the bulb. During the growing season, tulips need 3-4 top dressings.
  3. Do not use manure to fertilize the crop - this will lead to rotting of the tubers. Tulips are also contraindicated in chlorine-containing preparations.
  4. Varietal plants require annual extraction of bulbs from the ground. Simple and unpretentious varieties can be dug up once every 2-3 years.
  5. Before planting, it is recommended not only to treat the bulbs with a fungicide, but also to shed the flower bed. This will help protect the tulips from fungal diseases.

Proper planting of tulips: video

When and how to plant tulips: video

Choose better days help for landing

Autumn planting will help you control the condition of tulip bulbs and form flower beds as you wish, changing their configuration from season to season. And in the spring it remains only to enjoy the bright flower arrangements demonstrating the harmony of form and color.

Planting tulips in autumn is a rather responsible event that requires knowledge of exactly when and how to plant the bulbs so that beautiful buds decorate the flower bed with the onset of spring. The wrong time and violation of the rules for planting tulips can lead to the fact that the bulbs simply deteriorate, making all the work and efforts in vain.

Why is it customary to plant tulips in autumn along with spring

  • it is in autumn that the root system is formed, the sprout develops and is saturated with nutrients;
  • in winter, all processes are suspended, and the plant is fed by the reserves that it managed to accumulate during the autumn period;
  • in the spring, the bulbs begin to come to life. Thanks to the already formed sprouts, they sprout quite early. In addition, daughter bulbs begin to grow at this time.

By April-May, full-fledged and beautiful flowers appear.

Early shoots will allow you to admire the beauty of tulips for a long time, since their active flowering will occur long before the peak of solar activity, which will save the leaves and petals from quick withering.

The best time to plant tulips is September.

Landing dates

If planted too early, they will begin to sprout and freeze during the first frost. If, however, tighten with planting, the bulbs may simply not take root until frost and will also die. Optimal conditions are temperatures of 8-10 ºC during the day and not below 3 ºC at night.

Tulips begin to plant in the second half of September

Disembarkation dates depending on the region: table

How to prepare beds for planting

The right choice of a place for planting tulips is one of the main preparatory moments.

If planted incorrectly, tulip bulbs can freeze or rot.

These plants prefer warm, well-lit, flat terrain and loose, fertilized soil. It is important that it passes moisture well, and that groundwater lies at a depth of at least 75 cm. If this figure is lower, then artificial drainage must be provided to prevent rotting of the bulbs, which is done using a layer of sand. In the same time sandy soils for tulips are contraindicated, because they dry out too quickly, which is why the plants constantly lack moisture.

Soil preparation consists of:

  • In digging, which is carried out two to three months before the planned planting. At this stage, you can increase the permeability of the soil by adding sand and humus to it. After the ground must be leveled, because tulips do not like the presence of holes;
  • In loosening to a depth of 25–30 cm. Do not forget to remove all weeds from the ground and leave it completely alone for a day to settle the soil;
  • In the application of fertilizers. They can serve as purchased complex fertilizers for bulbs, as well as a self-prepared mixture (based on 1 m²), consisting of humus (4 kg), ash (200 g), nitroammophoska (50 g), bird droppings (200 g), superphosphate (70 g). In the absence of humus, it can be replaced with fresh manure, but in this case, planting will need to be postponed for another year so that the soil “settles”, and the risk of introducing a fungus harmful to the bulbs is completely eliminated. Also a good remedy considered wood ash (200 g per 1 m²) or a mixture of dolomite flour and chalk (500 g per 1 m²).

How to prepare planting material

The storage of bulbs before planting is as follows:

  • bulbs are placed in a single layer in a wooden box with sawdust to absorb moisture (it is advisable to wrap each of them with a piece of newspaper);
  • the box is moved to a room where it is dry, well ventilated and the air temperature does not exceed 25 ºC;
  • as autumn approaches, the temperature gradually drops first to 20 ºC and then to 15 ºC.

The processing of tulip bulbs includes several stages:

  1. Peeling off the husk. To do this, all the bulbs are laid out, carefully examined, and a dry film is very carefully removed from them. This is necessary in order to detect imperceptible damage, disease or decay on specimens that will be unsuitable for planting. In addition, it will be much easier for bulbs freed from the husk to absorb all the useful substances from the earth.
  2. Sorting. The cleaned, healthy bulbs are sorted according to their diameter so that they can be grouped by size when planted.
  3. Disinfection. To eliminate fungi and bacteria, the bulbs are placed in a bright pink solution of potassium permanganate and kept for about 30-40 minutes. Then you need to immediately plant them in the ground.

The main feature of breeding tulips is digging up their bulbs for storage.

How to plant tulips - step by step instructions

After the place for planting tulips is chosen, the soil is prepared, and the bulbs are processed, you can safely proceed directly to the process itself.

In open ground

Planting tulips in open ground

The whole landing process is divided into several stages:


In boxes/containers

Often, gardeners plant bulbs in plastic boxes (baskets, containers) in order to:

  • sort and easily find the necessary varieties (bulbs in the container will not be able to get mixed up);
  • do not damage the bulbs and their babies when digging;
  • protect against rodents;
  • provide plants with loose soil;
  • to keep a well-groomed appearance of the flower garden by taking out the withered plants along with the basket and giving them the opportunity to ripen in a hidden corner of the garden.

With the help of these simple and bright flowers in the garden, you can create a beautiful composition.

To plant bulbs in a container, you must:

  1. Pick up a plastic container (basket, container, box) of the right size.
  2. Cover its bottom with fertile soil suitable for tulips.
  3. Spread prepared bulbs over the entire surface (at a distance of 3 to 10 cm, depending on size and variety).
  4. Dig a hole in the flower bed that matches the size of the container and lower it there.
  5. Cover with earth, the thickness of the layer of which should be equal to twice the height of the bulbs.

Video: 3 ways to plant tulips

What care to provide after disembarkation

After autumn planting care for tulips is minimal:

  • plants need to be watered only in a dry autumn;
  • in mid-October, fertilizer can be applied to improve the development of the root system (15 g of ammonium nitrate per 1 m² of soil);
  • after a stable sub-zero temperature is established, the planted bulbs must be covered with a layer of mulch (straw, chopped bark, sawdust or peat), about 3-5 cm thick;
  • during winter frosts, the site is covered with spruce branches, and in a snowy winter a small snowdrift is formed over it;
  • in spring, spruce branches are removed, and the soil is fed with nitrogen fertilizer (50 g per 1 m²).

Compliance with all the rules for planting tulips in the fall will allow you to get healthy plants by spring. And since these flowers are considered unpretentious, even beginners can take care of them. A little effort, a little attention - and along with the first spring warmth, incredibly beautiful buds will begin to appear in the flower bed.

Everyone knows how to plant tulips correctly experienced gardener, which can easily create beautiful flowering flower beds. Flowers of various shapes and colors, flowing into beautiful wavy flower beds, will not leave any contemplator of this beautiful and picturesque picture without attention.

When can you plant tulips? Almost every amateur gardener will answer the question unambiguously: in the fall.

How to store tulip bulbs - basic requirements

  • Dig up the bulbs carefully, trying not to damage them, since the risk of infection in this case increases several times;
  • for storage, it is recommended to use wooden boxes, so the planting material will be better ventilated and the likelihood of decay will decrease. Drawers should not be closed;

in the photo - storage of tulip bulbs in the refrigerator

  • to keep the tulip bulbs intact, they should be laid in one layer;
  • so that excessive moisture does not harm the bulbs, they can be sprinkled with sawdust or crushed coal;
  • bulbs with putrid spots can be saved by cutting off bad places with a disinfected knife and smearing the wounds with a solution of brilliant green.


Planting time for tulips in autumn


A suitable time for planting tulip bulbs is the period when the air temperature drops to + 4 ... + 8 ° С. This period falls on autumn months(September, October), depending on climatic conditions each region. Planting time for tulips in autumn is considered ideal. If you did not have time to plant tulips before the onset of autumn cold weather, do not despair. This can be done up to the onset of the first frost. Then the place with landings will need to be mulched and a shelter made of spruce branches or a special fiber should be prepared.

It is not recommended to plant tulip bulbs during a warmer period. When the air temperature is much higher, the plant bulbs take root less well, and there is a high probability of the development of pathogenic fungal organisms that affect tulips.

Try to choose an open and sunny place for planting tulips. Also remember that these plants do not like drafts. Be sure to fertilize the soil before planting. It can be wood ash in the amount of 200 g per 1 m² or complex mineral fertilizer. If the soil in your area is heavy and clayey, be sure to add river sand and compost to the soil before planting the bulbs.

A couple of weeks after fertilizing the soil, the time comes when you can plant tulips in a permanent place. You need to do it as follows. Prepare the grooves. For prevention, spill the prepared furrows with a hot, weak manganese solution to prevent fungal diseases. The depth of planting the bulbs will depend on their original size.

For large ones, about 12-15 cm, for small ones 5-10 cm. Bulbs are larger, placed at a distance from each other, no more than 0.15 meters. For small bulbs, the distance can be minimal, a few centimeters. Lightly press the bulbs into the soil. Fill the grooves with earth, level the surface with a rake. In order for the bulbs to take root well for the winter, 11-15 days after planting the tulips, water the soil abundantly. Before the onset of frost, mulch the flower beds with planted tulips. As a mulch suitable peat, sawdust.



If you did not have time to plant tulips in the fall, do it in the spring months. Of course, spring tulips will bloom much later, closer to the middle of summer or next year. In the spring, when the earth warms up to plus 5 or 10 ° C, you should prepare a bed according to the principle described in the previous paragraph. Try to choose a sunny place, in the shade tulips stretch and grow more fragile and small.

Wrap the tulip bulbs in paper, make holes in it, place in the refrigerator (not in the freezer) for 8-12 hours. The procedure is very similar to preparing for planting seeds. Then treat the planting material for 30 minutes in a weak manganese solution or a foundation solution. If you plant "warm" bulbs in cold ground, without prior preparation, they will most likely die from temperature changes. The planting depth of spring tulips will be slightly different: for large ones - 10-20 cm, for small ones - 7-12 cm.

Spring planting of tulips

Dutch gardeners to the question "is it possible to plant tulips in the spring?", Give the following recommendations. It is better to grow spring tulips in boxes. This method eliminates the rotting of the bulbs in case of freezing of the soil. Choose low landing boxes. Place drainage at the bottom, then fill the container with loose, fertile soil. Put the bulbs on the surface, sprinkle with a low layer of earth, five centimeters. Pour plantings with tulips with water, then place the boxes in a cool place: a veranda, a loggia, a cellar.

Do-it-yourself container for planting bulbs:


As soon as shoots appear, the flowers are transplanted into open ground. In no case do not transplant blooming tulips! It is better to wait until the flowering period is over.

Things to keep in mind when planting tulips

1. The time for planting tulips in autumn is September, in some regions, the beginning of October and even November, when the soil temperature drops to plus 4-5 ° C. Planted bulbs, in a warmer period, will develop the root system poorly, and the risk of fungal diseases is also high;
2. Planted tulip bulbs later than usual, be sure to take care of shelter for the winter;
3. Before planting tulips in the soil, for 12-14 days, fertilizers are applied. Fresh manure is not suitable, as it negatively affects the development of plant bulbs;
4. The depth of planting bulbs depends on both the initial size of the planting material and the quality of the soil;
5. Plant flowers in spring if you didn't have time to plant tulips in autumn;
6. Tulip bulbs can be planted in open ground when the soil temperature warms up to plus 5 °C;
7. Before planting, keep the bulbs in a cold place, in a cellar or refrigerator, for 8-10 hours, then process in a weak solution of potassium permanganate;
8. Spring tulips can be grown in boxes, in a cool place, then planted in the desired place. This eliminates the possibility of freezing and rotting of the bulbs of plants.


How to plant tulips, taking into account the depth and distance of planting?

Properly stored tulips will ensure healthy growth and beautiful bloom plants in the future. Before planting in a flower bed, planting material is carefully selected and processed. When choosing a place for a flower bed with tulips, give preference to sunny areas with good, loose soil. Also add the necessary micronutrients and substances for active growth.

What needs to be considered for proper fit tulips:

  • The recommended planting depth for tulips varies within 15 centimeters (for an accurate calculation of the depth, the height of the bulb must be multiplied by three);
  • A competent approach to planting tulips involves placing larger bulbs in the center of the flower bed, and small ones along the borders and sides. A composition planted in this way will look complete and aesthetic, while small plants will not be in the shade;

in the photo - the optimal distance when planting tulip bulbs is 6-10 cm

  • The optimal distance for planting tulips is 10 centimeters for large bulbs, 6-8 centimeters for small bulbs. The need to observe the gap between flowers allows the roots to develop more actively, due to which the plant receives more nutrients;
  • Considering how to plant tulips correctly, when creating a multi-colored flower bed with different varieties, it is better to increase the distance between categories. This is done to ease further care and prevention of regrading;
  • Prepared grooves spilled with water, onions are located flat on the ground, no need to press;
  • After planting the tulips, the grooves are sprinkled with earth and the topsoil is leveled;
  • Watering is carried out as needed, in the rainy autumn months you can do without it, as well as in the spring. If the weather is hot and dry outside, it is recommended to moisten the soil.

How to plant tulips - correcting mistakes

Tulip planting depth importance for the future growth and development of the plant, since bulbs that are too deep will give late growth and flowering, as well as those located close to the surface, the shoots will stretch, the bud will be sluggish, and flowering will be weak. Proper landing will ensure good conditions for bulb growth and beautiful flowering of tulips in the future, and winter dormancy will allow you to form a healthy growth point and actively accumulate useful substances.


Experienced growers and gardeners dig up tulips every year. This is done in order to obtain new planting material (children of tulip bulbs), as well as the opportunity to inspect the bulbs for diseases and make prevention.

Damaged and rotten bulbs are cleaned with a knife in the affected areas, then processed with brilliant green.

Knowing how to plant tulips correctly, potassium and phosphorus microelements are introduced during the autumn preparation of the beds. Wood ash is the most suitable in composition, as it contains potassium and phosphorus, and does not contain chlorine. Therefore, it is so valued as a fertilizer.

With the onset of cold early varieties tulips are mulched with rotted peat compost. Such a shelter of tulips will prevent excessive freezing of the soil, and in spring this layer will be loose and airy, which will favorably affect the appearance of the first flowers, even if the planting depth of tulips was small.

in the photo - processing of a tulip bulb with Vishnevsky ointment

Gardeners recommend changing the tulip place once every 3-5 years. If this is not feasible, then pay special attention to soil nutrition. In between plantings, try to plant other crops or sow green manure. Marigolds, garlic, calendula, which act as volatile plants, are perfect. The soil will be cleansed of pathogens, and its quality and composition will become better.

Simultaneously with the cultivation of tulips, prevention is carried out in the fight against rodents. The bulbs are treated with Vishnevsky's ointment or a thin layer of kerosene, after which they are planted in the garden. Sprinkling onions with hot ground red pepper is also effective. One way to protect is to plant in containers that sink into the ground and thereby prevent rodents from getting close to tulip bulbs.



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