Knowing how to plant tulips in pots, flowerpots or containers, you can easily decorate your balcony with wonderful spring flowers. Just imagine how pleasant it will be to inhale the delicate aroma of tulips and admire their exquisite flowering, while it is still snowing or gloomy April slush reigns outside.
Choosing the right tulip pots
But for the tulips to bloom in early spring, you will need to take care of planting them in the fall. Throughout the winter, tulips in a pot should be in a dark, cool place in the apartment or under cover on the street. At a low temperature, the bulbs will not germinate, but when the time comes to move the tulips to the balcony, they will quickly start growing and bloom together.
From the article you will learn about which pots and containers are better to choose for growing bulbous flowers, what kind of soil to prepare for planting bulbs, and how to plant tulips correctly so that they all sprout after wintering.
Video about growing tulips at home in a pot
For forcing bulbs at home, it is recommended to use low containers, however, tulips on the balcony in low containers will not feel comfortable, and their winter hardiness will noticeably decrease. A sufficient height of pots for growing tulips on the balcony is 30 cm for large bulbs and 20 cm for small bulbs. With an upper pot diameter of 20 cm, you can place about five fairly large tulip bulbs in the soil.
If you can't decide whether to take ceramic or plastic pots, opt for the first option. Ceramics better passes the air necessary for the normal formation of the root system of tulips. Although plastic containers are much cheaper, they overheat in the sun too much and do not provide sufficient oxygen to the roots of plants.
If you can't decide whether to take ceramic or plastic pots, opt for the first option.
Containers and pots must have drainage holes at the bottom to remove excess moisture from the soil. In the absence of such holes, you will need to consider how best to make them yourself.
Substrate preparation for tulips
The soil preferences of tulips remain the same whether the bulbs are planted outdoors or in pots. Therefore, the principle of mixing the substrate will be the same as when growing tulips in flower beds: two parts of peat and the same amount of washed river sand are added to one part of clay soil.
Growing tulips on a balcony also works well when using a substrate consisting of equal parts of leafy, garden, humus soil with the addition of peat and sand. The soil should be neutral or slightly alkaline.
If you don’t feel like mixing the substrate yourself, get ready-made soil mixture in flower shop- usually this is not a problem.
Growing tulips on a balcony also works well when using a substrate.
How to grow tulips in a pot
As with planting in open ground, tulip bulbs are planted in balcony boxes in September-October. The landing process is quite simple:
- pour drainage in the form of gravel or ceramic fragments at the bottom of the pot or box so that the drainage holes do not become clogged;
- measure from the edge of the pot required depth on which the bulbs should be planted, and pour the substrate to this level;
- place bulbs on the ground - planting should be denser than when grown in a flower bed;
- add the substrate almost to the very edge of the pot;
- carefully water the soil from a watering can with a diffuser.
For the whole winter, containers with planted bulbs will need to be transferred to a cold room. If, apart from an unheated balcony, you have no more suitable place to store boxes with tulips, cover them well on all sides with old blankets or unnecessary warm clothes. You can also use boxes filled with shavings. In this form, plantings will not be afraid of even the most severe frosts. But do not forget to check the containers from time to time and water the plantings to prevent the soil from drying out.
In March, it will be possible to remove the shelter from the containers and start watering. Soon green shoots will appear, and beautiful tulips will decorate your balcony!
As with planting in open ground, tulip bulbs are planted in balcony boxes in September-October
Create a spring fairy tale on the balcony
To make your balcony an object of undisguised admiration for neighbors and passers-by, take note of a few recommendations:
- varieties such as simple and terry early, Foster and Kaufman tulips are best suited for growing on the balcony - they begin to bloom earlier than the rest;
- tulips of the Prestans Fusilier variety look gorgeous in pots, in which up to eight flowers form on peduncles;
- undersized varieties fit more harmoniously into the limited space of the balcony;
- there are countless in pots - you can combine contrasting tones and similar shades, use different types tulips of the same color, planted in pots for tulips small flowers(forget-me-nots, muscari, viola, daisies, pansies), add greens, etc.;
- you can plant tulips of the same variety in a box, so that after flowering they can be removed for growing, replacing them with a box with other flowers, or you can combine varieties with different terms flowering, successively replacing each other.
After the tulips on the balcony have faded, leave them in their pots and continue to water.
If you decide to combine tulips of different flowering times in one pot, use the method of planting in layers. To do this, after the drainage material, add about ten centimeters of soil and place the bulbs on it. After filling them with soil and lay the next layer. If there are several such plants, then continue to alternate the soil and bulbs until required amount. Cover the last layer with soil and water well. After a while, excess liquid will drain through the drainage holes, remove it and place the pot in place.
In order for the cultivation of tulips on the balcony to be successful, be sure to select the highest quality, smooth and firm bulbs for planting without damage. When watering, use warm water. If possible, provide tulips with high humidity. Feed periodically complex fertilizers. Try not to place the pots in the hot sun, otherwise the soil will constantly dry out and the plants will die.
Video on how to properly plant tulips in a pot
Experienced flower growers along the perimeter of the balcony specially build shelving in several tiers for flower pots, and under the railing of the balcony they make a kind of “window sill”, sheltered from the sun.
After the tulips on the balcony have faded, leave them in their pots and continue to water for another month so that the bulbs gain strength and grow to optimal sizes. Watering is stopped when the dried leaves completely die off. And as soon as the earth in the pot dries up, the bulbs can be taken out, peeled, sorted for future planting and sent for storage until autumn.
Again, this advice is suitable for those who like to experiment with growing various plants. Tulips can not be attributed to domestic plants. Rather, these flowers are classified as garden flowers. It is there that we are accustomed to seeing them in the spring. But, it turns out they can be quite successfully grown at home. In winter, it is difficult to surprise anyone with tulips now. A bouquet of these flowers can easily be bought at any time of the year. But, now, if you present such a lively bouquet in winter right in a pot, then this is a completely different matter. And, if you also say that you grew them at home, then I think this will add additional value to your “live” gift. After all, you have invested your work in this living bouquet.
We grow tulips at home in winter. How to do it?
You can grow such a bouquet by a certain date. For example, by March 8, when flowers are especially in vogue with us. Also, I think it will be nice to get live ones for other holidays in the winter. The process of growing such a bouquet can be easily regulated. You can give it acceleration, or you can slow down the growth rate a little. Everything here is regulated quite simply.
How to plant tulip bulbs?
How fast your tulips will grow is up to you. It is very easy to regulate this. If we take the average value, then it is somewhere around 2 or 2.5 weeks. During this time, on average, a good bouquet grows. But, if you need to speed up this process, for example, by a certain date, then you need to put a pot of tulips from the window in a warmer place. There they will bloom much faster. And when the timing does not matter, then let the pot stand in a cooler place. Then the tulips will bloom much later. Here you should know that flowers that have developed more slowly will be stronger than those whose growth you have accelerated. Accordingly, such tulips will stand
The bulbs will not germinate at low temperatures, and when the owners decide to move them to warmth, they will start growing together. To drive bulbs at home, pots must be at least 30 cm high for large bulbs and 20 cm for small ones. For the diameter of the top of the pot, 20 cm is enough, about 5 large bulbs will fit in such a pot. It is better to take ceramic pots, since ceramics pass air better, and it is necessary for a good formation of the root system of tulips. Plastic containers are much cheaper and less fragile, but they overheat significantly in the sun and do not provide protection from the cold.
Drainage holes are required in the pot so that excess moisture did not stagnate at the roots. To create tulips good soil take in equal parts leafy, garden and humus soil with the addition of peat and coarse river sand. The reaction of the soil should be neutral or slightly alkaline. Tulip preferences do not change whether they grow in a flower bed or in a pot on a windowsill. Soil for bulbs, sold in specialized stores, is also well suited.
Bulbs are planted in September-October, as well as in open ground. Expanded clay, gravel, ceramic fragments or charcoal are poured into the bottom of the pot, making sure that particles that are too small do not clog the hole completely. From the edge of the pot, the distance at which the bulbs will need to be planted is measured, to this level the pot is filled with the substrate. The bulbs are located almost close to each other, that is, much denser than in a flower bed. The soil is filled up to the edge of the pot, watered so that the volume settles and decreases. If necessary, the soil is topped up.
So that the result of the distillation does not turn out to be a disappointment, the bulbs need to be chosen high-quality, smooth, hard. Then the containers with the bulbs are moved to a cool room, simulating wintering. If it's September and it's quite warm outside, a vegetable drawer in the refrigerator will do. Containers are checked about once a week to prevent both the drying of the soil and the appearance of mold. You can place pots with tulips in a bright place and start full-fledged watering after 3-4 months.
If in a pot of varieties blooming in different time, you can use the method of planting in layers. To do this, after a drainage layer in a pot, add about 10 cm of soil and place the bulbs on it, fill them completely with soil and lay the next layer. The earliest flowering varieties are placed below, and those that bloom later are placed on top. The last layer is covered with soil and watered abundantly. The liquid will merge through the drainage, after which the pot can be placed in storage.
To grow tulips at home, the earth is not required So that the result of forcing does not turn out to be a disappointment, you need to choose high-quality, smooth, firm bulbs. When watering, water should be used warm, if possible providing tulips with high humidity. Top dressing with complex fertilizers should not contain a lot of nitrogen, it is better to give preference to phosphate fertilizers. Do not put pots in the hot sun; tulips will die from direct sunlight. After the tulips have faded, the bulbs are left in pots for about a month, fertilizing and watering, so that they gain strength for the next flowering. Watering is stopped when the penultimate leaf begins to fade. When the earth dries out, the bulbs are taken out, peeled, sorted for future planting and sent back to storage.
Many gardeners grow tulips in a pot at home to please their soulmate on March 8 or to profit from the further sale of flowers.
In most cases, such plants develop in a flower bed, but early flowering can be obtained by planting bulbs in ordinary pots in winter.
Our article will be devoted to the process of growing tulips in flowerpots.
Description
Depending on the variety chosen, the height of the tulip can vary from 10 centimeters to 1 meter. The root part of this plant consists of adventitious roots that develop and die off every year.
The stem of the flower is erect, cylindrical shape. The leaves are oblong-lanceolate, green with a barely noticeable wax coating. The bottom leaf is considered the largest, the largest leaf blade is located in the upper part of the culture.
Note: most varieties of tulips have only one inflorescence, but some species can form from three to five flowers at the same time.
Inflorescences are white, yellow or red, consist of 6 petals and the same number of stamens. At hybrid varieties the coloration is slightly different, in this case the flowers may be purple or purple.
Tulip petals also have a different shape:
- bowl-shaped;
- stellate;
- fringed;
- oval;
- lilioid.
The size of the blooming inflorescence also depends on the variety. If the length of the flower can reach up to 12 centimeters, then the diameter of the inflorescence ranges from 3 ... 10 centimeters. Tulips usually open on cloudy days and finish blooming at nightfall or under adverse weather conditions.
For home growing
Variety London
The choice of tulips is actually huge, but not all varieties are suitable for growing at home, in a pot. The most adapted cultures include:
- London;
- Oxford;
- Parade Record;
- Aristocrat;
- Negrita;
- Scarborough;
- Confucs;
- Diplomat.
It is important to know: low plants are ideal for growing at home. Such crops are undemanding in care, have good resistance to diseases.
Tulip bulbs can be bought at any specialty store or prepared from your own planting material. There are some nuances in using your seeds:
- Their flowers need careful care during the development period.
- Bulbs are dug up in the spring after the tulips have faded during the yellowing of the stems.
- for storage and further landing select the largest bulbs.
When drying seed material, the following must be observed. temperature regime. In the first week of storage, the room temperature is set at 34 degrees. In the next two months, the temperature indicators are reduced to +23 degrees.
In the next third month, the temperature is again reduced to +17 degrees. After some time, the bulbs are placed in a gauze bag and placed in the refrigerator. In this state, the seed material is stored until planting.
Preparatory work for forcing bulbs
Winter cultivation of tulips consists in the use of distillation technology.
In the process of basic work, the gardener should bring the temperature and humidity of the air, as well as lighting, as close as possible to natural conditions.
The main work on growing tulips at home is carried out in the following sequence:
- Bulbs are planted in the last decade of September.
- For growing flowers choose flowerpots up to 15 centimeters deep.
- You can buy potting soil or make your own. It consists of one part of humus and river sand and two parts of soddy land. To enrich the earth with microelements, a little wood ash.
- We examine the bulbs for the presence of diseases, lower the planting material for 30 minutes into a solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection.
- We put the drainage in pots, fill them with a nutrient mixture.
- We lay the bulbs on the surface of the soil, maintaining a distance of 1 centimeter.
- We fill the planting material with soil.
- We water the soil.
- We move the pots to a dark, but damp and cool room. The temperature in this place should not exceed +9 degrees, humidity is within 80%.
Keep in mind: the bulbs must be cooled before planting, which will stimulate the intensive development of the culture.
Further flower care is additional irrigation. The soil must be moistened at least once a week.
How to achieve flowering
A few weeks after sowing, the first shoots will begin to appear from the pots. When the height of the leaves reaches 6 or 7 centimeters, they are transferred to a bright room and gradually begin to accustom to sunlight.
Indoors, you need to achieve optimal humidity air (about 80%). Such indicators can be obtained by periodically spraying plants.
When growing flowers at home, the following rules must be observed:
- plants should not be exposed to direct sunlight;
- it is necessary to protect vegetative crops from drafts;
- pots are kept away from radiators;
- settled liquid is used to moisten the soil, with a temperature of 18-22 degrees.
- It is desirable to cut flowers in the morning near the surface of the earth.
Gardener's advice: for the first time after moving, the flowers should be covered with a paper cap. The temperature also needs to be raised smoothly to +18 degrees in two days. When growing tulips in winter time artificial lighting may be needed.
It is not recommended to use the bulb for re-forcing tulips, but the planting material can recover in open ground. In this regard, after the end of flowering, it is necessary to cut the bulb and reduce watering.
After the leaves turn yellow, the bulbs are removed from the soil and dried. Planting material is stored in the basement, where the temperature is +18 degrees.
Growing tulips on your own in winter is quite simple, but for this you must follow the rules described above. At proper care these flowers will delight the hostess with colorful inflorescences and long flowering.
How to plant tulips in pots, see the following video:
Tulips are a prominent representative of the Lily family. These spring flowers, which have a special aroma, are often tried to be driven out by March 8th. So that from the bulbs at home, in an unusual period of the year, you need to know all the subtleties of this process: from choosing a variety to top dressing.
Article outline
When is the best time to plant bulbs?
The timing of plant forcing is strongly influenced by its biological features. For the success of the event, by the time of planting in the ground, all the organs of the future flower should already be formed at the planting material. Inside the bulbs should also be contained in the optimal amount of useful elements. Based on this, only high-quality and large specimens, weighing at least 25 grams, should be chosen as a soil substrate.
For the convenience of calculating the exact timing of planting bulbs in a pot, there is a simple technology where two main periods should be taken into account:
- The first includes the planting and rooting process of the material. The optimum temperature for this stage is 5-8 degrees. Depending on the varietal characteristics, the duration of this time period can vary from 16 to 22 weeks.
- The second assumes the content of the appeared sprouts in comfortable conditions at a temperature of 12-15 degrees. Light intensity should be in a moderate range. The duration of this period (before the formation of buds) varies within 3-4 weeks.
By adding these two stages, it is possible to calculate the flowering period at room content. This is how they distinguish:
- Early, when tulips bloom in late December-early January. Forcing flowers coincides with the New Year holidays
- Mid-early, in which flowering coincides with the Christmas holidays.
- Medium, allows you to grow a flower culture for Valentine's Day.
- Late, makes it possible to prepare a bouquet for March 8.
How to choose a variety for winter planting
There is a fairly large assortment of flowers from the Liliaceae family with different forcing periods on the market. Among the most popular varieties are:
- Mize Bridge, Christmas Marvel, Brilliant Star. These are plants with early term flowering, the process of formation of the rudiments of peduncles is 10-16 weeks. They reach a height of 30-40 cm, and the size of their buds does not exceed 8 cm. The advantage of such tulips is the formation of flowers in the form of a bowl, a glass.
- Darwin hybrids. Flowers with medium and medium early distillation attract attention with a bud height of 12 cm, and the height of the plant itself is 60-80 cm. But given the large size of the flowers, only experienced gardeners can handle them.
- Triumph, Temple of Beauty, Negrita, Aristocrat. Late-flowering specimens of the 5th class are able to grow up to 75 cm. The height of the flowers is not more than 10 cm, their shape looks like a bowl.
The process of growing tulips
Often, novice flower growers do not dare to grow tulips at home in the winter, considering this activity as something difficult. But if you stick to a certain technology, then success will be guaranteed.
Preparatory activities
Bulbs should be prepared in the summer season, when tulips grow on suburban area. For subsequent forcing, exceptionally healthy and strong specimens will be needed; they are provided with proper care during the entire growing season. After harvesting, the bulbs are kept indoors at a temperature of 25 degrees for 30 days. Then these figures are lowered by 3-5 degrees (August-September).
Landing work
The bulbs selected for planting are laid in a fertile soil substrate with a neutral level of acidity. The planting date will be determined by the planned bud formation time. In a suitable container, the material is placed at a distance of 5-10 mm from each other, the bulbs are slightly deepened and irrigated. A container with planted tulips is placed in a room with cool air, where the temperature is at least 9 degrees. This stage of forcing flowers lasts 16-22 weeks.
The next step will be the transfer of containers with future flowers to a room where the temperature is maintained within 12-15 degrees. Such conditions are necessary to avoid the stress that overtakes bulbous crops with a sharp change in temperature. The lighting should not be too bright. In addition, here you should know that the sooner the tulips are warm, the sooner the flowering phase will begin. Move containers to warm room follows at a height of sprouts of 5-7 cm.
The subtleties of the selection of planting material
It is necessary to select bulbs for distillation from your own planting material. Suitable specimens must be cleaned of the husk covering them, and the smooth shell should be inspected. High-quality bulbs should not contain hidden cuts, any damage, signs of illness. In addition, peeled bulbs are more effectively fixed in the soil substrate, quickly absorb moisture and nutrient compositions.
Before planting in the prepared soil, it is recommended to keep the bulbs in a working solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes. To prepare it, you will need a few dark purple crystals and 0.5 liters of water. Thanks to this procedure, it is possible to save future flowers from diseases. Alternatively, you can use a container of water, the temperature of which is 40 degrees. Material soaking time 5 min.
What is the best substrate for planting tulips
It is advisable to use an earth mixture for forcing flowers from the Liliaceae family with a sufficient level of moisture and breathability, and acidity indicators in the range of 6.5-7.0. Based on the practice of Dutch flower growers, it is possible to grow a crop in river sand, but sand mixtures where peat, earth, sawdust is used. Perlite has proven itself well.
At home, it is effective to prepare a soil substrate from earth, manure and humus in a ratio of 2: 1: 1. For fertility, you can add another handful of wood ash - this is an excellent fertilizer for tulips. What is not recommended is to use soil from greenhouses, where there is a high probability of the presence of pathogenic microorganisms, fungal spores.
In the case of using peat or sawdust needs to be processed lime mortar. Sawdust is good to take steamed hardwood. To grow blooming tulips, you need to monitor the seedlings, they must grow evenly, not stretch.
Rules for planting bulbs
Having decided on the soil, they begin to plant tulips:
- Drainage is laid at the bottom of the container, it is also necessary to provide for the presence of holes to remove excess moisture.
- The containers are filled with soil.
- Deepen the bulbs, but not too deep.
- Water with a solution of calcium nitrate (20 g of the product per 10 liters of water).
- Top up the soil as needed after moistening.
- The container is placed in a room where the temperature is maintained at around 10 degrees.
The duration of the rooting period is 22 weeks.
Tulips in a pot at home
In the process of growing bulbs need proper organization irrigation systems. Special attention it is worth paying humidity it should be at least 80%. It is supported until mid-December. Then the temperature indicators are lowered by 2-4 degrees, so it is possible to prevent the sprouts from stretching. 1.5 months before the onset of the flower blooming phase, containers with plants must be placed in a room with a temperature of 15 degrees.
At first, in warmth, while the flowers go through an adaptation period, subdued light should be used. If there are specimens that have grown weakly, they are covered with cardboard caps. And after 2-3 days the temperature is increased to 18 degrees. You can prevent the stems from stretching by installing fluorescent lamps, they are turned on every day for 5-6 hours.
When carrying out early forcing, it is not necessary to germinate tulips, since such plantations do not have the ability to form a full-fledged bulb. This technique is relevant only for undersized species. The bottom line is to remove both flowers and leaves from the stem, and extract them from the ground after three weeks. This makes it possible to obtain medium-sized material.
At the end of the distillation, leaf plates are left on the stems, and the flowers are cut off. Water them for 21 days, and then dig them out of the ground. Most of bulbous respond to this method of maintenance and direct all their efforts to the formation of a new viable bulb. The excavated specimens are first dried for 14 days at a temperature of 24 degrees, for the next 30 days they are kept at 15-20 degrees, and until planting - at 15 degrees.
The quality of the bulbs depends on the correct maintenance of them after forcing. They are planted in the ground as usual in time, and provide standard care. The germination rate of bulbs in March varieties is 30%. If you use early-flowering varieties for growing, then the effect will be weak: the children are small, they will begin to bloom only after 3-4 years.
Growing tulips in the winter at home is quite possible even for beginner gardeners. The main thing is to know how to care for tulips at all stages of their growth and development. Maintenance only optimum temperature, humidity level, lighting will allow you to achieve the appearance of bright buds in the winter. And don't skimp on planting material because the result depends on it.
