When to dig out tulips and how to store bulbs until autumn planting

13.07.2016 Tulips

When to dig out tulips and how to store until planting in the fallUnusual care require, of course, varietal tulips. There are times when they bought a simply incredibly beautiful variety and paid a lot of money, the first spring season it pleased you with flowers, then you notice that the flower itself became smaller, its bright color disappeared, and after a few years the flowers did not appear at all, only leaves. First of all, the idea arises that they have acquired poor planting material or tulip bulbs treated with stimulants, that's why such a result. But most often - this is the reason for the inappropriate care.

It is important to remember to all gardeners that varietal seedlings are more demanding on themselves than ordinary varieties that have long adapted to the conditions in which you live. Therefore, before buying a certain variety of tulips, it is important to know what agricultural machinery must be observed at all existing stages, to understand when to dig up tulips and how to store until planting in the fall.

Why do you need to dig bulbs

There are several reasons for this:

1. The key to the most comfortable criteria for laying in the planting material of flower buds. The remaining bulb in the ground runs the risk of being exposed to: insufficient temperature, excessive humidity, and infection. All these reasons will interfere with the formation of quality replacement bulbs. Shredding of future flowers may appear, weakening of the material for planting, and even death afterwards.

2. The selection of weakened and diseased bulbs takes place and thus the accumulation of pathogenic elements in the soil is not allowed. After all, the key to beautiful spring flowering is healthy material.

3. For planting, you can leave only the largest, well-developed and very strong bulbs, thereby avoiding a massive reduction in its size. After all, there is no guarantee that even large uterine material will leave a worthy replacement after itself, so it is better to take out small bulbs immediately and not plant rejected ones. Thus, you can have only high-quality material in your arsenal.

4. Remaining in the same place, the bulb forms many children. They go deeper and problems begin, as it becomes harder to dig them up, and the site quickly becomes clogged, and tulips require well-fertilized and loose soil. Having compacted, the soil does not allow the bulbs to fully develop. If they get enough nutrition, then the flower itself will be larger and healthier.

When to dig out tulips and how to store until planting in the fall

But still, when digging and how to store tulipsbefore planting in the fall? It depends on the region. Most often this is the end of June or the beginning of the month of July. It is necessary to look at the condition of the leaves. When they already turned yellow by 2/3, then this is the first signal of what needs to be dug up. For this period, the bulbs are already well ripened, quite strong, the children are firmly attached to them.

In the cultivation of tulips by industrial methods, it may be necessary to free a plot for sowing another crop, so they dig up the bulbs as they bloom. But professional flower growers will not do this. In home breeding, the rush is not justified. But do not wait until the ground part is completely dry. There are reasons for this:

  • Searching for leaves without leaves is difficult.
  • While in the ground for a long time, the tulip bulb is affected by infection.
  • During this period, the nests are already decaying, the children are separated, and during the digging, they are lost in the ground.

Answering the question when to dig up tulips and how to store until planting in the fall, we can say with confidence that it is better to do this in not rainy weather.At that time, the soil does not have excess moisture, and its structure is friable.

Qualitative preparation of tulips for storage

Before you dig out the bulbs, dried flower stalks and leaves must be carefully broken off or cut with garden shears. Performing this work, the main thing is not to hurt the bottom. The bulb should be freed from brown scales, washed thoroughly in a solution prepared from potassium permanganate prepared in advance, put into boxes in one layer. It is mandatory to separate the variety from the variety, and in order not to get confused it is better to sign. It is necessary to reject, to leave only large and painless planting material.

A place suitable for storing planting material

There are time-tested methods and dates when to dig out tulips and how to store until planting in the fall. This information is shared by professionals who, for a long time, rejoice at the perfectly flowering and excellent reproduction of tulips. The process of preserving the bulbs is not difficult, but requires careful observance of certain rules. Start digging planting material on time and plant also at the appointed time.

Immediately after digging, it is necessary to select and decompose the material in size. Landing occurs around the end of September or early October. Most of the existing tulip varieties in this scenario wintered well, and next year give better results than those planted in the spring. It is important to preserve the bulbs in a place where there is no excess moisture so that mold does not appear on their surface.

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When to dig out tulips and how to store until planting in the fall

But, a dry and very hot place is also inappropriate, otherwise the flowers will be able to turn into dust prematurely. The most optimal temperature for preserving the bulbs is considered to be 23-25 ​​degrees, but not lower, so that instead of flowers, in the spring only beautiful green leaves do not grow or in the worst case you can not wait for this. The closer the landing time approaches, the lower the storage temperature should be. By September, it should be approximately 15 degrees.

There is such varietal material that can be stored in the refrigerator, only at the bottom of the shelf, where the temperature is not more than 5 degrees, but this is an exception. Some gardeners and amateurs purchase a special heat chamber for storing planting material, which allows you to adjust and set the required temperature. But not everyone can afford it, so you need to choose a room where the temperature will be suitable. It is also important that the room is always aired, regardless of the time of year. If there is a pantry in the living room, then this will be a good place to preserve tulips.

Methods for storing tulip bulbs

Even if the theory is well known when to dig out tulips and how to store it before planting in the fall, it is important to adhere to this in practice. After all, even a small violation can lead to the fact that you will be left without tulip flowers. Before placing planting material in a selected place, you need to carefully study the rules for storage and choose a more suitable option.

When to dig out tulips and how to store until planting in the fall

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Each good grower has his own subtleties that he knows and has already been tested by time in practice. Here is a list of some of them:

  • in order to save the bulb from various fungal diseases, during digging it must be treated very carefully, the main thing is not to damage;
  • for storage, choose not a cardboard box that can get wet, but the bulbs from this will subsequently mold, but a wooden one;
  • to put planting material you need only one layer, so you can protect them from caking;
  • in order to avoid excessive moisture, some gardeners give a recommendation, sprinkle onions with sawdust;
  • to save from various injuries, each bulb must be individually wrapped in paper;
  • in the private sector or in the country, the bulbs can be laid out on the basement floor, but then it is important to monitor the temperature change;
  • it is best to plant flowers in special planting baskets so that you can easily move them to the most suitable place, dig them out without damaging the bulb, and also store a lot easier.
When to dig out tulips and how to store until planting in the fall

If you go back to the boxes, you can clarify that such a container is needed to maintain the temperature regime well. In it, make a small window to place the thermometer and carry for storage on the balcony, if it is an apartment.

Long-term storage preparation

Studying the issue when to dig tulips and how to store until planting in the fall it is very important to take care of their preliminary preparation. To do this, you need to look at all the bulbs so that they are rootless and dry. Therefore, before taking the material for storage, it must be scattered with a thin layer and allowed to ventilate.

Then it should be put in special containers or boxes and put in a dark place for several days, preferably in a well-ventilated place or on the street. After quality drying, the bulbs must be well cleaned of the earth, the remaining old scales and the remains of roots. If the bulbs are not broken up and are still in the aggregate, then they need to be divided.

When to dig out tulips and how to store until planting in the fall

Some professionals give advice: after digging up tulips in the fall, they must be treated with a weak potassium permanganate solution just before planting. It will be a protection against decay, various pest of decay. In addition, there will be an opportunity for the bulb to be saturated with manganese.

In winter, it is advisable to periodically inspect the bulbs, rotten immediately need to be removed. Thus, it is possible to reduce the number of losses in the flower crop, and in the end to get a healthy planting material, as well as beautiful flower beds with chic tulips.

When to dig up tulips and how to store until planting in the fall, the video story will fully reveal this topic.

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