Tulips - are a genus of perennial herbaceous bulbous plants of the Liliaceae family, beloved by many gardeners, which includes more than 80 species in modern taxonomies. And the continuously updated world fund of commercially cultivated tulips alone today has more than 1800 varieties and forms!
But no matter what species and varieties of this charming early-flowering bulbous plant you plant on your country plot, their agricultural technology will be almost the same. And one of its important components is timely feeding.
Plants planted on poor soil, large-flowered forms and varieties with fantasy-shaped flowers, as well as those located too densely during planting to form a flower "carpet" are considered especially capricious in this regard.
Preparing the soil for tulips
The first conditional "top dressing" is filling the flowerbed for tulips before planting them, which is usually carried out from mid-September to mid-October (when the soil temperature drops to 7-10 ° C, so that the bulbs take root before the soil freezes).
Choose the most illuminated, level place on the site, protected from wind and drafts, with well-drained, light soil of neutral acidity, and 1-2 months before planting, dig the soil to a depth of 30 cm.
When digging, add complex mineral fertilizer with a high content of phosphorus and potassium, wood ash and - necessarily - well-decomposed compost, and on heavy soils, add coarse-grained river sand or well-rotted sawdust to the planting holes.
After planting, water the bulbs well and be sure to mulch them with a thick layer of humus or peat (they will not only protect the soil from freezing, overheating and weeds, but will also contribute to the "feeding" of the tulips).
Important! You cannot add fresh manure either when digging the soil or when planting tulips. This can cause the bulbs to become infected with fungal diseases. In addition, fresh organic matter attracts earthworms, and then moles, which can not only spoil the appearance of the flowerbed, but also contribute to the loss of plants.
Fertilizing tulips during the growing season
During the season, you should also feed the plants 3-4 times. It is better to apply fertilizer early in the morning or in the evening, and also combine it with abundant watering.
So, what to fertilize tulips with depending on the stage of their development?
In the spring, as soon as the snow melts and the ground thaws (around March-April), add nitrogen fertilizers to the flowerbed (for example, 20 g of ammonium nitrate or urea per 1 sq.m). This dose of fertilizer is diluted in 10 liters of warm water and the plantings are watered with this solution at the rate of 1 bucket per 1-1.5 sq.m. This top dressing will stimulate leaf growth.
If the soil after winter is too wet or still freezes at night, you can scatter the fertilizers in dry form (in the same proportion) and shallowly dig into the soil. If the mulch layer has thinned since autumn, you can renew the backfill with humus or compost.
These bulbous plants are fed for the second time during the budding period (around May) – during this period they are especially sensitive to a lack of nutrients. As a fertilizer, use 20 g of ammonium nitrate, 10 g of urea and 10 g of superphosphate per 1 sq.m. You can also add ready-made complex fertilizers for flower crops instead.
For example, Agricola for flowering plants, Fasco Flower, Fertika Flower, etc. diluted according to the instructions are suitable.
A "folk" fertilizer at this time can be an ash solution – 1 glass of ash per 10 liters of water per 1 sq.m.
NOTE: chlorine-containing fertilizers are contraindicated for tulips, as they can damage their roots. Fresh manure should also not be used, as this fertilizer can cause the bulbs to rot.
At the beginning of flowering, you can help the plants by adding 20-30 g of superphosphate and 15 g of potassium nitrate per 1 sq.m or the same ash solution in the concentration described above.
After flowering (in about one to two weeks), you can feed the tulips again. Nutrients will allow the plants to "ripen" better and increase the mass of the bulb. During this period, 15 g of potassium nitrate and 30 g of superphosphate (per 10 liters of water) or a complex fertilizer with a low nitrogen content are added.
As you can see, feeding tulips during the season will not cause you any particular difficulties, but you should not neglect this important procedure if you want to get active growth and especially lush flowering.