Tulips in the garden or summer cottage are a natural decoration. Beautiful flowers with bright colors will decorate any area. Propagation of spring tulips is an interesting and enjoyable process for lovers of these flowers. There are a huge number of varieties. Each one has an original color and bud shape. Flowers can be double, goblet-shaped or lily-shaped. You can breed flowers of one variety or develop a new special one, which will differ in shade, color of petals or bud shape.
Methods for propagating tulips
Tulips are propagated in two ways - seeds and the vegetative method. Propagation by children, small bulbs, is used more often. Children receive from an adult flower. The method does not require special conditions and does not take much time. Therefore, gardeners prefer vegetative. Propagation by seeds allows you to develop a new variety, but this requires monitoring climatic conditions and eliminating damage from insects. Soil has a strong influence on seed germination. Therefore, this method is usually used by breeders.
Seeds
In order to get a new variety with an interesting and unusual color, it is worth doing seed propagation of the flower. The process is, of course, long, but the result will exceed all expectations. The first flowers with this breeding will appear only after 3-5 years. You will need to select the flowers that will be needed for propagation.
When to use
Propagation by seeds is recommended when breeding a new type of tulip. To do this, you will need to pollinate a specific type of flower with the pollen of another or several. You can get a new bud shape or petal shade. Planting seeds without pollination will not produce results. The decorative qualities of the existing plant will not appear.
Seed propagation technology
To reproduce in this way, you will need to perform a number of necessary steps. Pollination is carried out artificially. Plant seeds next to the bulbs of plants that participated in the crossing.
If the choice fell on plants with different flowering periods, then it is recommended to store the collected pollen in the refrigerator in a special paper bag.
The anthers must be carefully removed 2 days before the process. Pollinate twice with an interval of 2-3 days.Additional pollination by insects should not be allowed, so the seeds should be covered with paper or a light cloth.
The seeds are removed when the capsule turns brown and begins to crack. If you linger a little, the seeds will fall to the ground. Store in a cool, dry place (can be in the refrigerator) at a temperature from 0 to +5 0WITH.
First, the seeds are sown in a planting box or pot. The planting depth should not exceed 20 mm. This is where the bulbs will form. The process usually takes up to 3 years. After this, you can plant the resulting bulbs in the garden.
The first flowers will appear in about 5 years. Often the first flowering is quite weak and dim. The desired result will be in 8-12 years. Afterwards, vegetative propagation can be carried out.
Vegetative method
Propagation of tulips by children - bulbs of an adult plant, is used more often by practicing gardeners. The bulbs are dug out of the soil after complete flowering. Special processing and sorting are carried out so that the bulbs can survive the winter and not lose their quality. Storage is responsible for the quality of flowering for subsequent planting. At this time, flower buds are formed.
The principle of vegetative propagation
Vegetative propagation is used by gardeners all the time. With this method, flowering is achieved faster, and valuable external characteristics of the mother plant can be preserved. The process takes place in two stages. The first stage is characterized by the development of the bulb as part of the mother plant. The second stage is the independent growth and flowering of the bulb. You can get several babies from one. The mother bulb dies at this time.
A distinctive feature of this method is the ability of babies to receive nutrients from the mother’s scales during the formation process.
Development is uneven. Children begin their independent stage with the development to which they were able to grow in the mother’s bulb. Young seedlings develop a stolon-like shoot - a sign of a young plant. After flowering this ability disappears.
Each daughter bulb inherits different characteristics from the mother plant. Depends on the tulip's own changes. To obtain a large and beautiful flower, it is recommended to use side children of the 2nd and 3rd parsing. The bulbs of the first parsing can be used in a round shape. The quality of the young plant is also affected by the storage of the babies.
Digging up bulbs
Digging times vary for each variety. You need to dig it up after the leaves have turned yellow, but have not yet dried out. This is the main sign of maturation. It is recommended to leave tulips with green leaves until they ripen. If the leaves have dried out and are easily separated from the stem, then it is too late to dig it up.
Typically, tulips are harvested from late June to mid-July. The timing varies according to the climatic zone of flower growth. For the middle zone this is the beginning of July. There is no need to rush into digging, because the children will not have time to mature and accumulate nutrients. But a long wait is also harmful to the plant - the bulbs are destroyed. A rainy summer may delay flowering and drying of leaves, but you shouldn’t wait. Prolonged exposure to wet soil can lead to rotting.
You need to dig carefully so as not to damage the bulbs. There is no need to throw away damaged species; they are quite suitable for planting (provided that the root system and bottom are not damaged).
Sorting
The bulbs, dug up and processed, are further sorted according to size. Specimens with a diameter exceeding 40 mm belong to the extra class. The first class has a diameter from 35 mm to 40 mm, the second - 30-35 and the third - 25-30. Lateral children are distinguished by categories - the 1st category includes specimens with dimensions of 15-25 mm, the 2nd category does not exceed 15 mm.
When sorting the bulbs, the gardener can plan the planting of tulips for next year:
- specimens of the correct shape can be planted separately, because in the first year there will be only one leaf - they will bloom in a year;
- small specimens with a flattened shape will require more time (about 2 years) - planted in the ground to a depth that is a multiple of 3 times the height of the bulb.
Correct sorting allows you to create a beautiful compositional garden with clearly planned planting.
Storage conditions
It is recommended to store the bulbs in a room with good ventilation with a temperature not exceeding 26 0C, humidity - 70-80%. It is better to make special perforated drawers that will provide comfortable storage conditions. They will stay in drawers until autumn, so you shouldn’t put them in the cellar or put them in the refrigerator. There is a risk of them rotting.
The ripening of the bulb in the ground occurs at a fairly high temperature. Therefore, during storage they require approximately similar conditions in temperature and humidity. Proper storage will allow strong flower buds to form. The main condition is darkness. Light is not recommended due to the fact that physiological disturbances occur in the bulbs. This may result in reduced flower quality.
It is not recommended to store the bulbs until spring, because they can wake up in conditions that are comfortable for them.Therefore, it is better to plant them in the ground in the fall - in September or October.
Which way is better?
Which method to choose for propagation depends on the purpose of the process. If the goal is to develop a new variety with a new shade and color or a different bud, then it is better to use the seed method. The process will be long, but the result will be achieved. As a result, you can get a beautiful, unusual tulip that can take pride of place in the garden among its other tulips.
The vegetative method does not require special weather conditions. You can enjoy your favorite flower the next year. Maternal characteristics are preserved and receive minimal changes.
Tips for gardeners
In order for the appearance of the garden to please you, you need to make a little effort and follow a number of rules:
- when propagating tulips using the vegetative method, it is necessary to properly dig, sort and store the bulbs;
- after digging the bulbs, they need to be cleaned of soil and roots, dried well and stored;
- Proper sorting will allow you to create a beautiful garden;
- the seed method takes time, but the result exceeds all expectations;
- You should not leave the bulbs until spring - the quality characteristics may decrease, which will affect flowering;
- you need to correctly calculate the planting depth - this guarantees germination and flowering in due time.
Proper flower care and the propagation process will help preserve tulip varieties or add new luxurious species that will delight you for a long period of time.
