Fertilizers for tulips are usually applied in autumn and spring. Feeding is needed to get healthy and abundantly flowering plants. Without fertilizers, tulips grow frail and form “blind” or small buds. When fertilizing plants, certain proportions should be observed. It is better to underfeed tulips than to overfeed them. In addition, you cannot add organic matter and minerals on the same day. After fertilizing with one type of fertilizer, several weeks should pass. It is recommended to add microelements during heavy watering.
Tulip needs
Agricultural technology for growing tulips involves adding organic and mineral fertilizers to the soil. Fertilizers applied to the soil have a positive effect on plant growth, bud formation and abundant, long-lasting flowering. Plants need a standard set of minerals - nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, as well as organic fertilizer (manure, chicken droppings).
Thanks to nitrogen-containing fertilizers, tulips grow well, gain green mass, and their leaves have a healthy green color. With a lack of nitrogen, flowering is delayed and short-lived.
Potassium has a positive effect on the condition of the bulbs and the formation of new children. Potassium fertilizing ensures long and lush flowering. Thanks to it, the color of the petals becomes rich and beautiful.
Phosphorus affects the growth of the root system. This microelement works in tandem with potassium. Together, these substances provide the plant with long and abundant flowering.
Tulips need much smaller quantities: calcium, copper, iron, boron, zinc, magnesium. If there is a lack of microelements, the leaves of tulips turn yellow, they droop, and their heads droop. Zinc and copper are considered medicinal substances. They support the immunity of tulips and make them resistant to fungal diseases. Various microelements are usually included in complex fertilizers.
Tulip leaves may appear pale if the soil in which they grow is too acidic. Flowers love alkaline or neutral soil. You can correct the acidity of the soil by adding a little lime or wood ash to it.
Resistance to diseases is increased by drugs such as potassium permanganate, copper sulfate and boric acid. These substances are a must have for any gardener.
What fertilizers should be applied to tulips when planting?
In order to get healthy tulips with beautiful flowers, it is necessary to apply fertilizers in the fall - when planting the bulbs in the ground, and in the spring - when the vegetation comes to life and begins to grow. Tulips are fertilized with minerals (nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus) and organic matter.
It is not recommended to add fresh and insufficiently rotted mullein to the soil under the bulbs. Organic matter is added several months before planting tulips. During the decomposition process, organic fertilizers are a breeding ground for a huge number of microorganisms, and they also attract pests. If bulbs are planted at the same time as applying fresh manure, they may become diseased or be attacked by insect pests.
What to feed in the fall?
The bulbs are buried in the ground at the end of September or early October. They are first placed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for etching. Before wintering, tulips need to be fed with organic matter (compost), potassium and phosphorus. The soil is fertilized a month before planting the bulbs (in August). For 1 square meter of soil take 10 kilograms of compost, 200 grams of wood ash and 30 grams of potassium and phosphorus. You can take 50-100 grams of complex fertilizers.
Potassium fertilizers make plants resistant to low temperatures and fungal diseases. Potassium promotes better rooting of the planted bulb. Phosphorus makes the root system stronger and increases resistance to adverse weather conditions.
In addition to feeding, the bulbs need protection from rodents. They can be sprinkled with red pepper or greased with Vishnevsky ointment. It is recommended to spray the bulbs with kerosene. The unpleasant, pungent odor of these substances repels rodents.
Some gardeners value planting material very much, so the bulbs are planted in a metal, plastic mesh or container dug into the ground. Such fences protect the bulbs from rodents and provide better water drainage.
in spring
With the arrival of spring, the soil is fertilized with nitrogen substances. Nitrogen provides plants with growth and green mass. Nitrogen fertilizers are applied in the spring, when loosening the soil. Urea or ammonium nitrate solution is used as a top dressing.
With a lack of nitrogenous elements, tulip leaves turn yellow, and the stems themselves grow poorly. Having received feeding, the plants immediately come to life, their leaves acquire a beautiful green color. True, nitrogen should not be applied in the fall. During this period, plant growth slows down, and the bulbs planted in the ground at the end of September need to take root, absorb more nutrients and prepare for wintering.
In spring, flowers are fertilized with potassium and phosphorus. Fertilizing is applied several times. The soil is fertilized at a certain moment in plant development (the appearance of the first shoots, the moment of budding or flowering).
Nuances of feeding
Tulips are fertilized three to five times per season. Organic or mineral fertilizers are used as fertilizing. Each period of plant development requires certain feeding.
If organic fertilizers are used, the amount of minerals can be reduced. Organic matter contains the whole range of useful substances, including microelements. Additionally, it is recommended to add wood ash and dolomite flour to the soil. Wood ash enriches the soil with potassium.
Fertilizer dose per 1 square meter:
- rotted manure - 1 or 2 buckets;
- wood ash - 200 grams;
- dolomite flour - 500 grams;
- double superphosphate - 50 grams;
- potassium sulfate or potassium nitrate - 30 grams;
- ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate or urea - 25 grams.
You can use complex fertilizers (Nitrophoska, Nitroammofoska, NPK). In this case, 100 grams of fertilizer are taken per 1 square meter.
When forcing
Tulips usually bloom in May and bloom until mid-June. However, in greenhouse conditions, these plants can be made to bloom much earlier, for example, by March 8th. The bulbs should first lie in a cold room for about 10-16 weeks. Low temperatures promote the formation of substances that affect the further process of plant growth. Then the bulbs are transferred to a warm room. For forcing, rotted manure (1 bucket), wood ash (500 grams), calcium nitrate (20 grams) and mineral fertilizers are added per 1 square meter of soil.
Fertilizer dosage per 1 square meter:
- potassium - 20 grams;
- superphosphate - 20 grams;
- nitrogen fertilizers - 30 grams;
- water - 10 liters.
In the spring, as soon as the snow melts, it is recommended to apply the first fertilizing. The soil is fertilized with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Ammonium and potassium nitrate and superphosphate are used. Mineral fertilizers are applied in the same proportions as during forcing.
During the budding period
During the formation of the peduncle, it is recommended to carry out a second feeding. During this period, more potassium salt or potassium sulfate and superphosphate are added to the soil. Potash fertilizers containing chlorine are not used to feed tulips.
Feeding solution:
- nitrogen - 20 grams;
- potassium - 30 grams;
- phosphorus - 30 grams;
- water - 10 liters.
During flowering
During the flowering period, tulips need a lot of nutrients.These days they are watered regularly, but moderately, and potassium and phosphorus fertilizers are added to the soil. For 10 liters of water take 30 grams of potassium and phosphorus fertilizers.
After flowering
As soon as the tulips fade, the ground is watered with a solution of boric acid. For 1 liter of water take 10 grams of boric acid. Then they wait until the stems and leaves of the plants dry completely. At the end of June, the bulbs are dug out of the ground.
Care instructions
Tulips need not only feeding, but also regular watering, loosening the soil, and weeding the ground from weeds. It is advisable to irrigate flowers in the morning; tulips should not be over-watered, otherwise the bulbs will begin to rot. The soil around the plants is cleared of weeds so that they do not take away nutrients.
In the greenhouse
When growing tulips in a greenhouse, you can achieve earlier flowering. In order to get tulips at the beginning of spring, the bulbs are buried in the ground already in October. The plants are pre-planted in boxes and placed for several weeks in a cold, dark room where the air temperature is 7-9 degrees Celsius. During this period, the plants are watered once a week.
Then the bulbs are transferred to a heated room and create the effect of the onset of spring. The air temperature should be 15 degrees. Plants are irrigated with water daily. In warm soil, tulips begin to grow and bloom earlier than expected, for example, in early spring.
In the open ground
Tulips planted in a flowerbed or garden bed need to be watered during dry periods. Watering is carried out in the morning, every 2-3 days. For 1 square meter there are from 6 to 10 liters of water. The ground around the tulips is loosened and cleared of weeds.
After flowering has ended and the leaves and stems have completely dried, the bulbs are dug out of the ground.This procedure is carried out at the end of June or beginning of July.
