Content

• Steps
• Advice

Tulips are brightly colored and upright flowers that bloom in early spring to early summer. Native to the foothills of the Himalayas and Eastern Turkey, tulips thrive in cold and dry hot weather. This flower is relatively easy to grow into a garden or flower bush. Get started with Step 1 below for detailed instructions on how to grow tulips.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Planning and Preparing

1. 

   Buy tulip bulbs. You can buy it at a nursery or a bonsai store, or buy it from a reputable online company.
   • When choosing a bulb, choose one that is firm and free from mold, bruises, or cuts. The bulbs should be light brown in color and wrapped in a thin, onion-like crust.
   • In terms of quantity, each bulb will produce one to four stems and flowers, so you need to plan accordingly.
   • Choose bulbs by name for a consistent look and development style. Flower bulbs arranged in color groups - for example, "yellow tulips" - are usually a collection of tulips of that color.
   • Flowers should be planted within a week of purchasing the bulbs, as they cannot remain on the ground for long.

2. 

   
   
   Decide when to plant flowers. Tulip bulbs should be planted in late autumn, before winter comes. The tuber will hibernate for several months, before growing and blooming in spring. The specific time to grow flowers depends on the local climate.
   • Refrigerate the bulbs before planting if you are locally winters when the temperatures drop as low as freezing. Seal the bulbs and paper bags and refrigerate for 6 to 8 weeks. You can also buy flower bulbs that have been "pre-cooled." Should buy from reputable suppliers for pre-refrigerated flower bulbs.
   • You can grow flowers without cooling the bulbs if the winter temperatures are freezing. Start planting only when the soil temperature measured at a depth of 15 cm is below 12 degrees Celsius.

3. 

   
   
   Choose a site for growing flowers. You should choose an area to receive the amount of sunlight that is suitable for each flower. The bulbs should be 10 to 15 centimeters apart, so choose an area of ​​the right size.
   • Most tulips do well in good sunlight, or at least 6 hours of sunlight a day. Several other species can grow in partial or full shade.
   • Many people choose to plant tulips along fences, walls, walkways, and buildings, because they create pleasant colors and are easier to control the style of development.
   • If you want to plant flowers in a pot, you can refer to this article for detailed instructions.

4. 

   
   
   Prepare the land. Dig the soil to a depth of 20 to 25 cm and add sand or rock if necessary.
   • Tulips need good drainage — damp soil can cause fungus, disease, and even rot. Also can cause flower bulbs to suffocate due to lack of oxygen. Therefore, you should plant flowers on high beds in a humid area.
   • Make the soil clear by adding compost and coarse sand. You also need to pluck all the weeds that grow on the soil.
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Part 2 of 3: Growing Tulips

1. 

   Plant a tulip bulb. Place the tubers in the ground 15 to 20 cm deep from the underside. The larger the bulb, the deeper you need to place it in the ground.
   • The standard depth for laying flower bulbs is 15 cm; but if the cold weather is not too extreme, you can place the tubers 20 cm deep to keep them cold.
   • Place the bulb in the hole, the tip pointed upwards. Fill the ground with soil and gently press the surface to secure it.
   • Place the bulbs 12 cm apart. To create a tulip bed, place 5 bulbs within 90 cm2 of each other. Plant the tulips at the same depth to ensure uniform blooming.

2. 

   Repel rodents. If you have a rat problem, use a repellant such as holly leaves, cat urine, or place stones in the hole. In the event that the repel doesn't work, you will need to use a net to protect the flower bed.

3. 

   Water thoroughly after planting flower bulbs. Do not continue watering until young shoots begin to develop. Although tulip bulbs don't like much moisture, initial watering is a necessary step to trigger growth.

4. 

   Cover the flower beds with straw to keep the soil cool. In areas with little cold winters, you should apply a mulch immediately after planting the flowers. If winter is harsh, you should wait about 3 to 4 weeks after planting and then cover the mulch to let the roots grow before the soil freezes. advertisement

Part 3 of 3: Taking Care of Tulips

1. 

   Wait for the flowers to bloom. Let the tubers grow on their own during the winter months — no need to water or fertilize. When spring comes, they will bloom in vibrant colors.
   • Tulips are perennial flowers, meaning they will bloom again each year. However, in most of North America, the weather and soil conditions prevent flower bulbs from growing again, so they bloom only once a year and then stop.
   • If you are in an area that has conditions that allow tulips to bloom for many years (the ideal area is dry summers and cold winters) read this guide.

2. 

   Follow a suitable watering schedule. Once the bulb begins to grow, you can start watering it to keep the soil from drying out. However, do not water too much as it will damage the flower bulbs.
   • Continue watering even if the plant stops flowering. The flower bulb will continue to grow underground for the next year. Let the leaves and stems continue to grow until they wither and die.
   • Stop watering the bulbs after the leaves have fallen off and let the ground dry. The plants are no longer capable of keeping the bulbs, and tulips need dry conditions during the summer months.

3. 

   Cut off the top of the flower. Stop the dead flowers after three weeks of full bloom, before the petals fall. Falling petals to the ground can become moldy and kill plants before they can nourish the tubers to grow underground.

4. 

   Fertilize in the fall. If you want to grow perennial tulips, then you need to apply a low nitrogen fertilizer in the fall, such as cow manure or a special fertilizer for flower bulbs.
   • In case you forgot to fertilize in the fall, you can fertilize it in late winter / early spring, after the shoots have developed. Use a high-release, fast-release fertilizer for best results.

5. 

   Keep tulips fresh for a long time. To keep the flowers in the vase fresh for a long time, you should cut the stem diagonally, then wrap the top two thirds of the flower with newspaper into a funnel.
   • Soak the stems in cool water for an hour or two, then remove the newspaper and trim the stem again.
   • Flowers will keep fresh for about a week.
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Advice

• Place the bulbs of the tulips and other flowers about 20 cm deep to avoid losing the bulbs. These rats usually burrow 10 to 15 cm below the ground.
• Dig up the bulbs after the plant dies and store it in a dark, dry place during the season if you want to plant flowers next year. This step is only necessary in the case of summer with high humidity or growing flowers in a low-lying area.