How to Grow Tulips
 Contents | The List of the Flowers |
Data / Charm of Tulips / Choosing Bulbs /
Planting Bulbs / Location / Watering / Pests / After the Flower / Another Breeding Method (more patience required) /
Example Breedings
Data
Botanical name: Tulipa spp
Family name: Liliaceae
Origin: Mediterranean, Middle Asia
Type: Bulbs
Planting season: Autumn
Flowering season: Spring
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Charm of Tulips
As well as daffodils, tulips are the representatives of spring-blooming bulbs. It will make you wonder which bulbs to buy, because their color and shape variations are too abundant.
Though it is easy to make them bloom on the first year, it is difficult to make them bloom on the second year in case of container gardening, because their bulbs are not big enough. However, it also is enjoyable to make them bloom on the third or the fourth year, after growing the bulbs patiently.
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Choosing Bulbs
Tulip has lots of varieties in color and shape. You may feel like purchasing several varieties at the same time, but it is better to plant only one breeding than to plant several varieties in one container. Especially, it is not a good idea to plant several breedings, with which the blooming seasons are different. Dying early blooming breedings deteriorate the appearance of the late blooming breedings.
Choose the bulb, which is not separated and which is large in diameter. Too small bulbs are not likely to have a flower.
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Planting Bulbs
Tulips require cold environment during winter to bloom in spring. If you live in the area without snow, it is recommended
You can plant them close each other to plant them in container. Plant them deep enough to hide the whole bulbs.
If you plant them in a container, you may not be able to expect the flowers next year, though they may have flowers next year if they are planted in garden.
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Location
Tulips like sunlight.
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Watering
Wait untik the surface of the soil gets dry, and water throughly. Stop watering when the foliage turns yellow after the flower.
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Pests
Aphids like tulips.
Aphids may cause virus infection. Streaking on petals is the evidence of infection. This streaking has been admired as "rare variety", but it is a incurable disease and it may kill the infected tulips, finally. Get rid of the entire infected tulips as soon as possible, to prevent other tulips from infected.
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After the Flower
If you want to re-use the bulbs, cut the pistil off when they start to fade.
As mentioned above, bulbs separate in small pieces in containers, and they do not grow big enough to have a flower next year. However, don't give up! If you grow the separated small bulbs, you can expect the flowers in 2 or 3 years.
First of all, dig out after the foliage dies back, and devide the separated small bulbs and store them in cool and ventilated dark place. Then, in autumn, plant these bulbs in a container again and dig them out when the foliage dies back in the next year. Repeat this process patiently, until the bulbs grow big ehough to have a flower.
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Another Breeding Method (more patience required)
As you may know, tulips also generate seeds. You can make new breedings with taking advantage of this feature (though it is hardly successful, and it takes several years even if you have succeeded).
On the pistil while the tulip is blooming, put the pollen of other tulip manually, and leave the flower without cutting the stem after it has faded.
Then, the bottom of the pistil gets swollen. So, take the seeds from it and dry them in the shade.
You can seed them after the summer, when it is cool.
This procedure requires lots of patience, and it takes about 5 years (or more) to grow the tulip big enough to have a flower. And, even if you have succeeded, it is hardly possible to make a flower, which you have expected (actually, the owner of this site has never tried).
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Example Breedings
Romein's Beauty and so on (1st year), (2nd year), Angelique
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