How to store tulip bulbs: rules and choice of location, preparation of containers

Colorful placers of tulips in the flowerbeds are a sure sign of the onset of spring. Spectacular flashes of bright colors will not leave anyone indifferent. No wonder in the distant past, these plants cost a fortune. Years passed. Exotic guests became available to everyone and rightfully took pride of place in the flower beds. In order to grow this miracle in your garden, you need to know how to store precious tulip bulbs.

Reasons for digging tulips

In order to grow beautiful flowers, you must adhere to the basic rules of agricultural technology.One of the main requirements is the annual digging of the bulbs. The procedure allows you to guaranteedly preserve the varietal qualities of plants and get large bulbs for autumn planting. In addition, regular digging helps to avoid rot and disease. An exception is made only for children - miniature onions. They need to get stronger and grow up.

Tubes are dug into the garden and left alone for 2 years. By regularly removing the corms, you can safely do the redevelopment of the flower garden without fear of damaging the plants. After flowering, the corm left in the soil is deepened into the ground. This maneuver allows tulips to survive the winter cold. In spring, the plant will begin to strive for light, and the bright handsome man will continue his life cycle. But every year the bulb goes into the ground more and more. Making its way through the thickness of the earth, the plant spends a lot of energy instead of accumulating them.

As a result, the flowers become smaller, the tulips become frail and unsightly. Often, several daughter bulbs grow in such abandoned nests. They are sorely lacking in space and nutrition, so tulips grow unsightly.

Ways to save bulbs until spring

Tulips are planted about a month before the first frost. If for some reason this was not possible, it is better to postpone the event until spring. There are several ways to store planting material.

Dry storage

If there are few corms, you can use the dry storage method. In order for the seed to be preserved without damage, each bulb is wrapped in paper. Then the packed specimens are placed in a common paper bag and put in the refrigerator. The best storage place is the vegetable drawer. This is usually the bottom of the refrigerator. For owners of private houses, a basement can be advised as a storage facility. In this case, the planting material is placed in a wooden box filled with sand or sawdust.

The dry method is convenient and simple, but tulips will bloom a little later than usual after such hibernation.

Wet sprouting

If you want to wait for the Dutch beauties to bloom at the right time, you can use the wet germination method. To do this, prepare a perforated plastic container. Disinfect and fill the container with sawdust or peat.

Put the bulbs on the prepared substrate, placing them upside down. Then the nodules must be sprinkled with peat or sawdust and removed to the cellar until germination. In the spring, hatched tulips should be planted in a flower bed.

Early Forcing

By subjecting the bulbs to various procedures, you can get blooming tulips for any holiday. By changing the temperature during storage, you can slow down or bring closer the flowering period. A fragrant bright composition will decorate the festive table on March 8 or transform the house on Christmas night.

If you want to get flowers by March 8, you need to prepare for forcing tulips in advance. To do this, choose the best specimens in the spring. Plants are looked after, fed individually. This is necessary in order for the bulbs to accumulate more nutrients.

Through 3-4 days after the opening of the buds, the flower heads of the selected tulips are cut off. After digging, specimens intended for distillation are dried and stored separately. During storage, the air temperature is gradually reduced. If in August the optimum temperature is 20 degrees, then in October corms are stored at 16 degrees.

From November, planting material for germination should be kept in the refrigerator. The planting container and substrate are prepared in advance. The pot or box should have drainage holes. The substrate can be prepared independently or purchased at a flower shop. The composition of the soil mixture should consist of 3 components in equal parts:

• garden soil;
• river sand;
• humus.

The bulbs are removed from the refrigerator and carefully inspected. Having chosen he althy specimens, they are soaked in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes.The soil is disinfected with the same solution and the container is filled with a substrate. In order to avoid the process of rotting tubers, Glyocladin tablets are added to the ground. Treated corms are lightly pressed into loose soil. Tulips are planted quite densely, at a distance of 1-2 cm from each other. The planted material is sprinkled with a substrate and moistened, leaving only the tips of the bulbs on top.

The future composition is put in the refrigerator, where it will be stored until the right moment. The box is taken out a month before the plants should bloom. The emerging sprouts must be highlighted with a phytolamp. After flowering, tulips are cut, but continue to be watered, because their life is not over yet. A month later, the bulbs are removed from the ground, dried and stored until autumn.

Christmas forcing is a little different. By the winter holiday, all parts of the future flower should already be fully formed at the corm.For the Christmas composition, the bulb is dug out ahead of schedule, and then kept at a temperature of 32-34 degrees for a week. The shock procedure will speed up important processes. Further actions will be the same as in the previous case. For forcing, Dutch onions marked "Giant" are best suited.

When should bulbs be removed?

Changes occurring with tulips will tell you when you need to dig up faded beauties. Signs of readiness to dig:

1. Yellowing of most of the leaves (about ⅓).
2. The scales of the bulbs turn brown.
3. The stem of the flower has become flexible. They can wrap your finger in a circle.

If corms are removed prematurely, the plant will not have time to stock up on nutrients. This has a detrimental effect on the decorative qualities and the general condition of the flower. In addition, fewer replacement bulbs will form in the underground part of the plant, and their quality will leave much to be desired.

Late digging is also undesirable. As a result of belated action, the risk of infection of tulips with infectious diseases increases. Horizontal breaks appear on replacement bulbs. This significantly degrades the presentation of the planting material. With late digging, it is difficult to extract tubers without loss. Nests from replacement bulbs fall apart, and a good part of future tulips remains in the ground. The procedure is carried out in dry, but not hot weather.

After digging, the planting material is inspected, sorted into groups by size and variety, and then laid to dry. Sick and badly damaged specimens are removed. Processing of plants is carried out for 4 weeks, at a temperature of 23-25 degrees. The bulbs are then stored away to be re-planted in the fall.

What should be a suitable place for storage?

Professional flower growers use such a miracle of technology as a heat chamber. The equipment is expensive, for a simple flower lover it is not necessary to purchase this at all.

Any well-ventilated, dark room can be used to store planting material. The storage must be protected from direct sunlight. It should not be hot, 30-degree heat can lead to dehydration and death of the bulbs. The optimum storage temperature for tubers is 20 degrees. For this purpose, the attic, terrace or veranda of a country house is quite suitable. Bulbs can be stored in a dry basement or cellar. The tubers will also feel quite comfortable in the conditions of a city apartment, if a suitable room is allocated for this purpose.

Bulbs are placed in a box in one layer. It is recommended to cover the seed with sawdust. They will help keep the tubers dry.

Preparation of containers

A wooden box is ideal for storing planting material. Experienced flower growers recommend making a hole in the container and placing a thermometer there. This will help control the temperature of the bulbs.

It is not necessary to resort to such tricks. For storage, lattice fruit boxes, wicker baskets or fabric bags are perfect. Before use, the selected container is recommended to be disinfected. Do not use cardboard boxes. They can easily get wet.

Basic storage rules before boarding

The beauty of the future flower garden depends on the quality of the seed.

1. The bulbs must be dry and clean. Dry the material at a temperature of 23-25 degrees.
2. Humidity should be 70-80%
3. Choose a well-ventilated, dark room.
4. The air temperature should be 20 degrees. In September, lower it a little - up to 17 degrees.
5. Before storage, corms are treated in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Possible problems and solutions

High humidity and improper storage temperatures can cause bulb rot and mold.Damaged specimens are treated with Fundazol or potassium permanganate solution. All material is sorted out, he althy specimens are separated and stored separately. Severely affected tubers are discarded.

If the onions are slightly damaged, the affected areas are cut off, and the wounds are treated with brilliant green. Often, planting material is besieged by rodents. In this case, the corms are placed in a stocking or net and hung from the ceiling.

Processing after storage

Before planting, corms are soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate. This will protect the material from the invasion of pests and diseases. In addition, the procedure will help meet the need for manganese tulips.

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