Tulips are popular heralds of spring that everyone should have in their garden. So that you don't have to keep replanting them, here are 7 tips on how to care for tulips.
Graceful tulips belong to the lily family and unfold their beauty year after year - between March and May - in our local gardens. Tulips are robust, easy-care plants that still require proper care. So that nothing goes wrong here, you should follow the tips below when caring for the tulips.
Caring for Tulips - 7 Tips
Tip 1 - Planting tulips
Already in autumn you should bury the tulip bulbs in a place that is as sunny as possible (about 12 centimeters deep), so that in the coming spring the colorful tulip blossom can begin early. You should always use the tulip bulbs in groups so that they can fully develop their splendor.
Alternatively, you can also bury the tulip bulbs in planters.
Tip 2 - Protect tulips from voles
You should make sure that no voles tamper with the bulbs outdoors all year round. You can hold this off with a wire mesh, for example. Or you can plant imperial crowns in the immediate vicinity. Voles don't like the smell of this plant at all.
Tip 3 - Winter protection
In order to protect the tulips from the severe frost temperatures in winter, it is best to pile them up with soil. Additional frost protection (e.g. in the form of sisal) is particularly recommended if severe frost is to be expected again in spring.
Tip 4 - Water the tulips
During the growth phase and also during flowering, you should only water the tulips moderately if necessary, because too much water can even damage them .
Tip 5 - Fertilizing
Tulips hardly ever need fertilizing. It is sufficient if you provide the soil with nutrients (e.g. with compost or a complete fertilizer) in autumn. During the flowering phase, additional fertilization with a complete fertilizer should only be carried out if necessary.
Tip 6 - After flowering
Once the tulips have finished flowering, you should firstCut off when completely dry. However, you should only remove the faded calyx. Only in this way can new tulip bulbs, so-called daughter bulbs, form independently over the years.
Tip 7 - Fight diseases
It is quite rare for tulips to be attacked by diseases (e.g. a fungal attack). From time to time, however, they suffer from onion rot, which often means that the flower in the coming spring fails completely or is very stunted.
In the case of onion rot and fungal infestation, you must immediately remove all affected flower bulbs from the soil and also replace the affected soil all around.