How to make tulips bloom in the middle of winter. Distillation of bulbous flowers at home

• What is forcing?
• Basic soil requirements
• The best tulips for distillation
• Care Instructions

Almost every one of us admires daffodils and tulips. They are the superstars of the flower bulb world and seem to be the epitome of spring sun. But do not rush to plant all the purchased bulbs on outdoors. Think about it: plants can also bloom indoors during the colder months.

What is forcing?

Distillation- a set of measures that allow plants to develop and bloom indoors. This is very simple technique; it requires little effort and few materials.

Forcing steps:

• selection and purchase of a suitable species and variety;
• soil mixture preparation;
• landing;
• cooling followed by rooting;
• content in a light (or artificial light) place for plant growth.

In addition, the forcing stages, depending on the time, can be divided into the following parts:

• early(you can admire the flowers on New Year and Christmas) for this, they are engaged in planting in late summer and early autumn;
• in the middle time(flowering at the end of January), and planting time - in October;
• late(by March 8), with a planting period in November.

Temperature and time regulate the life of plants in vivo. In autumn, when the air temperature drops to a positive mark of 8-9 ° C, the biological clock of tulips and other bulbs turns on and the cooling time begins. And it doesn't matter if the bulbs are in the ground or stored in a dark room or kept in the refrigerator. Darkness is an important factor, otherwise the sprouts that appear will quickly reach for the light source and bend.

All flowering bulbs, except amaryllis and papery narcissus, need cold (they need to create an artificial winter). What makes these two plants different from the rest? They don't cool off at home in their native tropics, so they don't need "winter" wherever you live. However, for other flower bulbs, you need to refrigerate them a bit in order for them to flower indoors; how long to keep them in the cold depends on the species.

How long do bulbs need to be chilled?

Note that a temperature of 8-9°C is ideal. Warmer conditions (temperatures up to 10 °C and above) lengthen the cooling period, and lowering the temperature to 5 °C shortens it.

Minimum number of weeks of cooling required for flowering to occur:

• Tulips need 10-16 weeks of cooling in the dark and then 2-3 weeks of keeping them in light warmth place. Then you will see the first flowers.
• Daffodils - 2-3 weeks of cooling and 2-3 weeks of light and heat.
• Crocuses and muscari - 8-15 weeks of cold, and 2-3 weeks of light and heat.
• Hyacinths - 12-15 weeks of cold and 2-3 weeks of light and heat.
• Bulbous irises - 13-15 weeks of cold and 2-3 weeks of light and heat.
• Snowdrops -15 weeks and 2 weeks of light and heat.
• Narcissus papery (paper) does not need cold. Blooms 3-5 weeks after planting.
• Amaryllis blooms 6-8 weeks after planting.

Basic soil requirements

There are several main ingredients that should be present in a high-quality planting substrate, namely:

• high-quality garden soil;
• coarse river sand;
• peat;
• moss-sphagnum;
• perlite;
• vermiculite;
• sawdust.

• 50% frozen black garden peat;
• 35% sphagnum;
• 15% river sand (or a mixture of sand and peat)
• small addition wood ash(if the acidity level of peat is unknown).

Other effective mixtures. Recipe 1:

• 2 parts (h) garden soil (should be free from pathogens);
• 1 hour compost;
• 1 hour river sand;
• some wood ash.

• 1 hour leaf land (rotted manure);
• 1 hour peat;
• 1 hour river sand.

Containers are filled with a mixture prepared in advance to half. Be sure to put a layer of drainage on the bottom. Bulbs are placed at a distance of no more than 1 cm from each other. Remember that only one variety of plants can be planted in one container. Such plantings guarantee the simultaneous appearance of sprouts and flowering, and also greatly facilitate care. Plantings need to be generously watered.

Some experts successfully carry out distillation in sawdust. Semi-rotted sawdust is used as a substrate, and after planting, the bulbs are sprinkled with fresh ones. Hydroponics is also widely used as a substrate.

The best tulips for distillation

• simple early varieties recommended in the average and early periods distillation;
• original terry species recommended for use as a pot culture;
• Triumph tulips, recommended for medium-late forcing;
• Simple late tulips and fringed.

Experts recommend peeling tulip bulbs from scales before planting (it is especially important to slightly open the root roller). Hard covering scales can prevent the roots from penetrating into the substrate, and as a result, forcing will go only at the expense of the resource of the bulb itself. The peduncle will lag behind in growth.

How to get flowers on March 8?

If you want "tulips in bloom" in early March, start planting (or cooling) bulbs on October 1st. And in late January-early February, expose them to the light.

Care Instructions

After cooling, the containers with flowers are transferred to the room. First, keep them in low light and a temperature of about +13 °C. After five days, provide the flowers with bright light. In this case, the temperature should rise to +18 °C. In low light conditions, the stems will stretch strongly.

Make it bloom bulbous plants at an inappropriate time for them. This, at first glance, is not an easy, but exciting task. And, most importantly, accessible to everyone.

You can make bulbous plants bloom in winter using certain technologies. Forcing bulbous plants is the early removal of plants from dormancy under the influence of certain factors, such as temperature, humidity, and light. Bulbs "wake up", produce peduncles and bloom at an unusual time for them.

For full flowering to take place, the bulbs must be properly prepared.

At its core, bulbous forcing is a “deception” of the bulb: with the help of temperature and light conditions, autumn, winter and spring are imitated at an accelerated pace, and the plant blooms at the appointed time.

The important thing is that the bulb must go through all the stages of development laid down by nature. Therefore, it is not enough just to plant a bulb in a pot at the end of autumn, for example, and get a flower by the New Year. Peduncles are laid in the bulbs during the dormant period. Then a period of cooling, rooting, awakening should follow, and only then the beginning of flowering.

Not all plant varieties are used for forcing. Bulbs are usually chosen with a short period from awakening to full flowering. For distillation at home, undersized tulips, hyacinths, small-flowered daffodils, early spring small-bulbous (crocuses, muscari, galanthus, scillas, chionodoxes, pushkinias) are suitable.

Each type of plant has its own terms and features of distillation, but there are several general rules which should be adhered to.

Use a large healthy onion for forcing
During distillation, the flower is obtained mainly due to the reserves of nutrients accumulated in the bulb itself, therefore only healthy, dense, heavy, with whole scales are selected. From a small bulb, the flower will turn out to be small, or even turn out to be underdeveloped. Rotten and damaged bulbs are not used for distillation.

Choose only suitable species and varieties of this plant
Not all types or varieties of bulbous plants can be used for forcing. Therefore, you must first choose suitable varieties. The easiest way is to buy specially prepared forcing bulbs in the store in the fall.

Treat bulbs before forcing
It is useful to soak the bulbs before forcing in a solution of potassium permanganate or use them as special preparations to disinfect them from pests.

Follow the distillation technology for each type
Forcing bulbous plants is an imitation of the seasons in an accelerated mode. Therefore, both "winter" and "spring" must be present during forcing. Be sure to adhere to the recommended temperature and time parameters.

For distillation of tulips, hyacinths and other bulbous plants, bowls, wide low pots, and boxes are used. There should be a drainage hole in the bowls and pots, a thin layer of drainage is poured onto the bottom of the tank, then a prepared substrate from equal parts of leaf, sod, humus soil and sand.

Bulbs are planted in late September, early October so that the tops of those bulbs that are not completely sprinkled are located just below the edge of the pot. Planting depth must be observed for each species according to the instructions. For example, the tops of hyacinth or daffodil bulbs are left open by 2 cm; in small-bulbous plants, the layer of earth above them is approximately within 1-3 cm.

Bulbs are sometimes planted in separate pots, sometimes they are placed close to each other in a wide bowl for high decorative planting (small-bulbous with a distance of 1-1.5 cm from each other, hyacinths - 2.5 cm).

Winter for bulbous plants

Planted bulbs are watered and covered thick cloth or black opaque polyethylene with holes for ventilation. You can cover with empty pots or put in a box, it is important that it is dark. After that, they are rooted in a dark, cool place with a temperature of 4-8 degrees for about 10-12 weeks (13-14 weeks are required for later forcing). This may be a basement, unheated (but not a freezing veranda), but for lack of suitable premises- put in the lower part of the refrigerator, where vegetables and fruits are stored.

During such cold storage, the bulbs develop root system and sprout. It is not recommended to reduce the cooling period, this can lead to underdevelopment of peduncles. Sometimes you need to check if the earth has dried out, if necessary, moisten it.

Spring for forcing plants

To “wake up” the bulbs and stimulate flowering, the bowls are opened and transferred for one week to a bright (but not sunny) cool room (temperature is approximately 10-15 degrees). Then the pots are moved closer to the light so that the sprouts do not stretch. The substrate is gently moistened as needed. After staining the buds, the pots with bulbs are transferred to the windowsill in the room.

To bloom longer, the air in the room should be cool. You can just take it out at night to a colder room. The difference between day and night temperatures for blooming in spring Bulbous plants are a natural phenomenon, but too sharp temperature fluctuations are best avoided.

Care after flowering

After the end of flowering, the bulbs are not thrown away, but they are not stored until the next flowering in pots. AT next year they most likely won't bloom. Usually they are stored in a cool dark room until autumn and then planted in open ground. After 1-2 years, the plants are restored, then they can again be used for forcing at home. Heat-loving species are more difficult to preserve, but many varieties of hyacinths winter well under cover even after a year of normal wintering and normal spring flowering again give flowers at home.

How to achieve flowering for the holiday?

To make a plant bloom a certain period, the easiest way is to count the time of its development by weeks. For example, "winter" for hyacinths lasts 10-12 weeks, then the period of formation of the peduncle before flowering is another 3-4 weeks. So you need to start the forcing process 16 weeks before the due date.

Forcing bulbous plants is not difficult, but very interesting. To please you in the middle of winter the first spring flowers, you only need to observe the right technology and be patient.

An interesting and rather exciting activity is the forcing of hyacinths by March 8 at home. In winter, we all really miss fresh greenery. Therefore, the hyacinth that blooms will be a bright gift for everyone. Such a present will be able to please with its beauty not only the recipient, but also you.

Did you know that many bulbous flowers can bloom in winter? However, hyacinth is considered the most popular. It is distinguished by many bright colors and a powerful peduncle. In addition, its flowers have an exceptional aroma.

distillation of hyacinth

To the forcing of this beautiful flower it is recommended to prepare in advance. The distillation itself takes approximately 3-4 months. In this case, the flower bulb is dug up in the garden in the summer. As a rule, this is done after the end of the flowering of flowers and the drying of the leaves. This period begins in June-July. If on your garden plot there are no such flowers, then the bulb can be purchased at any flower shop.

On a note! For distillation, purchase dense and large bulbs which must be healthy. Their size should be more than 5 cm.

If the bulbs are bought in the fall, then they should be marked “For forcing”. These bulbs before planting are usually stored in a dry and cool place at a temperature of +17. If you dug up the bulbs, then in the summer they are stored in a cool and dry place. However, in this case, the temperature should be 25-27. The shelf life should be 2 months. This period of time will be enough for the hyacinths to form a new flower bulb in the bud. As soon as September comes, the bulbs need to be shifted to the lowest shelf in the refrigerator. There they must wait for the landing time. For storage use bags made of paper or fabric.

Training flower pot.

In this article, we will tell you about how the forcing of hyacinths should be carried out by March 8th. This process should be divided into several stages. And we will write about each stage in detail.

So, in order for the hyacinth to bloom in March, it is planted in early November. Sometimes it happens that flowering occurs earlier. But it's not scary. And all because given flower may bloom 2-3 weeks.

Of course, planting should begin with the choice of a suitable flower pot. The diameter of the pot will depend on the number of flowers you will be planting. You can also plant one hyacinth in a large pot. The height of the pot should be 15 cm. Drainage should be laid at the bottom of the pot. It will allow the water not to stagnate in the pot.

Landing.

Should be poured into the pot fertile soil a few centimeters. Then sand is poured onto the soil. Its layer should be 1 cm. Lightly compact. Then water well and set the bulbs.

On a note! If you are planting several bulbs, then they should not be in contact with each other.

Hyacinths should be covered with loose earth after installation. At what it is necessary to fall asleep on 2/3. Leave the top open. Watering is not necessary! In this form, the bulbs should spend a couple of months. Their place of stay must be necessarily dark. In this case, the temperature should be 4-6 degrees Celsius. These conditions must be observed for the appearance of roots.

Bulb pots should be placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. Control the bulb pot. Be sure to lightly water the soil in the pot when it dries out. In this case, water should not fall on the bulbs. Light watering should be done rarely. And all because the bulbs are from excess moisture may deteriorate.

Germination of peduncle leaves.

You probably understood when they start forcing hyacinths by March 8th. Now it is worth talking about other aspects of this process. So, after 10-12 weeks, the first green leaves should appear in the soil. If they have become 4-6 cm high, then the pots with bulbs must be taken out of the refrigerator. Now they should be taken to a cool place +13 on the windowsill. At the same time, the pot should be in the shade for about 10 days. Therefore, put a dark cap on the pot. What is it for?

• Firstly, the leaves can get burned after a dark place - a refrigerator.
• Secondly, the cap on the pot will help the leaves stretch even more. Leaves under such conditions actively grow.

In this position, pots with leaves should be another 3-4 weeks. In this case, the peduncle should grow by 15 cm.

Care.

In order for the flower to turn out beautiful and large, it is worth taking care of it. In this case, you need to constantly monitor the humidity. Watering should be done carefully and regularly. You don't need to fill either. As soon as the leaves open and the peduncle is ready to bloom, you can move the pot to any place with good consecration. But in order for the hyacinth to bloom well, it is important to observe a number of certain conditions.

• The temperature in the room should be +20.
• The room should not be exposed to drafts.
• The flower should not be exposed to direct sunlight.
• The flower pot should be located away from the radiators.

Now you know how to save hyacinth after forcing. In this case, it is recommended to follow all the above rules without fail. After the flower fades and its leaves dry up, the bulb is taken out of the ground and cleaned of the soil. Then, in the summer, such a bulb can be planted in your garden. For the next forcing at home, the bulb should gain strength in the soil within two years.

How to distill hyacinths in water

In winter, distillation of hyacinths can be done not only in a pot, but also in water. For this case, you will need a vase or a vessel that will be equipped with a narrow neck. When forcing the bulb should not touch the water. Only roots that grow back should reach it. In order for this to happen, the bulb is fixed on a circle of cardboard, in which there should be a small round cut. At the same time, lay the circle on top of the water container. This design with water is placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. She goes to the refrigerator in early November.

So that the water does not spoil, put coal in it. As it evaporates, it is worth adding fresh water to the vessel and sending it to the refrigerator. You need to do this until sprouts appear. After the appearance of the sprout, you need to wait until this sprout grows up to 5 cm. Then you should wait until it grows by 5 cm. After that, you need to send it to a cold windowsill. Then the process continues, as with the forcing of a flower in the ground.

On a note! After this option of distillation, the flower bulb will be completely depleted. It is not recommended to plant it in the garden.

Mistakes

Now you know how to distill hyacinths by March 8th. And in addition to the information that we have presented to you, it is worth saying that in this case there may be some mistakes that should not be made. We will now list them.

Leaves wither. This phenomenon can occur from excessive moisture. Therefore, it is worth watering regularly, but you do not need to do it diligently.

Short peduncle. The pot has not been aged enough low temperatures. Therefore, he was not ready to give a full-fledged flower.

The flower did not appear at all. There may be several reasons for this. Maybe the bulb is small and has no strength. This is also due to the fact that the embryo did not appear in the bulb. It is usually formed at a temperature of +30. In addition, this may not be affected enough good watering. This is also due to the sharp and early transfer of the bulbs to the sun.

Leaves yellow. This sign appears due to a draft or due to excessive shade.

The button has fallen off. This is due to irregular watering: from flooding or drying out. It also happens due to careless watering when water gets on the bulbs.

Finally

Distillation of hyacinths for the spring holiday - March 8 is an interesting activity. Therefore, this activity will please you beautiful flower with a wonderful aroma.

May everything work out for you!

When according to the calendar spring has already come, and outside the windows the frost still rages and snow sweeps, the sight of blooming spring flowers brings a special joy. That is why the forcing of tulips at home, as well as other bulbous and bulbous crops, is of great interest to flower growers.

Choosing varieties of tulips and the optimal time for distillation

If desired, in own apartment you can grow undersized tulips, hyacinths, crocuses, small-flowered daffodils, hazel grouses, muscari, scillas and galanthus, creating a wonderful miniature garden at home at any time of the year. All these plants belong to the category of forcing plants, which, subject to certain rules and with proper care, you can make it bloom whenever you want.

Consider how the forcing of tulips occurs:

• what varieties and varieties of tulips for distillation are considered the most suitable;
• When should you start growing plants?
• what to consider when planting bulbs;
• in what conditions to keep the bulbs in the dormant period;
• what needs to be done so that the tulips start to grow and bloom at the right time.

Video on how to make tulips bloom at any time of the year

Thinking about the possibility of forcing tulips at home, you already know approximately by what time you would like to get blooming buds. In floriculture, it is customary to conditionally delimit the timing of forcing tulips and, in addition, select certain varieties for each period. This way you are more likely to get the results you want.

early forcing

As it falls on new year holidays(at the end of December - the first decade of January). The best varieties tulips for forcing this festive time: Epricot Beauty, Lustige Battle, Dixis Favorite, Miles Bridge, Christmas Marvel, Brilliant Star. Varieties for early forcing should be selected that have a cooling period of at least sixteen weeks.

Medium early distillation

Held from mid-January to early February. For this period, varieties such as Apeldoorn, Confucs, Oxford, Scarborough are ideal.

Medium distillation

To the International women's day(from the last days of February to mid-March) tulips of the varieties Parade, London, Eric Hofsier, Diplomat, Kis Nelis, Vivex are usually grown.

late distillation

In the spring, when the conditions for tulips are not yet suitable on the street, and you already want to admire the flowers, at home you can start forcing the varieties Aristocrat, Temple of Beauty, Triumph, Negrita, Hibernia and Fringit Elegance. Late forcing is carried out from the end of March until the May holidays.

Preparing bulbs for subsequent forcing

Having determined the varieties of tulips that will be used for forcing, you need to take care of the proper preparation of the bulbs for this purpose since spring. Since you can achieve the best flowering at home only from large, healthy, dense bulbs, it is necessary to observe the correct agricultural practices throughout the entire growing season: water the garden with tulips, loosen the soil, destroy weeds, and periodically feed the plantings with complex mineral fertilizer.

Tulip bulbs

The beginnings of a flower in the bulb are formed around mid-August or even later. If you need flowers by the New Year, you can speed up the laying of all the organs of the future flower by growing tulips under a film, followed by decapitation (pruning) of blossoming buds. Another way is to dig up the bulbs early, as soon as spots appear on their scales. yellow color, and keeping them at a temperature of +34 for a week. Until planting, such bulbs can be stored in the refrigerator, in the lower section.

Bulbs dug out at the usual time are stored in a dry, dark room at a temperature of +22 degrees for 30 days, after which the temperature is lowered by a couple of degrees for another 30 days, and then the bulbs are stored at +16 degrees. With a significant increase or decrease in temperature, there is a high probability of the formation of "blind" buds or a slowdown in the formation of a flower in the bulb.

Rules for planting bulbs

By the end of September, tulip bulbs for forcing will need to be planted in containers with a nutrient mixture. Someone uses a mixture of sand and peat or sand and sod land, someone uses pure peat or perlite, Dutch flower growers grow tulips on pure river sand. The main thing is that the substrate is light, with a neutral reaction.

Boxes, containers, low wide pots or bowls are suitable for planting bulbs. At the bottom of the container there must be a drainage hole, which is covered with a shard and sprinkled thin layer drainage.

Forcing tulips

Planting bulbs is done like this:

• two thirds of the substrate are poured into the container and slightly compacted;
• the bulbs are evenly distributed over the surface one centimeter apart, gently pressing them into the soil;
• the bulbs are completely covered with the remaining substrate;
• plantings are watered abundantly and, if the tops of the bulbs appear from under the ground, the substrate is still filled up.

Boxes with planted bulbs should be transferred to a room where the temperature is between +5 and +9 degrees, and the air humidity is at least 75%. Plantings are watered daily so that the substrate does not dry out. When sprouts appear, it will be necessary to lower the temperature to +2 degrees.

The approximate period of rooting and germination of planting material is from sixteen weeks to twenty-two. Duration of exposure cold temperature on bulbs depends on the planned timing of flowers and on the variety of tulips.

What is the technology of forcing tulips

Three weeks before the desired flowering time, boxes with bulbs should be moved to a room with dim lighting and a temperature not lower than +13. Four days later, the lighting is turned on at full power, and the temperature is raised to +18. Artificial lighting with an intensity of at least 40 W / m 2 when forcing tulips in winter is simply necessary - without getting sunlight 10 hours a day, the plants will stretch.

Video about forcing tulips

Daily watering and periodic feeding of tulips with calcium nitrate will positively affect their flowering and significantly increase their decorative effect. If you want to admire the bright buds for as long as possible, do not keep blooming tulips in the sun and lower the temperature in the room to +15 degrees. This simple technique will make the flower stalks stronger, and the color intensity of the flowers will increase markedly.

As you can see, forcing tulips at home is possible not only for professional flower growers, but also for inexperienced beginners. The main thing is to follow the recommendations for storage, planting, growing bulbs and monitor the temperature, humidity and lighting during the forcing of plants. If everything is done correctly, you will get an amazing opportunity to admire exquisite tulips right at home, even when winter is in full swing outside the window.

Colorful tulips will perfectly decorate the house, warm it with warm, bright colors during the winter months and early spring. To speed up flowering, a special technique is used - distillation, which is quite affordable at home and for a novice grower.

Forcing tulips - what does it mean?

Distillation is a method of cultivation in which flowering is achieved artificially, ahead of schedule. The presence of nutrients, as well as undemanding lighting - these are the characteristics of bulbous plants that allow you to achieve the formation of roots, the development of the ground part and full flowering in indoor or greenhouse conditions.

The success of forcing largely depends on the initial quality of the bulbs and their storage conditions. The correct passage of the dormant period will ensure the full formation of all organs of the plant, including the flower. These processes, invisible to the eye, occur imperceptibly, hidden by juicy and dry scales.

To bring the resting stage as close as possible to natural conditions, the stage of drying and holding in heat should be followed by a period of lower temperatures.

Blooming tulips can be obtained already by the winter holidays - for New Year and Christmas, but the best forcing is obtained starting in February. Tulips bloom in 21–25 days from the date of installation on the windowsill in warm room. To achieve flowering March 8, rooted bulbs are brought into the room on February 10–11. Times may vary depending on the variety.

Forcing technology

The success of forcing depends on the combination of all important factors- from the moment of planting and growing in the ground, to digging, storage, rooting and the stage of the release of a colored bud.

Growing and harvesting bulbs

Tulips, from which they intend to receive bulbs for distillation, are looked after more carefully than plants that are used in landscaping. Careful weeding, loosening of the soil, watering during dry periods are mandatory, it is advisable to use mulch.

2-3 days after the opening of the bud, a mandatory decapitation is carried out, cutting off the flower. This will prevent the outflow of nutrients to the formation of the seed box and give a stronger planting material. Plant care is continued for two to three weeks, since during this period the formation of the flower germ continues.

When the leaves begin to turn yellow, the bulbs are dug up and dried on sieves in the shade or in a room with good ventilation. After drying, an inspection is carried out, rejecting specimens damaged and affected by fungal diseases, selecting large, first or extra class, not lighter than 25–30 g.

Removing the tough outer scales immediately after digging can cause drying and damage during storage. At the same time, it is better to remove the scales before planting, this will allow you to recognize the lesions of Fusarium. In addition, the scales will interfere with normal rooting - it is not uncommon for the roots to tuck under it and grow upwards.

Storage rules

After drying, the bulbs are placed in plastic crates or carton boxes with holes and brought into a ventilated room, stored at a temperature of 21–23 ° C for 30–35 days. This exposure at positive temperatures is important for flower formation. During the next month, the temperature is lowered to 19–20°C, and after another month (which usually falls in September), the indicators are lowered to 16–17°C. Such temperatures are typical for natural weather and therefore there are usually no difficulties in reaching them.

The process of laying the flower germ is long and must be fully completed before the moment of cooling. To obtain flowering plants for the New Year or Christmas holidays, the ripening stage is accelerated. This is partly due to the decapitation carried out. Besides, experienced growers they practice early digging with slight yellowing of the outer scales and exposure for 7–8 days at a temperature of 32–34 ° C, which will accelerate the process of flower formation.

Subsequent cooling is a mandatory step that is necessary for the natural immersion of the bulb during hibernation. At home, a small amount of planting material can be placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.

At the end of October, tulips are planted in pots, after which they are brought into the basement or other cold room and rooted at 2–7 ° C. Starting from mid-December, the temperature is kept within 4–5 ° C, otherwise the sprouts that appear may stretch too much. Rooting and germination lasts from 16 to 22 weeks, depending on the variety.

Landing Features

For distillation, two main methods are used: in a substrate or water (on hydroponics).

Growing in a substrate

The substrate can be a porous light material: pure sand, vermiculite or a mixture of these components with peat, earth, humus. If you plan to continue using the bulbs, it is better to stop on nutrient mixture the following composition:

• sod land - 2 parts;
• neutral reaction peat - 1 part;
• humus - 1 part;
• sand - 1 part;
• wood ash - 1 cup per bucket of mixture.

A granular, long-acting fertilizer for flowering plants, such as the Agricola brand, can be added to the substrate.

Tulips are successfully grown on such soil:

• sod land - 2 parts;
• humus earth - 2 parts;
• sand - 1 part.

It is undesirable to use sawdust as a substrate, they do not hold moisture well and often have an acidic reaction. Their other drawback is the ability to trap nitrogenous compounds, so the plants will have to be watered with liquid fertilizers.

You can use for planting ready-made soil mixtures for flowering plants or specialized substrates for forcing bulbous species.

Take for landing clay pots 12–15 cm in diameter, where three bulbs can be planted, or wooden boxes. The soil is thoroughly mixed and immersed in a container, filling it up to two-thirds of the volume.

The surface is slightly compacted and the bulbs are planted, pressing into the ground, orienting the flat side to the wall of the pot (then the first leaf will be turned outward, which looks more impressive). The substrate is filled up, not reaching 1 cm to the edge, and compacted again, gently pressing. When planting, it is important to ensure that the bulbs are uniform and do not touch each other, and the top is not covered with soil.

After planting, moderate watering is carried out with a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate. Caring for the bulbs in the process of rooting, they are watered every week.

Rooted tulips are brought into a warm room 21–25 days before the expected flowering and placed on bright windows at a temperature of 12–14 ° C, after 3–5 days the figures are increased to 18–19 ° C. Flowering plants with fully colored buds are best kept at 14-15°C, which will prolong flowering. Too high a temperature will cause stretching. Long stems are tied to supports.

distillation in water

When forcing in hydroponics, you can get beautiful flowering plants, but the bulbs are then unsuitable for growing. This method is used when there are no conditions for installing bulk pots or boxes with a substrate.

For such distillation, glasses or special narrow glasses are used, poured clean water, stack mugs of plywood on top of the diameter of the container. A small hole is made in the mug for the bottom, the onion is placed on a glass, making sure that the water level is slightly lower than the bottom (by 1-2 millimeters).

You can fill a glass vessel with expanded clay, lightly press one or more bulbs into a loose surface, and pour water 1-2 mm below the bottom.

Installation is carried out in October-November, placing tulips in a dark, cold place - a dark pantry or basement at a temperature of 4-6 ° C. It is important to ensure that the landings do not spoil the mice. If the room is bright, the vessels are covered with dark caps.

During growth, water is regularly added, carefully lifting the circle or letting a trickle along the wall of the vessel with expanded clay. At the same time, an air gap is necessarily left for breathing, between the water level and the bottom of the bulb. To prevent water spoilage, you can put a tablet at the bottom of the vessel activated carbon or a little woody.

After about 55–60 days, a pale sprout will appear, when it reaches a length of 10–12 cm, the tulip is brought into the room and placed in a bright place with a temperature of 12–14 ° C, changing the temperature indicators, as well as for growing on a substrate. If you start hydroponic forcing in late October, flowering tulips can be obtained in early March.

Varieties of tulips for distillation

Depending on the timing of flowering tulips, forcing is of three types:

• early– for the New Year and Christmas, as well as throughout January;
• average- in February and early March;
• late- in March and April.

Forcing by May is not common and is relevant for the northern regions.

Not everyone is suitable for winter-spring flowering; Darwin hybrids and the Simple early class are better than others. The fringed, double and lily-flowered varieties are less commonly grown in rooms, although they are stunningly showy. Below are classic and new varieties for different periods distillation.

Early dates:

• Christmas Marvel (Christmas Marvel) - a real "Christmas miracle", lilac-pink, satin;
• Brilliant Star - rich red;
• Purple Prince - thick purple-lilac;
• Epricot Beauty (Apricot Beauty) - apricot, delicate, pastel;
• Lustige Witwe - dark pink with a white border;
• Sugar Prince - graceful, mauve.

Average terms:

• London (London) - scarlet red;
• Oxford (Oxford) - bright red with a yellow center;
• Eric Hofsjo - crimson red with a cream border;
• Prince Gold - golden yellow;
• Pretty Vumen (Pretty Woman) - lily-colored, raspberry red;
• Davenport (Davenport) - fringed, red with a golden border, colorful;
• Salmon Impression - salmon pink;
• Fantasy Lady (Fantasy Lady) - terry, raspberry-pink with a wide white border.

Late dates:

• America (America) - very large, crimson red with a scarlet border;
• Burgundy Lace - fringed, raspberry pink, classic;
• Triple A (Triple A) - Dutch novelty, red-orange with a thin golden border, the perfect glass;
• Esprit (Esprit) - fringed, terry, pinkish-orange with a green tone;
• Hibernia (Hibernia) - creamy white, rounded;
• Sensual Touch - fringed, terry, deep orange tone;
• Versace (Versace) - fringed, shiny, dark red;
• Violet Prana (Violet Prana) - densely doubled lilac, wide open, lacy.

Other varieties are suitable for late forcing, including the Triumph, Parrot and Greenflower classes.

Growing bulbs after forcing

Strong bulbs after forcing in the substrate can be successfully grown, which allows you to save valuable planting material beautiful variety. If the bulbs are of no particular value, they are thrown away. In any case, they are unsuitable for re-forcing.

Tulip bulbs grown in hydroponics, which have used all the internal reserves for flowering, are also not successful in growing and are too weak. The specimens that have undergone the January forcing grow poorly.

Growing makes it possible to use the planting material in the future for landscaping and reproduction. Its essence is to create conditions for a tulip growing in a room that are as close to natural as possible. This will enable the plant to accumulate nutrients and complete the development cycle. Therefore, it is important to initially prepare a complete substrate with humus and soddy soil, it is advisable to apply granular fertilizer and provide lighting.

If low-growing botanical varieties were chosen for distillation, after flowering, a short peduncle and leaves are removed, wait three weeks, the bulb is removed and dried.

At the end of the flowering of tall varieties withered flower carefully removed, leaving the peduncle. The plant continues to be cared for and watered until the leaves begin to turn yellow, then the tulip is carefully removed from the pot, the soil is shaken off and dried, after which the leaves are removed.

It is better to dry the bulbs for 10–14 days at 24–25°C, then the temperature is lowered to 18–20°C, maintaining the parameters for a month, and then stored in a cool ventilated room at 15–17°C. In autumn, the bulbs are planted in a flower bed in the usual way.

Video: tulip forcing technology

Tulips are common, affordable bulbous plants that will wonderfully decorate rooms during the cold season. A flowerpot with grown with my own hands delicate flowers- a wonderful gift that will tell about the feelings of the giver more than the most sincere words.