01 11.18

What to do if tulips don't bloom? We understand the intricacies of planting and proper care

Tulip – colorful and bright spring Flower, which is a symbol of International Women's Day on March 8. Tulips are bulbous flowers. They are grown in greenhouses, beds and flower beds. Perfect time for planting in the garden - autumn.

It is believed that for tulips to fully develop and bloom, they must be planted annually. However, this is not quite true. Tulips do not need to be replanted if they are planted in an area that has full solar lighting. Tulips can also grow in an area with partial shade, provided that the summer is dry and hot. For tulip buds to ripen, it is necessary temperature regime at 20-25 degrees Celsius for a month. If such weather conditions do not exist, then the tulips will not be able to bloom. The main reason for digging tulips out of the soil is precisely to dry them at the optimal temperature.

Another reason why gardeners dig tulips out of the soil is that the bulbs eventually move deeper into the soil, where the temperature is insufficient for flowering. Very often you can see a picture when one large tulip leaf grows in a flower garden. The reason for this is precisely the excessive depth of the bulbs. This depth does not allow the bulb to throw out a peduncle of the required length.

The need to dig up tulip bulbs every year can also be eliminated if you plant them in garden boxes with holes. Such boxes are usually used for harvesting vegetables and fruits. A significant advantage is that such a container for growing has a bottom. This is what will prevent the bulbs from going deep. This method allows you to dig up the bulbs no more than once every 3-5 years, to separate the children from them and plant them in other boxes.

The disadvantage of this method of growing and breeding tulips is the small number of children of the mother bulb. This is due to the fact that the space for their growth is limited. It would be better to dig up and dry elite and valuable varieties of tulips annually.

Reasons why buds do not ripen

Sometimes situations arise when a tulip releases a bud, but it still cannot open and, as a result, withers. The reasons for this phenomenon, most often, can be:

• low air temperature during the development of tulip flowers ( optimal conditions development at a temperature of +20+25 degrees);
• The conditions of its storage can also affect the development of the tulip (if the bulbs were dried in a room with strong odors, such as paint or garlic). If they do not match, the tulip flowers die.

Tulips without flowers can be planted in the ground without any problems. The only downside would be the lack of color this season. However, by the next season the flower will be successfully planted and the tulips will delight you with their color.

In addition, it is necessary to carefully monitor the condition of the tulip leaves. These flowers are susceptible viral disease, which is called variegation. Ego essence comes down to appearance yellow spots on flower petals. If such a disease is detected, the affected plants must be immediately dug up from the soil and destroyed to prevent the disease from spreading to healthy bulbs. In order to prevent infection of healthy tulips by variegated petals, after cutting the foliage of each plant, the pruning shears must be treated with a manganese solution.

The article answers the question of why tulips do not bloom: the influence of the quality of the bulbs, the place and conditions of planting, and diseases is considered.

Tulips cannot be called capricious or particularly demanding plants. However, sometimes we find that in the second year they do not please us with flowers, producing only a couple of leaves. And it happens that even in the first year flowering did not happen. Let's try to figure out what these problems may be associated with and what needs to be done to ensure that the tulips bloom magnificently and regularly.

Why tulips don’t bloom: quality of planting material

Why tulips don’t bloom: quality of planting material

The successful cultivation of any plant, be it a flower or a vegetable, always directly depends on the quality of the planting material, including in this case- bulbs. In the first year after purchase, only large bulbs with a diameter of 4-4.5 cm will bloom, the rest will bloom later, when they grow to required size. Bulbs must be selected very carefully, inspecting and studying them for signs of disease. This is possible if storage rules are violated. You should be wary of: light plaque, pockets of mold, bright yellow color of roots, traces of larvae penetration (“burrows”) - all this indicates the presence of diseases or damage by harmful insects. This means that there is a possibility that such bulbs will not only not bloom, but will also spread infection in your area.

Ideal planting material, these are large, dense and heavy bulbs with thin golden-brown scales without signs of damage and with a dense bottom.

It often happens that the lack of flowering is due to an incorrectly chosen planting site. Theoretically, tulips could probably bloom one year in a damp and shady part of the garden, but even this is unlikely. Modern varieties, which you purchase in flower shops or garden centers charge more high requirements to the place where they will grow. They need protection from the wind and at least eight hours of sun to form full flowers and then build up strength for next year. There is also an opinion that after flowering, watering tulips should be completely stopped and the sun is also completely unnecessary during this period. This is also incorrect, since the growing season continues until the leaves dry completely, the formation of the bulb occurs, therefore, the plant needs both watering and photosynthesis, and therefore leaves.

The vast majority of bulbous flowers are planted in the autumn (late September - early October) so that they have time to settle in, take root and delight us with flowering in the spring. And it is absolutely not necessary, as many believe, to dig up tulips every year in order to transplant them to a new place; this can be done once every three years. Only varieties of multi-flowered tulips require annual digging.

The problem is that the weather is not stable and it happens that frosts can strike in October, and in another year the autumn weather will last until December. In the second case, the tulips will not only have time to take root, but also actively begin to grow, then the sprout and bulb that appears from the ground will suffer from frost. In this case, there will be no flowering in the spring, only foliage will appear.

Planting depth

As we already know, in the fall after planting, the bulb takes root and produces a sprout, which should appear on the surface of the soil only in the spring, after the snow has melted and the ground has warmed up sufficiently. Therefore, if you do not plant the bulb deep enough, it will freeze and spring bloom will not be. If, on the contrary, you plant the bulb too deep, the plant will expend too much energy reaching the surface, will be weakened and again will not bloom. In this case, you need to dig up the bulbs and replant them according to all the rules.

Planting rules are individual for each bulb: so that the sprout sprouts in a timely manner and without special effort appeared on the surface of the earth, the bulb should be deepened to three of its heights. This is enough to prevent the plant from freezing and to bloom in a timely manner in the spring.

Why do tulips not bloom, only leaves: the bulbs are damaged

It may happen that even ideal and correctly planted bulbs will not sprout in the spring. Not only will they not bloom, but they will not even put out leaves. This means that something went wrong and the bulbs were damaged while they were already in the soil. If you have clay soil, then the bulbs could simply rot, a disadvantage nutrients and excessive moisture can destroy even very healthy planting material. So if your garden is dominated by clay, create a bed for your tulips with fertile soil, otherwise you can’t count on flowering.

If everything is fine with the soil initially, then most likely your tulips were eaten by pests: rodents, snails or beetles and their larvae. And the variety and beauty of the flower do not play any role in this case; pests are only interested in juicy bulbs; in addition to tulips, crocuses, hyacinths and daffodils can suffer. So if the bulbs disappear without a trace, I strongly recommend that you install traps in the soil and catch the pests.

Violation of cutting rules

If you cut tulips for a bouquet and do it incorrectly, then flowering may not happen next year. We have already said that the end of flowering does not end the growing season, which means leaves are necessary for photosynthesis. Therefore, when cutting a plant, it is necessary to leave at least one pair of leaves, but cut off the stem almost completely. This way everyone will be happy: you will receive your bouquet, and the plant will be able to gain strength for flowering next year.

Diseases and harmful insects

Affected and weakened plants will definitely not bloom. Tulips are susceptible to various diseases, which most often begin with the bulb: different types rot (white, gray, wet), typhullosis (the infection remains in the ground and will infect newly planted bulbs), as well as variegation and white striping. Typically, the problem begins with an infected bulb and spreads to other flowers, remaining in the soil. Often an infected plant cannot be cured, so it should be removed as quickly as possible (later burned to stop the outbreak of the disease), and the soil in this place should be thoroughly disinfected.

Also, onion mites, hoverfly larvae and mole crickets may be responsible for the lack of flowering. When digging up the soil, try to identify and remove damaged bulbs, and on the eve of planting, treat them with Bazudin or Thunder.

Knowing the reasons why plants do not produce flowers, it will be easier to deal with the problem. As you can see, everything is not so difficult and any situation can be dealt with. And if you initially purchase quality bulbs, treat with disinfectants, choose the right place and time for planting, then no problems with flowering should arise.

Spring pleases us with bright tulips, the colorful scatterings of which are among the first to appear. But sometimes only “tops” grow in place of last year’s beauty. Knowing the reasons will help you avoid such disappointment. They will be discussed below.

The main reasons for the lack of flowering are considered to be: poor-quality planting material, wrong location, failure to comply with planting deadlines, improper planting, diseases and pests. Now let's talk about everything in order.

Poor quality planting material

1. During storage, the bulbs may rot slightly and become mechanical damage or get hurt by mice. Only green mass without flowers will grow from them.
2. A bulb that is too small will not produce flowers either. . The diameter of a plant ready for flowering starts from 4 cm, and children smaller than this size need to be “fed” so that they reach condition.
3. If the cutting was carried out incorrectly last year. When cutting off the buds, leave the two lower leaves, this is necessary for the full development of the bulb and subsequent flowering.
4. If tulips produce leaves year after year, such bulbs will be of no use; they have “degenerated.” You should just replace them with varietal ones, especially since there is a huge selection of varieties now.
5. A diseased bulb will not bloom . To avoid this, when you dig up tulips, you need to inspect them, reject them, and treat them with fungicides before storing them (as before planting).
6. A bulb that has not received sufficient nutrition will also most likely not bloom. The situation can be corrected by adding fertilizer during or before planting, which, however, does not always help.
7. If you do not plant a bush for several years, most of the children will not bloom, especially for exquisite varieties; “outbred” varieties more easily endure such “hardships of life.”
8. Bulb dug up too early (immediately after flowering) will not produce flowers, since, after blooming, the tulip does not immediately “go into hibernation”, but begins to form a flower bud. It should be dug up after about a month, when the leaves begin to fade.
9. Lack of fertilizing on depleted soils will leave you without spring flowering of tulips. Moreover, fertilizing should be carried out both before flowering and after.
10. When all the leaves were removed when cutting flowers , this leads the flower to stress. You should leave one or two leaves and do not cut off flowers and leaves near the surface of the soil.

Wrong place

These flowers love sunny areas protected from the wind. In the shade, of course, they will not die, but they will bloom later than usual or will not bloom at all. The soil is preferably loose, fertile.

Two weeks before planting, dig up the soil to a depth of 30 centimeters and apply fertilizer.

Failure to comply with planting deadlines

Incorrect planting dates or bad weather conditions can destroy plants. If it is partially damaged, then further flowering is out of the question, since the plant directs all its remaining forces to restoration.

Sometimes it’s not just a matter of timing, but a disruption of the normal development cycle of the plant . because nature “deceives” them. In this case, you may not wait for flowering. The fact is that the bulb forms the rudiments of the bud in the last season, that is, in the summer.

In spring, the interrupted cycle continues, it throws out a peduncle. But due to abnormal weather, the plant may confuse spring with autumn.

In this case, the peduncle is activated in vain, so the bulb should be planted only in the fall (the specific timing depends on the region), so that the tulip only has time to take root before frost, but not begin further development.

Incorrect landing

Too shallow or, conversely, deep immersion of the bulb in the soil will prevent it from blooming later. In the first case, the sprout appears early and can freeze, and in the second, it is difficult for the bulb to get through the thickness of the soil, so there is no time and energy left for flowering.

Surely you know, but let us remind you: small bulbs do not produce flowers, only leaves. They bloom in the third year.

Old onion. Tulips are aging - perhaps the bulb has simply outlived its usefulness. However, if the tulip is not dug out of the ground for a long time after flowering, more and more new children will grow on the old bulb, “pushing” the bulb deeper into the soil. The old onion will begin to rot, and this will already be a problem - rot, bacteria and other pathogenic microflora will pose a threat to the younger generation. Therefore, pay attention to the age of the bulbs and do not forget to calibrate them.

Sick bulb. Ideally, after flowering, when you dig up the tulips, you need to carefully inspect them, removing the top dense layer of husk. If suspicious spots are found, such planting material should be discarded, and the rest should be treated with fungicides or soaked in warm water. Immediately before planting tulips in the fall, the procedure is repeated. If you have diseased bulbs, is it any wonder why tulips don’t bloom?

You haven’t planted a bush for several years, the children grew up together, on small area, and it is logical that they did not receive adequate nutrition. This is especially true for exquisite tulips - with a complex pattern, fringe, etc. “Outbred” flowers more easily survive the lack of planting.

The bulb was dug up too early, right after flowering. When the tulip fades, it does not “go into hibernation”, but forms flower bud next year. The bulb gets its strength for this formation not only from the soil, but also thanks to photosynthesis in the leaves, which remain green for about a month after flowering. And only when the leaves begin to fade and turn yellow can you dig up the bulb.

When you cut the flowers into a vase, you have removed all the leaves. You cannot cut flowers close to the ground - leave 1-2 leaves for the above-mentioned process of photosynthesis. Otherwise, the planting material will not receive enough nutrients, and the tulips will not bloom next year.

Lack of fertilizing on poor soils. Tulips need feeding not only before flowering, but also after. The application of potassium-phosphorus fertilizers after flowering will provide the bulb with a supply of minerals for the next “harvest”.

Weather conditions are a fundamental factor determining the timing of the beginning of the growing season, flowering and wilting. If tulips have only leaves in the spring, but the peduncle has not grown, the reason lies in the following:

the bulbs were planted too late in the fall, so they did not have time to take root before the beginning of winter, grow stronger and gain strength to form a flower bud;

the peduncle did not develop due to the too cold spring, the nascent bud froze;

the bulb rotted in the rainy autumn and the plant did not have enough strength to form a peduncle.

Drought and lack of watering also affect the absence of a flower, this can be seen in the weak, undeveloped buds that have dried out and do not bloom.

Sometimes you can see the following picture: blooming tulips interspersed with empty clearings. Not all plants bloomed. Some have produced flower stalks, but the flowers are small.

1. Poorly chosen planting material. In the same year it blooms only large onion. Small - for the next one. Damage cannot be ruled out. The gardener did not notice them under the scales and buried the initially diseased tulip in the ground.

2. The plant does not have enough sunlight. Tulips love the sun. Hidden in the dense shade of trees, they do not want to bloom.

3. Spring flowers are planted in a place ventilated by cold and strong winds. This problem is especially relevant in Russia. The plant likes quiet areas, protected from gusts.

4. Planted in the ground late or early. Weather anomalies disrupt flower growing deadlines. In conditions of prolonged warm autumn the bulb produces a sprout that freezes in winter.

5. Excavation deadlines were not met. What to do? Faded plants must be removed from the ground in a timely manner. Almost all summer season the bulbs are resting. If you delay digging, the tulip will begin a new development cycle. New roots and sprouts will appear. It is too early to carry out this procedure - the bulb will not “gain” strength.

6. Shallow or deep planting. In autumn, the bulb produces a sprout that rises almost to the very surface of the earth. This is how the plant overwinters. An insufficiently deepened tulip appears too early and freezes. To deepen it too much - the path to the sun will be long, there will be no strength left for flowering.

7. The bulbs are damaged already in the ground. In clayey, waterlogged soils, tulip flowers rot. Mice love bulbous plants - they often feast on them in the root nests of plants and bushes (the same peonies and crocuses suffer).

8. Cutting is carried out incorrectly. When cutting flowers into a bouquet, leave at least two leaves. Otherwise, there will be no flowering next year.

It is very beautiful in the garden when the tulips bloom. You have to work hard for this beauty.

1. Bad weather conditions. Spring frosts can destroy a tender sprout that has just begun to break through the soil. If the stem is dead, the plant directs all remaining forces to the growth of leaves.

2. Wrong place landings. Tulips love sunny areas, protected from gusty winds. If the beds are planted in the shade, flowering begins later than usual or does not occur at all.

3. Poor quality planting material. During storage, the bulbs may rot or become damaged. Mice also love to eat flower bulbs. From such material only green mass grows without flowers.

4. The bed is too shallow or deep. It is difficult for a strongly recessed bulb to make its way through the soil, and there is practically no strength left for flowering. If planted shallowly, the sprout appears early and may freeze.

5. Last year the cutting was done incorrectly. When collecting a bouquet of tulips, leave the bottom two leaves on the garden bed. They are necessary for the proper development of the bulb and flowering next year.

Poor quality planting material

Not all tulip bulbs are capable of flowering, so you need to choose them very carefully. In the first year, only large, strong bulbs bloom, but the “little things” will accumulate strength for another year or two and grow to the right size. Therefore, if you want to see tulips bloom in the first year after planting, choose bulbs with a diameter of more than 5 cm.

Tulip bulbs affected by gray rot

In addition, under the scaly skin of a tulip, an inexperienced gardener may not notice signs of an incipient disease affecting the bulb. A white felt coating on the bulb, passages in it, the absence or unnatural yellow color of the roots indicate the presence of fungal diseases or pests - buying such tulips is not only pointless, but also dangerous, because they can infect all your plantings.

Improper planting of tulips

Some features of agricultural technology affect the splendor and duration of flowering. Tulips love the sun and are tolerant of lack of moisture. Therefore, when planted in the shade and over-watered, they can produce juicy greenery, but not form flowers.

Another nuance is heavy clay soil, poor air exchange, and stagnant moisture. In such conditions there is a high risk of developing gray rot. This is a gray coating on the bulbs and fading leaves. Excess nitrogen fertilizer is another reason why tulips do not bloom. In such conditions, the plant forms large succulent leaves, but does not produce flower shoot. Complex fertilizers are chosen as fertilizer for bulbous plants. mineral fertilizers containing potassium, phosphorus, magnesium.

Tulips are one of the first (along with, etc.) to delight the eye with their luxurious and bright blooms. But sometimes some gardeners, with bewilderment and disappointment, discover in their garden plot lack of a bright tulip carpet. A reasonable question arises: why does the tulip not bloom and there are only leaves on it, and also what to do in this situation. This will be discussed further.

Are completely unpretentious plants, but still, they require some care in order to be the first among many other plants to delight you with their colorful delicate flowers.

Quite often, flower growers, especially beginners, say that they observe the following picture in their flower beds: the tulips have partially bloomed; tulips have produced flower stalks, but the flowers are small; The tulips didn't bloom at all.

And in such a situation, many wonder: why did the tulip not bloom: the reasons may be the following:

Advice. It is not advisable to plant a tulip in clayey soil. wet soil, since in such conditions the plant can simply rot. It is also worth considering the factor of chance. For example, rodents are very fond of bulbous plants and can damage the root nest of a tulip.

Unfortunately, if you find that the plant does not bloom, there is practically nothing that can be done. But you can protect yourself from repeating the sad situation next year. So, first of all, you need to choose high-quality planting material. Varieties of tulips are classified according to analysis. So, if you want the plant to bloom in the year of planting, preference should be given to the first harvest (bulb diameter is about 10-13 cm), while the bulbs of the second/third harvest bloom only in the 2nd/3rd year after planting.

Regarding planting dates: they can be called “floating”. So, the classic planting period is the last week of September - the first days of October. But if you live in middle lane, it is better to plant tulips from September 20th to 30th. But the residents southern regions You can move the planting date to October 15-18.

Important point: determining the optimal planting depth. In the case of tulips - 3 bulbs. To do this, simply place 3 onions on a spade bayonet and you will understand how deep to dig holes.

Advice. Planting the bulb should only be done with the bottom down, slightly pressing it to the ground. Under no circumstances should you screw it in: this could result in damage to the fragile root bud.

That's all you need to know about why the tulip did not bloom and how this can be prevented. Be careful when planting the plant and follow all care rules. Then you can admire the luxurious blooms in your garden. Good luck!

Growing tulips: video