A tulip is a primrose, pleasing to the eye with its bright colors already in the middle of spring, and therefore in winter the bulb of this plant should already be in the ground. Usually, gardeners begin to plant tulips in the fall - in September or October, but in some cases the procedure can be postponed to an earlier date. Below we will talk about how to plant tulips correctly in August, for which regions and varieties this season is suitable and what needs to be done to make the flower take root well in the open ground.

When to plant tulips in August

In determining the optimal period for planting, you need to focus not so much on specific dates as on weather conditions and climatic features. Another factor that should be taken into account, if possible, is the phase of the moon. Depending on this, the period can be both favorable and extremely unsuitable for the successful rooting of the plant.

Lunar Landing

Lunar sowing calendar is a set of systematic information., compiled every year specifically for people engaged in crop production, and containing recommendations on what time is best to carry out certain work on the ground. But an experienced gardener does not have to purchase or search the Internet for up-to-date tables for a specific month, it is enough to understand how exactly this or that phase of the moon affects plants.

The lunar month is conditionally divided into two main phases - the waning and waning moon. At the transition points of one period to another are, respectively, the full moon and the new moon.

As the natural satellite of the Earth moves from one phase to another, the following changes occur with plants:

1. On the growing moon the level of water, vital juices, energy rises. The motion vector of nutrients in plants is directed from the root to their aboveground part, respectively, it is it that receives maximum development. Planting bulbous or tuberous material in such a period is initially doomed to failure, because instead of strengthening, it will actively lose strength.
2. Waning moon unfolds the energy vector of plant development from top to bottom, that is, the root system receives the maximum development, not the stem. Thus, it is this phase that has traditionally been considered optimal for planting bulbs.
3. New moon and full moon equally unsuitable for planting, because in the first case, the plants are in the stage of decline in vitality, in the second, on the contrary, they are at the peak of activity. And in that, and in another case, any stresses - planting, transplanting, pruning, etc. - adversely affect the culture.

In addition to the phase of placement of the night luminary, the lunar calendar also requires mandatory registration of the zodiac sign, in which the Earth’s satellite is located. From the point of view of planting bulbous plants, the influence of this factor looks like this:

Features landing in different regions

You need to plant tulips in such a way that the bulb does not begin to sprout already this year, because if this happens, you can not wait for flowering in the spring. Moreover, the plant in this case is highly likely to not survive the winter at all. On the other hand, the flower needs enough time to have time to take root and increase the necessary sizes before stable frosts begin, otherwise the plant again has little chance of surviving.

Important! In the southern regions of Russia, throughout Ukraine, Moldova and the Caucasus, as well as in other regions with similar climatic conditions, tulips are planted in the middle or even the end of October. For the middle zone of the European part of Russia, September is considered the optimal period.

Therefore, for planting, a period is always chosen at which the temperature has already begun to decline steadily, but at the same time continues to remain at positive levels even at night. Obviously, the month of August does not meet this requirement in every region.

The last numbers of summer, therefore, are suitable only for the colder climatic zone, say, for the Urals or Siberia. The average daily temperature of the soil at a planting depth (10–12 cm) should be approximately + 10 ° С. Under warmer conditions, the bulb is threatened, on the one hand, with premature germination, and on the other, with the destruction by the larvae of various pests that live in the soil and begin to actively prepare for the upcoming wintering at the end of summer.

Choosing a place and preparing it

In order for tulips to sprout quickly and bloom actively, to plant them you need to choose open sunny areas, protected from strong gusts of wind. In the shade, the plant stretches, loses its decorativeness and does not form a full-fledged bud. Further, since we are talking about an onion culture, the root system of which does not go deep into the ground, it is important that the maximum amount of nutrients is concentrated in the upper, up to 30 cm, soil layer.

Did you know? The most expensive tulip variety in the world is called Semper Augustus (August Forever), which has a variegated color and characteristic pointed petals. It is interesting that the author so carefully guarded the high cost and rarity of these flowers that, in the end, the variety was hopelessly lost, as was the secret to its selection.

In addition, the soil must satisfy the following requirements:

• acid-base balance - acidic or neutral (pH level in the range of 6.5–7.8);
• composition - loam or sandstone;
• groundwater level - not closer than 70 cm to the surface;
• nutritional value (humus, humus) - high;
• physical properties - lightness, friability, high breathability and moisture capacity.

Unsuitable for tulips soil can be adjusted during planting or subsequent care of the plant, for example:

As a precursor for tulips, any garden or garden plants are suitable, except for bulb, tuber, and solanaceous (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, potatoes).

Material preparation

Before planting tulip bulbs in open ground, it is necessary to carry out some preparatory work with both the planting material and the flower bed itself.

Did you know? The word "tulip", apparently, has Ottoman-Persian roots and comes from the name of the fabric from which the turbans were made - specific headdresses of Eastern men. This etymology is probably due to the external similarity of the flower and the item of clothing, although there is a version that in Asia, not only women, but also men decorated heads with vivid flowers.

Soil treatment

It is recommended to start the treatment of the tulip planting area in the spring. During this period, the future flower bed needs to be dug to the depth of one and a half bayonet shovels (about 40 cm) and at the same time enrich the soil with organic and mineral fertilizers per 1 m²:

• compost or humus - 15–20 l;
• superphosphate - 100 g;
• lime (if the soil is acidic) - 200-300 g.

About a month before the planting deadline, another digging of the beds is carried out, this time not so deep - about 20-25 cm.

At the same time, phosphorus and potash fertilizers are added to it, for example (per 1 m²):

• double superphosphate - 30 g;
• potassium salt or potassium sulfate - 20 or 40 g, respectively.

When choosing potash fertilizers, preparations containing chlorine should be avoided, such as, for example, potassium chloride. The nitrogen component is introduced either directly into the hole when planting a tulip, or in the spring. For example, in this capacity you can use ammonium nitrate in an amount of 10 g per 1 m². If you add such fertilizer in advance, you can provoke premature germination of the bulb.

Important! Fresh manure as an organic fertilizer can be applied to the soil no earlier than a year before the intended planting of tulips.

When applying mineral fertilizers, it is important to maintain their balance, which, in turn, can vary depending on the initial soil structure. The optimal ratio of the main chemical elements for tulips is (%):

Preparing the bulbs for planting

Preparing the bulbs for planting involves the following activities:

• inspection, selection by size, rejection of rotten or damaged specimens;
• removal of exfoliated husk (it is not necessary to completely “undress” the bulb, but if it is bare, there is nothing to worry about, such an option for a tulip is considered a kind of norm);
• disinfection.

Important! The most beautiful flowers give large bulbs of tulips. Children are also suitable for planting, but they need to be planted separately, so that more adult specimens do not interfere with the "kids" to gain in size.

A standard method for disinfecting planting material is to soak it in a weak solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) for 30 minutes. However, today in specialized stores you can find more modern drugs designed to destroy fungi and other pathogens that have already hit the bulb or may threaten it during the first months after planting.

As an example, trade names such as:

• "Fundazole";
• Vitaros
• "Epin", etc.

Such funds will not only protect the bulb from the pest, but also significantly strengthen its immunity, as well as accelerate the rooting process. All the above procedures are carried out only in relation to tulips dug in the summer after flowering or purchased from familiar summer residents. Planting stock sold at specialized points (when it comes to expensive, imported varieties) does not need preplant planting, as it has already been carried out by the manufacturer or seller.

Landing

Immediately after soaking, tulips need to be planted, since a bulb saturated with moisture can no longer be stored. Bulb planting can be carried out in random order - in a line or in whole "islands". In the first case, it is customary to leave a distance of 9-10 cm between the individual plants with an aisle width of up to 20 cm, in the second case, a denser placement is allowed. On average, depending on the tulip variety, up to hundreds of plants can be arranged per 1 m².

Tulips should not be buried too much when planting. This flower has an interesting property, with time, to go into the ground without outside help. On average, a layer of land should be above the onion, exceeding the length of the onion itself three times on light soil and twice on heavy soil.

Usually, for planting tulips, it is enough to dig shallow grooves (rows or circles) on a previously loosened flowerbed, then gently squeeze the bulbs into them and sprinkle them on top of the ground. You can not do this with effort, otherwise you can easily damage the future root system. For a chaotic planting, you can use another way: remove the top layer of soil from the prepared area, spread the bulbs on the vacant space and then fill it with soil again.

Some gardeners prefer to use a special tube with a piston for planting bulb crops, which removes a column of earth from the garden like a syringe, and then, after laying the bulbs in the formed hole, returns the soil in the same way. This method requires certain skills, but it provides the same depth of backlog of all the specimens prepared for planting and, consequently, their subsequent simultaneous germination.

Important! The deeper the tulip is planted, the fewer children the plant forms and the larger the substitute bulb grows.

Finally, another method of planting tulips, which, perhaps, is the most unusual, is that the bulbs are laid on the bottom of special baskets, then they dig a recess of the required area on the bed, put a basket in it and then sprinkle it with earth. This method is well suited for expensive varieties and hybrids, since it allows you to save all onion material during subsequent collection (not a single copy will be lost or inadvertently cut during digging).

Varieties most suitable for planting in August

As already mentioned, a correctly selected planting time should allow the tulip to take root, but not germinate. It is believed that for this, from the moment the bulbs are planted into the ground until the onset of frost, 30 to 40 days must pass. But not all varieties and hybrids of tulips take root with equal speed. In addition, first of all, you need to plant those flowers that bloom the very first. Based on these considerations, for planting in August, for example, the following varieties of tulips are suitable:

In addition, among the simple and terry early-flowering tulips that you can risk planting in August, Dutch breeders offer the following varieties:

Planting tulip bulbs in open ground, as a rule, should be in the fall. In August, doing this is a bit early, as the flowers can sprout before the onset of cold weather, which is extremely undesirable. But in the northern regions, where winter begins already in mid-October, planting dates may shift, and in addition, early and long-rooted tulip varieties and hybrids can be planted at the end of summer.