Tulips have a two-pronged approach to their reproduction. You can use this strategy for uncomplicated vegetative propagation with spring onions or for challenging generative offspring by sowing the seeds. This guide explains in no uncertain terms how to replicate a whole cluster from just a few tulip bulbs.

Tulips are best propagated from bulbs

This is how the propagation with onion bulbs succeeds

Tulip bulbs provide you with plenty of material for propagation by letting small daughter bulbs sprout from the axils of the bulb scales. These grow quickly, separate from the mother bulb and lead an independent tulip life. You can let this process run free or harvest the bulbs to settle in the desired location. That is how it goes:

  • After the flowering period, only cut off the leaves when they are completely retracted
  • Then carefully dig up the tulip bulbs
  • Cut off the onions with a sharp knife

This results in more or less large cuts on the mother and daughter bulbs. To prevent pathogens or pests from using this as a gate, please dust the injuries with charcoal powder. After this treatment, plant the tulips in the nutrient-rich, loose soil.

Spring onions flower from the second year

Spring onions planted in autumn initially produce a tuft of leaves in the following spring. Please only cut this off when the leaves have completely yellowed. Until then, the bulb absorbs valuable nutrients in order to flower for the first time the following year based on the energy reserve.

Harvesting and sowing tulip seeds - How to do it right

Don't cut off all the flower cups at the end of the flowering period to allow the tulips to produce their seed-filled ovary. After a two-month maturation period, harvest the dried seed pods just before they rupture. Then fill a clay pot three quarters with garden soil and one quarter with seed soil. Scatter the seed on top of this, sieve it thinly with sand and water it with a fine spray. How to proceed:

  • Cover the sand layer with a layer of small pebbles or aquarium gravel
  • Plant in the ground in a partially shaded spot in the garden where the weather can affect the seeds
  • When it is dry, water so much that the soil does not dry out

The next spring, long, green seedlings will sprout, reminiscent of grass or chives. Over time, these stems will wilt and fall off. You can then start looking for the tiny little tulip bulbs in the substrate. Put them in small pots with potting soil and be patient. It takes 5 years or more until the first flowering.

tips

Does the sight of a crunchy, juicy tulip bulb make your mouth water? Then there's nothing wrong with tasting it. Remove the bitter skin with a knife and boil the tuber in water for 15 minutes. Although the taste doesn't catapult you to culinary heights, it's still worth a try. More than 2 to 3 specimens should not be eaten, as the glycoside they contain can cause nausea.

Category:

Vegetable garden