How to store tulip bulbs before planting?

To make tulips happy with their beauty every year, it is important to make bulbs plant in time. But how to store tulip bulbs before planting? As you know, bulbs are easily exposed to moisture, diseases, pests and temperature fluctuations. That is why it is important to excavate in time and ensure proper storage of tulip bulbs before planting.

Timely excavation and preparation for storage

A very important point in the life of the plant is the timely excavation. In the case of tulips, the main landmark in their harvesting is yellowed leaves. The wilted flower is cut, a pair of lower leaves and a stem is left. When the leaves completely turn yellow and start to dry out - it's time to dig! It is better to do this in dry weather. It is worth noting that the completely dry foliage quickly crumbles, which complicates the search and harvesting. And too early cleaning does not allow you to get quality ripening planting material.

After harvesting, the tulip bulb needs washing, etching in a weak solution of potassium permanganate (0.5%) and drying. In this case, damaged and diseased onions are discarded, the children are separated. Dedicated in dry weather, clean bulbs are dried in a draft or open air.

But is it necessary to carry out all these procedures before storing bulbs of a tulip? It is noticed that pickling for 30 minutes in a solution of potassium permanganate protects the planting material from diseases reliably. A re-etching (just before planting) allows you to get large beautiful flowers next year.

Conditions for proper storage

It's easy to remember how to store tulip bulbs, and fulfill all the conditions. The basic rules are good ventilation, lack of light and moisture in the storage, constant temperature. The best option for laying on storage is cleaning bulbs in wooden boxes, wicker baskets, nets or paper containers. The temperature regime in the first month after harvesting is 23-25 degrees. If the storage is high humidity and temperature fluctuations, then regular inspection and rejection of bulbs is necessary.

It is a mistake to think that the best place to store is a refrigerator. Too low the temperature will slow down the development of the flower bud. As a result, the bulb will be externally healthy, beautiful, but will not give color at all or will regenerate into a "blind" onion.

Particular attention should be paid to children. Since adult bulbs every year grow smaller and degenerate, a healthy offspring is a guarantee of a constant beautiful flowering. Children are also stored at room temperature, well ventilated, regularly inspected.

How to prepare tulips for planting?

Before landing to a new location, the temperature in the storage is reduced to 15-17 degrees. If it is supposed to be put on the previous place, then it is necessary to sow the siderates in order to destroy the pathogenic flora. Therefore, before storing bulbs of a tulip, it is necessary to solve a question with a place for their further planting. In the Russian climate, tulips are planted from the beginning to the middle of September, depending on the region.