What are the morphological characteristics of tulips?
For most women, what are the morphological characteristics of tulips and a brief introduction to the appearance and features of green ornamental flowers for planting, the following is a detailed introduction for you.
Tulips, also known as "foreign lotus," "grass musk," and "foreign narcissus," belong to the Liliaceae family and are one of the ornamental plants widely planted in Lanzhou City in recent years to beautify the city and attract tourists. Tulips are high-standard ceremonial flowers, often used for various large-scale celebrations and decorations in high-end venues. "The misty tulip adorns the arm, the graceful ancient jade pendant adorns the waist." Tulips were already used to make perfumes in ancient times; the poem "Gusu Terrace" by Gao Qi in the Ming Dynasty says: "The incense burner always burns with tulips, all saying that the joy of a thousand years is endless." Ancient times used tulips as raw materials to make incense for burning. Therefore, from ancient times to the present, tulips have been appreciated by people and used in beautifying life.
1 Morphological Characteristics
Tulips are perennial herbs with flat-conical bulbs, the outer skin is light yellow or brownish, with a circumference of about 8-12cm, containing 3-5 pieces of fleshy scales inside. There are 2-4 leaves, growing in the middle and lower parts of the stem, broad lanceolate to ovate acuminate, the lower 2 leaves are long and broad, marginally entire and wavy, the leaves are thick and juicy, with a gray wax layer on the surface. The tulip stem is erect and smooth, with a powdery surface. The tulip flower is solitary at the top of the stem, with 6 petals arranged in 2 whorls. Some double-petal varieties have about 25-35 petals. The flowers are large, with various shapes such as bowl-shaped, cup-shaped, dish-shaped, lily-shaped, and star-shaped. Most petals have smooth edges, while some have wavy teeth, sawtooth, notched, and other shapes. Flower colors include white, pink, purple, orange, deep purple, deep brown, black, etc. Most flowers are solid colors, some have decorated edges, stripes, and purple spots at the base, with high ornamental value. Tulips usually bloom from March to May in Gansu, with cup-shaped flowers opening during the day when there is sufficient light and closing at night or on cloudy days.
2 Ecological Habits
Tulips are perennial autumn planted bulbous flowers that prefer warm and humid winters, cool and dry summers, and sunny and windward environments. The suitable temperature for tulip growth is 15-30°C during the day, with strong cold resistance in the underground parts, able to withstand -35°C in winter. When the temperature rises to above 6°C in early spring, the bulbs begin to grow slowly, with seedlings emerging from the soil. The best growth temperature for tulip bulbs is 9-13°C, and the bulbs stop growing when the temperature is below 5°C. Tulips need plenty of water at the initial planting stage, less water when the seedlings emerge, but the soil should be kept moist, and the soil should be kept slightly dry during flowering. If too dry, their growth will slow down. Tulips prefer fertile, humus-rich, and well-drained sandy loam soil. They like sunlight but can also grow well in semi-shaded environments. It is necessary to prevent direct sunlight when the bulbs are germinating, which is beneficial for the growth of flower buds.
3 Propagation Methods
3.1 Bulb Propagation
Tulip bulb propagation is also called bulb division. Generally, 3-5 layers of scales grow on the bulb disk, which is called the mother bulb. After a season of growth, many small bulbs appear around the mother bulb, and there is a small bulb in the axil of each layer of scales inside the mother bulb. The number of daughter bulbs in each mother bulb depends on the number of scales. Usually, a mother bulb can produce 2-4 new bulbs of different sizes.
Select propagation material of small bulbs with a circumference of less than 8cm, plant them in high-altitude cold regions, and the best planting period is before the soil freezes, with a soil temperature of 7-9°C. In Lanzhou, it is around September to October. If planted too early, the bulb sprouts will emerge too early, which is not safe for overwintering; if planted too late, it is not conducive to germination and root growth, and it is not good for overwintering. Therefore, the choice of planting date is important and will determine the germination rate the following year.
Planting methods use furrow broadcasting, with a spacing of 10cm×20cm and a depth of 10-15cm. Select small bulbs with a circumference of less than 3cm and plant them in the furrows, covering the soil with about 6-8cm. After planting, fertilize and water appropriately, and when the bulbs germinate, the leaves unfold, the stems elongate, and the flower buds appear, cut off the flower buds to ensure the bulbs develop fully. After one year, the bulbs can be used as commercial bulbs.
3.2 Seed Propagation
Seed propagation of tulips is suitable for large-scale planting and takes 5-6 years to bloom. Seed propagation is often used to cultivate high-quality new varieties and can solve the contradiction of insufficient bulb supply.
Store mature seeds at a low temperature of 7-9°C, select September for sowing, and the seeds will start to germinate after about 30 days. After all seeds have germinated, transplant the seedlings to greenhouse greenhouses for care and do a good job of fertilizer and water management. After the temperature rises to 6°C in early spring, the bulbs begin to grow slowly, and the seedlings emerge from the soil. Tulip bulbs grow best at temperatures of 9-13°C, and bulbs stop growing when the temperature is below 5°C. Tulips need plenty of water at the initial planting stage, less water when the seedlings emerge, but the soil should be kept moist, and the soil should be kept slightly dry during flowering. If too dry, their growth will slow down. Tulips prefer fertile, humus-rich, and well-drained sandy loam soil. They like sunlight but can also grow well in semi-shaded environments. It is necessary to prevent direct sunlight when the bulbs are germinating, which is beneficial for the growth of flower buds.
4 Cultivation Management
4.1 Open Field Cultivation Techniques
Tulip bulb harvesting and storage: The best time for harvesting is when the above-ground parts are completely withered. When digging bulbs, do not damage the bulbs. After the mother bulbs and daughter bulbs are dried in the sun for 2-3 days, they can be separated and graded by size. Generally divided into five grades, with the first and second grades being commercial bulbs with a circumference of about 10-12cm, and bulbs below the third grade used for propagation. After grading, soak in a 0.2% carbendazim solution for 10 minutes, then dry in the shade. When packing, use ventilated bamboo baskets and layer the bulbs according to size, leaving about 11cm of space at the top of the basket, then store in a cold storage.
4.1.1 Planting. Tulips cannot be planted in the same field every year. It is best to rotate the fields every year with three plots for planting, and deeply till the soil, applying a mixture of organic fertilizer and compound fertilizer to the soil for land preparation. The planting and propagation methods are the same.
4.1.2 Fertilizer and Water Management. Water before winter but not too much, and if there is a lot of rain or snow in winter, there is no need to water. If it is dry, water appropriately a few times but do not waterlog. If there are seedlings before winter, cover them with straw for overwintering; if there are no seedlings, do not cover them. Fertilize once after the seedlings have all emerged the following year, and apply a compound fertilizer again when the flower buds appear, and foliar fertilize before flowering. Keep the soil moist when watering but do not let it dry out or get too wet.
4.2 Forced Cultivation Techniques
Tulips have the implication of nobility and auspiciousness and are one of the best spring flowers, so they are very popular among people and are essential for the Spring Festival supply. Therefore, forced cultivation techniques must be used to adjust the flowering period of tulips to make them bloom at the time people need. Using greenhouse or plastic greenhouse cultivation, the position of the planting boxes can be adjusted based on temperature and humidity to achieve forced cultivation.
4.2.1 Selecting Varieties. Generally, choose first and second-grade varieties with a circumference of 11cm as the best.
4.2.2 Bulb Treatment. Temperature is the main factor in advancing or delaying the flowering period of tulips. Usually, there is a high demand around New Year's Day and the Spring Festival, so low-temperature treatment is necessary to break dormancy before planting. There are generally two methods of low temperature: one is to store the bulbs in a cold storage at 9°C for 2.5 months, then plant the bulbs in the boxes and promote root growth in a wet storage at 9°C for 1.5 months (different varieties require different low-temperature treatment times). When the bulbs have sprouted to about 9cm in wet storage, the boxes can be moved to a greenhouse with a temperature of about 18°C, where they will bloom in about 24 days; the other is to treat at 5°C, store the bulbs in a cold storage at 5°C for 2.5 months, then plant the bulbs in boxes for wet storage to promote root growth for half a month, and then move the boxes to a greenhouse with a temperature of 20°C for 25 days to force blooming. The control of the flowering period is calculated based on the time of bulb treatment to bloom on schedule.
4.3 Inhibited Cultivation
This method is to delay the flowering of tulips, plant them in boxes in November of the same year, promote root growth for 15-30 days at 9°C, and then store the boxes in a cold storage at -1.8°C. This method can postpone the flowering time of tulips.
4.4 Fresh Cut Flowers
Tulips can be used as fresh cut flowers. When the flower buds are colored, cut them at the base leaving one leaf and insert them into water immediately. Many flower shops use tulips as the main color material for arranging flowers.
5 Disease and Pest Control
Tulips are prone to infection by pathogens during the growing period. It is generally recommended to spray a 800-fold dilution of carbendazim and alternate with a 600-fold dilution of methyl thiophanate for good results. During the flowering period, there may be nocturnal moths feeding on the flower buds, at which time it is not suitable to apply chemicals and manual capture should be done. For mite pests, use a 1500-fold dilution of dicofol for control.
When storing bulbs, try to harvest the bulbs before the leaves wither, select bulbs without wounds, fumigate and disinfect the storage room before storing the bulbs, and keep the room well-ventilated.
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