Most bulbs are planted in autumn to flower next spring. Usually tulips are planted in early October, when soil temperature at the depth of 10-12 cm drops to +10C. If autumn is warm, tulips can be planted throughout October, even as late as early November. Experienced growers maintain that one can plant tulips even in midwinter, as long as the ground is not frozen over. Bear in mind that mulching with a 25cm layer of sawdust, peat or compost is absolutely necessary in such case. Bulbs root within three weeks – this is how long it should take before the ground completely freezes over. If planted too early, bulbs will break into growth too soon.
Prior to planting, pick over the tulip bulbs, discard the damaged, diseased or any bulbs, uncharacteristic to the particular cultivar, if it has not been done yet. Sort the bulbs by size, cultivar and colour. Never ever take the discarded bulbs to compost heap!
Soak bulbs for 30-60 minutes in a 0.5% solution of permanganate of potash before planting. Once this has been done, plant them straight away into prepared beds. The bulbs soak up water fast, their bottoms swell and soon the roots break. Do not wait for this to happen, since the new roots are very fragile, and they will not sprout back, once broken.
Most tulip growers plant bulbs in flower beds 1-1.2 metre wide for ease of cultivation. If the water table is high, tulips are best planted in raised beds (20-25 cm above soil level). If planted in mixed borders, tulips look best in groups. Single species planting of tulips is a spectacular feature, where several groups of tulips of varying heights and colours are combined to the most flattering effect.
The general rule of thumb is to plant most bulbs at the depth of 3 bulbs, if planting on well-drained soil, and at the depth 2 bulbs, if planting on heavy soil, but never deeper than 20cm. The distance is measured from the bottom of the bulb to the soil surface. Large bulbs should be planted in rows with a 8-12cm spacing, and rows 20-25 cm apart. Small bulbs are planted in two-drill rows – the drills 5cm apart, with a 15cm spacing between the rows. The tiniest offsets are planted in nests of 8-10, since only 60% of them will survive until spring. If planted too densely, tulips will produce very few replacement bulbs. It is maintained, that 50 large bulbs planted to a square metre will produce the most replacement bulbs.
Do not push tulip bulbs into the soil with your fingers; a far better way is to make a row, place bulbs in it and cover with soil. When pressed too hard, bulbs can be injured, and will become vulnerable to diseases. Special tools for bulb planting are readily available in garden centres, should you dislike the idea of planting in rows. Some growers recommend planting tulip and other bulbs on a bed of sand. A 3-5cm sand layer should be spread on the bottom of the planting hole or the row. Bulbs should be pressed lightly into the sand, then toped with more sand, and only then mounded with soil. Tulips grow healthier in the sand, and their bulbs are less prone to rotting, since any excessive moisture drains away freely from the sand. This is an especially useful method for cultivating rare and expensive tulips.
