Content
- So sowing of tulip seeds succeeds - correct sowing goes like this
- Harvest seeds at the right time - that's how it works
- Stratify first - then sow - so do it right
- In mild winter from the fridge
- Tips
The seed capsules only remotely remind of a tulip
So sowing of tulip seeds succeeds - correct sowing goes like this
Who wants to pull tulips out of seeds, faces a horticultural challenge with an open outcome. It takes a time-consuming process to be surprised by years of results. How to sow tulip seeds correctly is explained in a practical way by the following lines.
Harvest seeds at the right time - that's how it works
You can only pull tulips out of seeds if you leave a central aspect in the care program to the left. To harvest the seeds, the withered flowers must not be cut off. Only under this condition, the hoped seed capsules develop from pollinated flowers. Tulipa usually takes 8 to 10 weeks to complete this maturation process. How to correctly harvest tulip seeds for sowing:
With a sieve you then separate the seeds from the capsule remnants. If necessary, sieve the seed several times.
Stratify first - then sow - so do it right
So that tulip seeds do not germinate prematurely, Mother Nature has equipped them with a germ inhibition. It requires before sowing a several-week cold period to motivate the seeds for germination. You can implement the process referred to in the jargon as stratification in this way:
At the latest after 2 months, life stirs up in the tulip seed. In the course of spring sprout long, green seedlings. Keep the seeds slightly moist during this time. Only when the sprouting plants wither and fall, the longed-for tulip bulbs have developed at their ends. Get the tiny animals out of the ground to plant them in the pot with lean potting soil.
In mild winter from the fridge
If the winter comes with constant mild weather therefore, tulip seeds in the garden do not experience the necessary coldness. Now you work the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator around in a simulation room for winter weather. Fill the seeds in a plastic bag with wet sand or sphagnum. Firmly closed, deposit the seeds for 4 to 6 weeks at temperatures between - 4 and + 4 degrees Celsius. Only then sow the stratified seeds into pots with potting soil.
Tips
In the specialized trade you will look for tulip seeds in vain. The reason for this is that the sowing of dried seeds is doomed to failure. You will only grow beautiful tulips out of seeds if you use fresh, hand-harvested seed that you sow in a timely manner.