Answers
from the Tulip Expert
Special
thanks to Eve Blanchard for providing her time and expertise in responding
to your questions below.
From:
Tucson, Arizona
Desert Sky Middle School
Q:
Is there any way I could have tulips planted in my yard here in Tucson,
Arizona?
A: You live in an area where winters
rarely or never reach freezing temperatures, so tulips won’t
thrive there. But you can get them to grow by simulating winter. Place
your tulip bulbs in a paper bag in the refrigerator and chill them
for six to eight weeks. (Try to keep them away from ripening fruits;
these produce ethylene gas, which can harm the flower buds inside
the bulbs.) Plant the bulbs outdoors from late November to mid-December.
You should enjoy a spring bloom, but if you want to keep them coming
back, you’ll have to follow this routine each year!
From:
Seattle, WA
Lafayette Elementary
Q: We came to school today to find all 50 of our Red Emperor
tulips in glorious bloom! As one student commented from across the playground,
it looks like part of the school garden is on fire! The tulips, while
being just beautiful, seem stunted in height, and we are curious as
to why this might be... It is important to note that the same is true
of MANY of the tulips in our larger neighborhood.....Throughout the
Seattle area, tulips seem to be a bit vertically challenged this year!
We are wondering if this may be due to a frigid cold snap that occurred
in March, after a couple of weeks of higher than normal temperatures
and sunny days..... Still, they are just fantastic, and everyone is
commenting on how wonderful the huge patch of red is in our school garden.
We wish everyone involved in The Journey North a happy arrival of Spring!
A: Good
thinking, Lafayette students. Yes, a drastic change in weather can cause
tulips to be stunted. (They are a bit more heat-sensitive than daffodils
and other spring bulbs.) This often happens when a warm spell is followed
by a cold snap. When I looked at this 3-month graph of average temperatures
in your area, I saw some real fluctuations!
|
Daily
Temperature Departures for Seattle area Jan.-Mar.2006 |
Your
warm January weather (or a warmer winter in general) could also break
your bulbs’ “dormancy” too early. Most tulips need
12 to 16 weeks of underground chilling in order to grow and bloom
well. But it sounds like you have beautiful blooms, so I’m sticking
with my theory that temperature fluctuations were to blame.
If
you had told us that only your tulips were stunted, but not tulips
elsewhere in the neighborhood, I might have made one of these conclusions:
1) you planted them too late, so they weren’t chilled long enough
or 2) they were in soil that was overly compacted or wet.
So,
you see, even “experts” have to consider the data and
try to come up with explanations that seem to fit. No one knows all
the answers. That’s what is so exciting about science!
Q:
How can I keep cut tulips from flopping over the vase? They were perfect,
then I changed the water in the vase and even before I could get them
back into the vase they were all wiggly!
A:
Good observation! I suspect that many of us
have seen that happen, but few of us wonder why it does. Unlike most
flowers, tulip stems keep growing in the vase -- sometimes as much
as an inch or more after being clipped. As the growing stem responds
to sunlight and gravity, it bends, twists, and weaves. This “dance”
can actually be recorded on stop-action film. To keep your tulips
from flopping, you can try cutting them very short. TRY THIS:
Make an experiment! Cut and measure a few tulips then put into a vase.
Periodically measure the length of the tulip stems. Also watch to
see what happens as the light hits the tulips from different angles.
From:
Gainesville, Florida
Ms. Brady's Fourth Grade
Q: This is the second year we have planted tulips. Last year our bulbs
were improperly stored near some fruits and vegetables and had some
visible mold. They emerged beautifully, but the blooms were white-ish
and shriveled at best. We thought the mold was the culprit and were
very careful about storage this year. This year our bulbs were very
healthy at planting time. Again our bulbs emerged looking very healthy,
but come bloom time they were deformed. We planted in the same spot
as the year before. Can the mold live from year to year or do you have
any other insight? We plan to plant in various locations on campus next
year to test our hypothesis, but thought you might know what the disease
is called and how to avoid it. Thanks!!!
A: I’m glad to hear that you’re
testing your hypothesis by planting in different locations. You are
clearly thinking and acting like scientists! Tulip bulbs can develop
different types of molds when they’re stored. For instance, if
the mold looks blue or green, it is probably penicillium, which can
severely damage tulips. Gray mold, which thrives in wet soil, starts
on the root end and attacks the bulb. It can cause the emerging plant
to wither and die. Did you dig up any bulbs and observe what was happening
underground?
Good thinking! Mold spores can overwinter on plant remains and in soil.
You’ve already suggested a good solution: Plant new bulbs in a
different location. Please let us know what happens to your bulbs next
spring! Here are some other ways to avoid bulb diseases:
• Don’t plant bulbs that are badly damaged or moldy. Tip:
Healthy tulip bulbs will sink in water, but decayed bulbs will float.
Try testing some yourselves!
• Plant tulip bulbs in well-drained soil.
• Clean up leftover plant material once bulbs have bloomed and
leaves have died back.
P.S.
Factors other than mold can cause your tulips to be deformed. For
instance, in your area, warm winter weather could break bulb “dormancy”
too early. Most tulips need 12 to 16 weeks of underground chilling
in order to grow and bloom well. Did that happen in your area this
past winter?
From:
Franklin, New Hampshire
Raidant living homeschool club
Q:
We started a family tradition up here in New Hampshire. Each Fall,
Dad and his 2 sons plant 100 tulip bulbs and 100 daffodil bulbs. This
has gone on for 9 years - slowly filling up the back row of our yard.
Every year ALL daffodils return, but only 2 out of 20 tulips return.
More tulips return the first year, then it quickly declines. Question:
Why? I have heard dig em' up, too crowded, BUT in 1-2 years????? :>
Hum...... with warm regards, thanks!
A: Not all bulbs are created
equal! Daffodils are less temperature-sensitive and more likely than
tulips to return year after year. Tulips are not reliable perennials.
(That is, unless they experience the cold winters and hot dry summers
of their native central Asia!) But some types of tulips will return.
The Red Emperor tulip we use in the Journey North experiment can bloom
for two or more years. But it needs some help from you!
First, a bit about what makes tulips tick: In order to bloom, a tulip
uses the energy stored in the bulb. (It has everything it needs the
first year!) The leaves then make food (through photosynthesis). This
restores the bulb’s energy and prepares it to flower again.
But if you cut the leaves back too soon, or if they died back for
other reasons, the bulbs may not have had enough energy to bloom again.
Tulips can be tricky, but here are some tips for coaxing them to flower
another year:
• Plant new bulbs in well-drained soil enriched with a low-nitrogen
fertilizer such as well-rotted cow manure or special bulb fertilizer.
• Each fall and spring, fertilize the plants as above.
• After your tulip blooms fade, snap off the flower stems at
the base. Let the leaves continue to grow until they die back naturally.
• Journey North tulips must be planted 6 inches deep. But, tulips
are more likely to bloom again if you dig them up and plant them 8
inches deep (from the bottom of the bulb to the top of the soil).
• Another way to get new blooms is to dig up an older bulb and
look for smaller “daughter” bulbs near its base. If you
separate and replant these 6 inches deep in well-drained soil, they
should bloom in 2 to 4 years.
Q:I
bought a " Martha Stewart" TOP SHELF assortment of tulips
for my across the street neighbor for her birthday in the Fall and
planted them for her. To my surprise, it has been 4 years now and
they ALL return in full glory!
A:
Consider possibilities based on my last response.
For instance, your neighbor may have better drained soil than you
do or she may fertilize more frequently. Also, “top shelf”
bulbs are larger than other grades, so they have more stored energy
to begin with. That means they’re likely to produce larger blooms
and leaves. The leaves should make more food, giving the bulb plenty
of energy to bloom another year.
From:
Fairfield, Illinois
Northside Elementary
Q:
Why would two blooms come from one bulb? (picture submitted to M.
Hosier) Our hypothesis is that two bulbs are planted right on top
of each other. It would have been planted that way by accident. Another
thought was that the bulbs were so close they grew together.
A: Interesting! Most tulips have only
one bloom. Have you dug up your bulbs? If you found two, you could
conclude that the bulbs were planted on top of each other. Another
possibility is that a parent bulb formed small offsets (“daughter”
bulbs). It takes a few years for these to bloom, but when they do,
they can come up so close together that they look like they came from
one bulb. Here’s one last possibility: Some types of tulips
– called “bunch-flowering” tulips – do produce
many blooms from each bulb. (Journey North’s Red Emperor tulips
are not in this category.)
What did you find when you dug up your bulbs? Did it support your
theory?
Q:
Why are the gardens along the west and east coast, farthest north
blooming when it appears that only the gardens in the southern half
of the United States are blooming? It looks as if you could almost
draw a line straight across the US to mark the "Journey North"
of spring by our gardens, except for these areas. Our hypothesis is
that humidity has affected the blooming of these gardens.
A: You’ve
asked a great question! Water is involved, but perhaps in a different
way than you think. It helps to understand a bit about U.S. climate
zones. (These are regions that have different long-term temperature
and rainfall patterns.) Coastal regions, which are influenced by the
ocean, are called maritime temperate zones. Areas in the middle of
the continent are called continental temperate zones.
Here’s how they differ: Ocean water holds heat longer than land
does, so land temperatures near oceans don’t change as much
during the year as inland temperatures do. They are fairly steady
across the seasons, with cooler summers and warmer winters than in
inland areas. Areas in the middle of the continent, far from water,
tend to have more extreme temperatures. They have very cold winters
and hot summers. It can take longer for spring temperatures to rise
enough for tulips to emerge.
|
Winds
also play a role. Our Pacific Coast has fairly steady temperatures,
because prevailing winds come from the west over mild Pacific waters.
But these westerly winds come across the extreme temperatures of the
continent before reaching the East Coast. When you looked at both
coasts on Journey North tulip maps, did you notice a difference in
tulip emergence or bloom dates? Look at this map of minimum temperatures
in the United States. What patterns do you notice? How do they compare
with patterns on Journey North tulip maps?
From:
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Q: We have not had a lot of rain and our tulip beds are dry and cracked.
Should we water them? Please give specific details. Thank You.
A:
Yes, tulips should get about 1 inch of water each
week in the spring. Otherwise, these living things will dry out. If
you don’t have much rain, you’ll have to do the watering
yourselves!
Q:
We are having trouble putting our observations on your site can you
please send a detailed instructions. thanks We love this project.
Thank you.
A:
We rely on all the
citizen scientists involved with Journey North projects to help us
create the "Big Picture" about animal migrations and seasonal
change. We want you to be successful reporting in to the site!
Here's how: Find the blue "Owl"
button any page on the site. Click on it to take you to the "Report
Your Sightings" and "Map" page. Enter your email address
(registration email), press “Submit,” and fill out the
Field Report with the event you are reporting.
From:
Nottingham, New Hampshire
Marsch Island Homeschool
Q: I planted tulips inside and outside. The sprouts inside were green
and the sprouts outside came up red at first, then turned green! I've
really wondered about this. Does it have something to do with the weather?
A:
That’s
a tough one! Here’s my guess: The red is actually a pigment in
the tissues of the tulip plant. When the tulip is under any kind of
stress, which could be the cold temperatures at ground level during
emergence, the red will be visible. You can see this kind of pigment
showing on leaves in the autumn when the movement of water and food
is cut off the leaves before they drop.
Q: On my Journey North tulip garden maps,
it looks like most of the tulips that emerged and bloomed first, are
near a coast of an ocean. Why is this? Thank you very much! -Jillian
age 10.
|
A:
You’ve asked a great question! Ocean water
holds heat longer than land does, so land temperatures near oceans
are very steady. They don’t change as much during the year as
inland temperatures do. Inland areas have much more extreme temperatures:
very cold winters and hot summers. So it can take longer for spring
temperatures to rise enough for tulips to emerge. Look at this map
of minimum temperatures in the United States. What patterns do you
notice? How do they compare with patterns on Journey North tulip maps?
From:
Collegeville, Pennsylvania
Perkiomen Valley HS
Q:
We know that the flower that bloomed this year was actually made by
the plant during the growing season last year. When we planted our
bulbs just after Thanksgiving, we had some bulbs left over that just
didn't fit in the beds we made. We planted those extra bulbs in pots
and kept them in the refrigerator all winter. They emerged four days
earlier than the bulbs in the ground! However after growing on the
window sill, they produced healthy leaves, but the flower buds were
just shrunken nothings. Why didn't the pre-made flowers develop like
the ones outside are doing?
A: Tulips can be tough to bring
into bloom indoors. Something in the refrigerator may well have been
the culprit! Here’s what I think happened: You may have had
some ripening fruit, such as apples, in the refrigerator where your
bulbs were stored. Many fruits produce a type of gas called ethylene.
This can damage the flower buds inside the bulbs. Your warm windowsill
may have inspired the bulbs to bloom earlier than the underground
bulbs, but the flower buds were already damaged by the gas.
There are also other possibilities. Look at some of these tips for
forcing tulips indoors, and think about whether you provided the “ideal”
conditions for flowering:
• Use top-quality bulbs that are large and heavy for their size.
• Use varieties that are described as suitable for forcing;
they are the best bets.
• Give indoor tulips at least 12 weeks of temperatures below
48 degrees F followed by 2 to 3 weeks at 60 to 65 degrees F. It can
take another few weeks before buds are colored and green leaves, unfurled.
Tulip
Expert, Eve Blanchard
Science Educator and Writer
How
to Use FAQ's About Journey North Species
Since 1995, experts have contributed answers to students' questions
about each Journey North species. These questions and answers are archived
in our FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions) section. You can use today's
Answers from the Expert above, along with those from previous years,
in the activities suggested in the lesson, "FAQ's About Journey
North Species"