check the safety of your bulbs all wintertime foresightful with smart solutions that will keep your peak dependable from conditions , disease , and pests .
Daffodilslook cheery , hyacinthssmell Creator , andcrocusespop up early in the season , but something about a bright , boldtulipinspires on-key spring joyfulness . They add up in so many bedazzle colors and interesting shapes , including petal - tamp forms thatlook almost like peonies . alas , that happy spirit can be cut short unless you take a few precaution to protect your bulbs . Many garden critters see these plants as tasty snacks , and the bulbs are susceptible to a few disease if implant incorrectly . Use these summit to see you get the best tulip show , no matter what nature throws at you .
1. Install a Tall Fence
Tulips in a landscape furnish a salad barroom for cervid . The mosteffective protection from deeris a fence . instal one that ’s at least 8 feet tall or two fence 4 ft tall and 4 foot asunder . Deer can jump high or wide , but they ca n’t do both at once . A marvelous fencing also works to protect tulip from rabbits as long as the slats of the fence are n’t too far apart so they can sneak between them .
2. Install a Short Fence
While the above - flat coat role of tulips attract hungry creatures , the below - priming coat parts do , too . Tofoil woodchuck , chipmunks , and other burrowing animals , a fence that ’s at least 3 pes marvelous and 10 - 12 inch below terra firma ( to prevent them from dig under the fencing ) is an effective impediment .
3. Use Mesh
Squirrels and mice seem to take special pleasure in determination , digging , and nibblingtulip bulbs . How to protect tulip medulla oblongata from squirrels and mice : all-embracing telegram interlock , such as chicken wire , is an effectual balk . Lay it at once on top of the seam , extend the open about 3 feet from the planting , then stake it down .
you may alsoplant tulip bulbsin wire cages for tulip squirrel aegis . point the bulbs in the center of the John Cage and fill up the edge with dirt so critters ca n’t gnaw around the edges . Some gardeners put an previous windowpane blind on top of the priming to deter squirrels . Remove itonce the priming coat freezesbecause tulip plant ca n’t rise through the screening stuff as they can with wimp wire .
4. Plant Deeply and Clean Up
Some nurseryman take that planting a bit deep enhances hardiness and makes it hard for digging pests to find tulip bulbs . Plant tulip bulbsat least three times the acme of the bulb , and comprehend bulbs decent with land so critter are n’t draw to the planting situation . Always remove all evidence of bulb planting , admit any dry out medulla casings , from the country , too .
5. Apply Mulch Properly
Mulching bulbsis a heavy idea to conserve soil moisture and keep up a coolheaded soil temperature . Just do n’t utilize it too soon . Mulching when it ’s still tender provides a informal property for critters to burrow in for the winter , and it may inspire them to dig into your bulbs . Wait until the ground is cold or flash-frozen . Mulch avail keep filth temperatures systematically cool and will minimize damage from frost heaving .
6. Protect Tulip Bulbs in Pots
Tulips necessitate about 12 workweek of cold chilling to bloom properly , but there is a risk of freezing when medulla oblongata are plant in pile leave outdoors . employ a freeze - substantiation pot at least the size of a half - whiskey barrel to provide enough protection . Place it in a protected region , such as inside a garage or near a firm foundation , until the bulbs sprout in spring . you may also aggroup prominent pots in a protected area and wrap them with burlap or other insulating material .
7. Plant in Well-Drained Soil
Tulip bulbs are aboriginal to dry out Mediterranean climates and require splendid drain to fly high . Planting in clayor other waterlogged soils suffocates the bulbs because there are no tune spaces that allow root to grow . Wet soil also promotes fungus and disease .
Add compostand coarse builder ’s Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin ( not playground sand ) to soil to promote good drainage . embed in raised bedswith amended soils may be the best result in area with dim stain .
8. Use Plant Deterrents
One manner tofoil bulb - consume animalsis to interplant tulips withcrown imperial(Fritillaria imperialis ) . This tall , dramaticplant emits an olfactory sensation that push back critter . Critters also avoidalliumsand Narcissus pseudonarcissus , sointerplanting with those bulbsmay help oneself protect tulips among them .
9. Try Repellents But Don’t Rely on Them
commercial-grade pest repellent products fulfil garden midpoint shelf as an well-off choice forprotecting tulip bulbsfrom brute . Some might work in your yard , for a while . Deer , cony , rodent , and other critters often become so used to the repellent that it is no longer effective . Many are fragrance - establish mathematical product that don off after rain so they must be reapplied oft . And remember , what works in one garden does n’t always run in another .
family remedies includehanging Irish Spring scoop from mesh topology old bag , scattering human pilus snip , sprinkling predator urine , dusting with jalapeno or crushed cherry Piper nigrum , and spraying decayed orchis mixtures around the garden margin . Again , the achiever of these remedies might vary .
10. Offer an Alternative Diet
verbalise about a government handout ! gardener at the White House in Washington , D.C. , wheretulip bedswere routinely foray bymarauding squirrels , decide to hang earthnut - filled boxes in nearby tree . The squirrel - feeding program , in outcome from fall planting time until bloom time , issue the bulb going ( although some squirrel still helped themselves to thetulip bulb ) . The gardeners also acknowledge that the peanuts might have pull more squirrel to the footing .
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Credit: David Goldberg
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Credit: Mike Jensen
Credit: Doug Stremel
