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wayne drewitt
Posted: Mar-28-2005 at 8:36am
could anyone please explain why my tulips "red riding hood" variety have not flowered or even shown signs of coming up( flowering march) only 50 or so have came up and flowered out of 1000 bulbs, but all my other tulip bulbs are flowering lovely, i bought these red riding hood from a tulip wholesale website in 1000 bulb bags. no pets or squirrels have been attacking these or digging them up... bulbs were not mouldy....puzzled...
DebbieTT
Location: Washington, Kitsap Peninsula
Posted: Mar-28-2005 at 10:20am
How is the drainage where you planted them? If the drainage is poor they can rot over winter. That would be something to look at since you say the bulbs were healthy when you planted them. Since you are not seeing any sign of the plants something has happened to them.
The next thing is do you have moles? Moles dig tunnels then mice and other rodents use the tunnels and will eat tulip bulbs. The moles don't eat them, though, they just provide the highways to get to them. If you are not in the PNW then their are gophers and other varmints that tunnel and eat tulips.
Fern
Location: Washington, Western Cascade Foothills
Posted: Mar-30-2005 at 8:22am
Tulips can be very disappointing. The voles [meadow mice] eat them and my crocus. I also have garden symphylans, soil creatures that look like tiny white centipedes that eat all bulbs. Plus my soil is heavy and wet in the winter. Plus I don't get enough heat to ripen them for next year. Dig up a few and look at them.
Fern
DebbieTT
Location: Washington, Kitsap Peninsula
Posted: Apr-05-2005 at 1:45am
If you plant the tulips 10 inches deep it is below the mole runs and you won't loose them to voles and mice. The crocus however are planted at the right depth for the mole runs. I would make wire baskets for them and plant them in the baskets buried in the soil.
Fern
Location: Washington, Western Cascade Foothills
Posted: Apr-05-2005 at 6:23pm
I haven't tried that for tulips, it sounds like a good idea. Do you think the rock garden types could be planted that deep? I do have crocus planted in underground cages because I couldn't live without that early spring color fix.
Fern
cjmiller
Location: Oregon, Willamette Valley
Posted: Apr-14-2005 at 2:21pm
I am wondering about some of my tulips that send up big floppy wider-than-normal tulip leaves but no flowers. could that be the result of a partially nibbled tulip bulb--not totally eaten but too low in mass to produce a flower and stem? or could it be that slugs eat out the center of the tulip? this is the second year that there have been leaves but no flowers.
Carol
KellieD
Location: Oregon, Northern Coast
Posted: Apr-14-2005 at 6:01pm
I wonder if the place you bought them from sent bulbs that are not even of flowering age yet. I've seen that happen before.
Fern
Location: Washington, Western Cascade Foothills
Posted: Apr-21-2005 at 1:23pm
Did they flower the first year you planted them? If they did but haven't flowered since they are not getting enough energy to produce a flower bud. They need full sun, fertilizing, and letting the leaves die down naturally. Some need a dry, hot spell in the summer. Or they could have a little rot or a bite out of them. If they never flowering that is a different story.
Fern
JO
Posted: Apr-23-2005 at 5:57am
I have had tulips for the last 6 years. Yhe first 2 years I had flowers, however in the last 3-4 years only some of my bulbs will flower, the rest just shoot up leaves. When I plant my flowers for the summer I cut the leaves off at the ground. I am just wondering if this is why they have not bloomed anymore. Should I just plant new ones?Thankyou.
Fern
Location: Washington, Western Cascade Foothills
Posted: Apr-24-2005 at 7:22am
If you cut the leaves off when they were still green that might be the problem. I would just buy new ones.
Gardening for the Homebrewer: Grow and Process Plants for Making Beer, Wine, Gruit, Cider, Perry, and More
By co-authors Debbie Teashon (Rainy Side Gardeners) and Wendy Tweton