Tulipa sprengeri

[PeterT]

There are others here more experianced than I, however I should say 10 inches or more, I find most of the deeper growing Tulips I have in pots go to about 10 inches if they can, some of them are in 14 inch deep clay long toms which I get from B&Q, a few travel nearly to the bottom of these.

[lettuce begin]

Thank you both for this advice. How deep should the new container be? I have quite a few options.

Hi Maren ,please could you tell me where I can obtain some seed many thanks .

[Susan Band]

There are always lots in the SRGC seed exchange.
Susan

[lettuce begin]

Hi Susan, many thanks for the info.

[Rodger Whitlock]

Last fall, due to construction work here, there was some necessary digging in an area infested (yes, infested!) with T. sprengeri. I was surprised to find at least some bulbs only two or three inches (5-8 cm) below the soil surface. (They were potted up in the hope of having flowers at the time of our annual rock garden show this spring.) I well remember reading Lady Skelmersdale lamenting that when her husband's bulb nursery received an order for this tulip, they always had difficulty finding the bulbs in the bed reserved for them, due to the depth to which they had tunneled. Moral: bulbs of this tulip aren't always as deep as suggested by its reputation.

I repeat my suggestion that seedlings of T. sprengeri not spend more than two seasons in a container. They will reach flowering much sooner if planted out in the garden.

[johnw]

Roger - Are the sprengeris spreading by seed or by splitting as well?  Once upon a time you could buy sprengeri in the autumn but it seems to be unavailable from the wholesalers lately.  Sowed some SRGC seed last year and they've just started coming up, will keep in mind to pot on at the right time.

Meanwhile T. acuminata in a large clay pot, gravelly mix and fertilised regularly has only one flower, the other flower stems grew to size but the buds were blown. Cause? These leaves showed viral signs the first year but seem clean this year though it is segregated.

johnw

[pehe]

Thank you both for this advice. How deep should the new container be? I have quite a few options.

Hi Maren ,please could you tell me where I can obtain some seed many thanks .

Hi Cheryl, I have plenty of sprengeri seeds. If you send me a PM with your postal address I will send them to you.
I know it is a bit late for sowing but try sowing half of them now and the rest in the autumn.

Poul

[partisangardener]

Today I was allowed to dig up some T.sprengeri in a garden. Here is a picture how they go down. The old bulb is empty.

[udo]

Tulipa sprengeri in flower today,
the smaller plants in front are 4 years old seedlings,
the large in background 5 and 6 years

[Maren]

Hi,

I divided my seed tray into four sections because I couldn't handle the whole lot in one go. Lots 1 to 3 were tipped into very deep pots a month ago and seem to have survived. Lot 4 was transplanted last week, one by one (there were about 80), into a very deep pot, using a very long dibber. The bulblets were about 3mm in length, white and promising, with a long root coming out from the side. It will be interesting to see which lot fares better. I have high hopes.

[Martin Baxendale]

Dirk, how do you get such good results from seed sowing? I find sprengeri self-sows in the garden, but if I collect seed I get poor germination in pots, even with lots of good fertile seed.

[angie]

Tulipa sprengeri in flower today,
the smaller plants in front are 4 years old seedlings,
the large in background 5 and 6 years

WOW WOW WOW   

Angie

[udo]

Dirk, how do you get such good results from seed sowing? I find sprengeri self-sows in the garden, but if I collect seed I get poor germination in pots, even with lots of good fertile seed.

Martin,
the results with seeds also not always well with me. Strong frosts without snow do not seem to stand the seeds, during the last both years I had no seedlings.

[Martin Baxendale]

Dirk, how do you get such good results from seed sowing? I find sprengeri self-sows in the garden, but if I collect seed I get poor germination in pots, even with lots of good fertile seed.

Martin,
the results with seeds also not always well with me. Strong frosts without snow do not seem to stand the seeds, during the last both years I had no seedlings.

I've been allowing the seed pots to get frozen, to encourage germination. Maybe that's where I'm going wrong. Perhaps sprengeri is not very hardy?

[Ulla Hansson]

This year germinate Tulipa sprengeri like weeds. Sowing as I did in 2009 did not come up at all. The winters were quite similar. The last winter slightly cooler, and longer. The coldest this winter -23.4 c
 Could it be something related to what the weather is when it blooms, and seed formation begins?