Tulip diseases: types, symptoms, their treatment and prevention

There are two types of tulip diseases: infectious and non-infectious. Today we will talk about the most dangerous and common first type, which includes many insidious diseases.

It's a shame when such beautiful flowers as tulips begin to die. In most cases, the development of diseases is facilitated by unfavorable soil, climatic and agrotechnical conditions (high soil temperature during early planting or late harvesting, mechanical damage during harvesting, long transportation, etc.). To prevent the development of serious tulip diseases, you should recognize them in time and fight them with all available methods.

August disease (Necrotic disease tulips)

Augustus disease was first discovered on August tulips in 1931 in the Netherlands. As it turned out later, it mainly affects early varieties of tulips. August disease is caused by the tobacco necrosis virus (Tobacco necrosis virus), which is transmitted by spores of a fungus that parasitizes the roots of weeds and cultivated plants. The virus successfully penetrates inside the tulip if its roots are damaged. Fortunately, damage to neighboring healthy bulbs usually does not occur, since fungal spores do not multiply.

External signs of the disease are as follows: longitudinal brown streaks appear on the leaves and stems of diseased plants, which quickly dry out and crack. The stems bend and droop. Rotten brown spots form on the bulb, which is why the disease is sometimes called necrotic spot. Daughter bulbs and children are most actively affected, since the virus from the soil spreads through the roots and affects the entire plant.

Treatment of diseases and prevention of pests

Tulips delight with their bright colors and variety of shapes, but they must be properly cared for. Diseases and insects can cause quite a lot of damage to plants, and therefore the main tasks for a gardener are effective preventive measures and timely methods for diagnosing and treating flowers. After reading the material, you will understand why it is so important to start fighting diseases and pests on time.

Tulip diseases, their treatment and prevention

If you grow tulips, then there is a high probability of encountering viral or fungal diseases that, to varying degrees, spoil the decorative appearance of the plants or even completely destroy the flowers at different stages of their development.

Variegation

This is perhaps the most famous among the viral diseases that threaten your collection. It is interesting that for a long time the amazing variegated pattern on the petals was taken as a varietal feature or the result of complex pollination. Only recently it became clear that the carriers of variegation are aphids, thrips, butterfly caterpillars and other insects, well known to gardeners.

The first thing to do is get rid of insects by treating the plant and soil with appropriate preparations. Later, it makes sense to repeat the treatment using a solution of ammonia or an insecticide. Even if you, like many flower growers, like unpredictable colors, remember that without treatment, not only the main variety degenerates; flowers growing nearby can also lose their “classic” appearance.

Mosaic

This is a rather dangerous virus that parasitizes plants. It reproduces through spores that infect the bulb. The mosaic virus initially destroys the leaves and stems of the tulip, coloring them with brown stripes, which, over time, dry out and crack. Dark-colored depressions appear on the root; after infection, the flower itself weakens, gets sick and may die.

The most optimal way to combat the disease is to destroy the flower along with the bulb and a lump of earth. After this, you should remove weeds from the area and plow it to ensure that fungal spores are removed.

Gray rot

The source of infection is almost always a newly planted diseased bulb, or less often the soil. Like all fungal infections, this disease manifests itself in cool, rainy weather. First of all, it affects the above-ground part of tulips - the yellowed ends of the leaves, the buds that have dried out before they have time to bloom. To avoid such a difficult situation, treat the soil and planting material with fungicides in advance. Glyokladin shows good results.

Fusarium

It can manifest itself either by the fading of seedlings in the spring, or by the massive falling of petals in already formed plants. At the same time, even specimens of “large” varieties lag behind in development, and their flowers do not live up to expectations - dull, small, on short and thin peduncles. As in most cases, with fungal infections, rot begins to attack the plant from the roots and bottom of the bulbs. Pay attention to “Fitosporin”, timely treatment of the soil will help avoid losses.

Penicillium rot

Unlike other fungal diseases to which tulips are so susceptible, this type of rot is a direct consequence of violating the rules for storing planting material. There is a characteristic external manifestation - reddish-brown spots on the stems and leaves. If the disease has already appeared, then treat the injured bush and the ground around it with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture.

Rhizoctoniosis

Rhizoctoniosis develops when growing rules are not followed, when sprouts begin to rot, despite a well-developed root system. The danger is that with this disease, you can notice mycelium around the bulb, which “pulls” vital juices not only from the tulips, but also from the surrounding plants. To prevent the development of this disease, it will be enough to thoroughly clean the storage containers for planting material and periodically etch the soil.

Typhoulosis

If tulips do not sprout for a long time, and the leaves that appear very late do not unfurl, but instead begin to turn red, then your flowers are affected by typhullosis. This fungal disease spreads from the bottom of the bulb, which characteristically collapses. Depending on the percentage of damage, the plants are either severely depressed and produce buds that do not open, or die before the formation of a peduncle.

Be sure to dig up the contaminated area - deeply, with a complete revolution of the soil layer. Your task is to raise mushroom spores from the depths so that they die. For prevention purposes, you should not grow bulbs in the same place for more than 3-5 years. Strong plants are able to resist infection, this is another reason to carry out strengthening fertilizing and carefully consider the choice of planting material.

Pests

In addition to diseases, tulips can be attacked by pests. Insects and other living creatures damage the flower, which leads to a deterioration in the general condition of the plant and even to its death. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to monitor the appearance of the tulip, pay special attention to preventative pest control and respond quickly in case of damage by harmful organisms. Today, many different pests are known. The most common damage to flowers is aphids, mites and mole crickets.

Medvedki

The body of this insect has a dark brown color and can reach a length of 5 cm. The mole cricket parasitizes in the warm season and appears in moist soil that is well fertilized with humus. This parasite attacks the roots, gnawing them and eating the shell of the tulip bulbs. Mole crickets have well-developed forelimbs, which are used for digging passages. The insect's paths of movement are located at a depth of several centimeters from the surface. Below, the mole cricket goes deeper only for wintering and forming a nest.

You can fight the insect by regularly plowing the soil, treating the soil with zinc phosphide and mechanically catching the pest using traps and destroying the eggs from the nest. You can lay out sheets of metal, slate or plywood on the site, which the insect will use as shelter. Soon you just need to throw out the bait along with the pests. It is recommended to destroy the burrows by loosening areas where traces of these pests are visible.

Ticks

This insect is one of the most dangerous for tulips. It penetrates the bulb through a damaged area or gnaws through its surface, as a result of which the tulip stops growing, withers and dies. The mite has a light, oval body about 1 mm long. It enters the soil through the soil and bulbs during planting.

The most effective way to combat pests is heat treatment of affected bulbs. They should be immersed in hot water. After this, the bulbs must be dried and sprinkled with chalk, which will stick to the body of the pest and it will die. You can also treat the seed material with chemicals, for example “Bazudin”, “Carbation” or others. As a preventative measure, it is recommended not to over-moisten the soil of tulips, destroy weeds and store the bulbs correctly.

Greenhouse aphids can cause particular harm to tulips. The insect has an oval body that is green or pink and can reach a length of about 2 mm. The insect settles in the bud, on the stem or leaves, feeds on the tulip juice, thereby depleting it.

When an aphid infects a tulip that is in the ground, it is treated with special chemicals. For example, you can use “Primor” or “Syphos”. If the bulb was damaged during storage, the humidity should be adjusted and the bulbs should be treated with the indicated substances. In order to prevent damage to tulips by aphids, you should plow the ground, get rid of weeds and damaged flowers.

It can also damage the bulb during storage. As a result of the parasitic actions of aphids, the tulip stops growing, the bud cannot open, or the bright color of the flower is lost. Aphids can be carriers of various viral diseases.

How to protect a tulip from pests

In order for the flowers in the flowerbed to delight you with their blooming for a long time, it is necessary to constantly monitor their condition.

1. Effective preventative measures in the fight against insects include periodic plowing of the soil, maintaining a normal level of soil moisture, and removing weeds and damaged flowers. It is very important to recognize signs of flower damage at the initial stage.
2. Particular attention should be paid to the condition of the soil. It is recommended to periodically revitalize and fertilize it.
3. If you dig up bulbs for storage, you should carefully inspect each one, select damaged ones, and place healthy ones in a well-ventilated room at a distance from each other. To protect the bulbs, they must be treated by immersing them in water heated to +40°C.
4. Treating them with pesticides will help protect the tulips on your site. However, the preparations should be used strictly according to the instructions so as not to harm the flowers.

Caring for tulips is not difficult, you just need to follow the rules for storing and planting in the ground, and also monitor the condition of the flower during growth and flowering.

Tulips, like many bulbous plants, are often subject to various kinds of diseases and insect attacks. Now you know how to quickly recognize and effectively solve the problem. You can study photos of pests on the Internet to understand what insects that can destroy tulips look like.

White rot (Sclerotinia libertiana)

This name refers to a whole group of diseases caused by various viruses. The main pathogens are Scleritinia bulborum, Sclerotium tuliparium. Their spread is favored by acidic soil and high humidity. The first sign of infection is uneven spring shoots. Sick bulbs either do not germinate at all or produce very weak and small sprouts that turn yellow and quickly die. Sometimes watery bluish-gray spots form on them. Interestingly, the root system remains absolutely healthy.

Other types of white rot affect the growing point and neck of the bulb. They become covered with a white felt coating, which soon turns brown. Wet rot may also form around the growing point. In any case, they gradually cover the entire bulb, and it dies. Fungal spores live in the soil for up to 5 years and are not found in planting material.

Harmful insects of tulips

Various insects that attack tulips cause the flowers to look sick and can destroy them. If you do not resort to measures to combat harmful parasites in time, they will quickly attack all the beds and the problem will develop into a real epidemic.

The main enemies of tulips are:

• Nematodes . Small worms live in the soil, on the roots of plants and feed on their sap. In addition to the fact that they draw vitality from flowers, their waste products poison the soil. The plant withers and soon dies.
• Tuberous and onion hoverflies . The insect looks like a housefly. She lays eggs in the soil near plants. The larvae feed on the bulbs, gradually destroying them.
• Lilac owl . This is a butterfly that lays eggs on the leaves and stems of tulips. Gradually, the offspring turn into caterpillars that feed on fresh leaves of the flower.
• Onion root mite . An arthropod insect, almost invisible to the human eye. It feeds on bulb tissues and roots. The affected plant stops growing and dies.
• Medvedka . An insidious insect that feeds on the bulbs and stems of tulips. In winter, the mole cricket climbs deep into the ground, where it reproduces and affects the root system of plants.
• Greenhouse aphid . Small insects that attack tulips during their growing season. They primarily affect stems and leaves, but can also spread to bulbs.

How to fight insects

Insecticides are used to kill harmful insects. Most of them are universal and suitable for combating all of the above parasites.

The most effective are:

• Rogor
• Keltan
• Boverin
• Aktara

A good prevention of insects living in the soil is timely deep weeding of the soil with the application of pesticides.

Now you know about the main diseases of tulips and how to treat them. Unfortunately, no open area is safe from infections and insects. Periodic inspection of plants and compliance with the rules of care will protect beautiful flowers from diseases.

Tulip white streak virus

This is a viral disease caused by the pathogen Tobacco rattle virus, as a result of which the flowers become ugly and dwarf, and white stripes appear on the leaves and petals, sometimes mistakenly taken for characteristics of the variety. Most often, striping is observed in tulips growing in acidic and nitrogen-rich soils.

Botrytis Blight of Tulip

The causative agent of this disease (Botrytis cinerea fungus) invades through damaged or weakened plant tissue. Infected bulbs become soft and dark brown in color. Large matte black sclerotia (bodies consisting of fungal mycelium) form on them. The growth and development of plants slows down - they either do not germinate at all, or it happens very sluggishly. Infected tulips quickly weaken and lose vitality, then break and fall off.

In conditions of high humidity, fungal spores begin to actively spread and primarily affect bulbs that have been stored for a long time or were planted late. Adding fresh peat to the soil or steaming it only aggravates the development of the disease. Plant flowers also fade and lose their usual brightness.

Fungal diseases

Fungal diseases, like viral ones, pose a great danger to flowers due to their high speed of spread.

Even healthy plants affected by the fungus can stop growing and flowering, and under certain favorable conditions, the disease will quickly spread to the entire flowerbed and the harvest will be lost. That is why you need to know the main signs of fungi and methods of combating them.

Gray rot

Causes damage to the entire plant as a whole: from the bulb to the buds (Figure 5). The fungus develops especially actively at high humidity and can cause infection of all flowers in a short time.

Figure 5. Symptoms of gray mold

At the initial stage, the bushes are covered with yellow spots, which gradually turn into a characteristic gray coating. This provokes curvature of the stem and deterioration in the quality of the buds.

To prevent gray rot, planting material is treated with special preparations before planting, sprayed with Bordeaux mixture during budding, and mineral fertilizers are regularly applied.

Root rot

Root rot develops with increased soil moisture. The initial symptoms of infection may not be noticed, since the rot partially affects the roots. However, with severe damage, the bushes become weak, practically do not grow, and the buds lose their decorative properties (Figure 6).

Figure 6. Manifestations of root rot

Over time, the root system becomes watery, the plant does not receive enough nutrients and dies. To prevent this, plants are planted in soil with good drainage and treated with fungicides before planting.

Botrytium rot

It begins to appear in the form of darkening and softening of the bulbs. Fungal spores begin to be released, which penetrate the soil and spread throughout the flowerbed.

Figure 7. Plants infected with botrytium rot

Infected crops do not grow, bloom poorly, and if there is too much fungus, they do not even sprout (Figure 7).

Botrytis rot can be combated by treating planting material with fungicides.

Soft rot

Infected bulbs acquire a characteristic pink color. This, like rotting of the root system, may not be noticed, but when the buds wither, it makes sense to dig up one bush and inspect its roots.

An additional symptom is yellowing of the leaves. Affected plants should be removed and burned, and the remaining ones should be treated with a fungicide. The same preparation is used for pre-sowing treatment of bulbs.

Tyfulosis

This pathology belongs to the types of white rot. The sprouts of a diseased plant become red, the roots turn yellow, and the leaves and buds stop growing and curl.

The carriers of typhullosis are weeds and insects living in the soil, so for prevention you need to carefully loosen the soil before planting, regularly remove weeds and carry out preventive spraying with fungicides.

Fusarium

In diseased plants, the flower stalks become too thin and the stems become weak. The symptoms of fusarium are especially visible during storage: infected bulbs become soft, change color and are not suitable for cultivation (Figure 8).

Figure 8. Bulbs affected by fusarium

If, nevertheless, such a bulb has been planted, at the first signs of infection of adult plants, they are dug up and destroyed, and the soil is treated with special chemicals.

The author of the video will tell you how to properly process bulbs to prevent diseases.

Wet rot (fusarium) (Fusarium)

One of the most dangerous diseases that affects tulips towards the end of the growing season. The causative agent is Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. tulipae. The main factor contributing to the activation of the fungus is high air temperature (20°C and above). Infection occurs through the bottom and roots, and in young bulbs - through the scales. Plants bloom poorly, their flowers curl and become smaller, and their roots weaken and turn yellowish-brown.

Fusarium also affects tulips during storage of the bulbs. The affected bulbs rot, and brown spots with a red-brown edge form on their bottoms. Gradually they darken, the bulb decomposes and begins to emit an unpleasant odor. At high humidity and a temperature of 20-25°C, spores fall on healthy bulbs and infect them. Moreover, the activation of the fungus may begin in the next season after planting. Pathogens are highly resistant to various negative factors and remain viable for a long period.

Features of prevention

Carrying out certain measures can significantly reduce the level of diseases and reduce their distribution area:

• careful selection of a site in accordance with the requirements of growing tulips;
• preparing the soil, adding the necessary fertilizers to it;
• when cultivating tulips in a greenhouse, change the soil annually;
• treating the soil with fungicides before planting bulbs;
• compliance with crop rotation conditions when growing in open ground - replanting tulips in one place is possible after 4 years;
• proper fertilizing with mineral fertilizers. An overdose of nitrogen fertilizers leads to a decrease in the resistance of tulips to diseases;
• compliance with planting conditions, absence of thickening.
• carrying out weeding, timely destruction of infected plants;
• rejection of diseased and mechanically damaged bulbs;
• storing bulbs in appropriate conditions and using disinfected containers.

Tulips, with their variety of shapes and colors, are popular garden flowers. The ability to recognize signs of diseases and knowledge of how to deal with them, and most importantly, how to prevent the development of diseases in flowers, will allow you to grow beautiful and healthy tulips, and accordingly obtain high-quality planting material for their propagation.

Tags: disease, rot, gray, tulip, flower

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Soft bacterial rot (Erwinia spp - Bacterial soft rot, Erwinia carotovora)

Despite the “affectionate” name, this disease spreads very actively and deceives flower growers with symptoms similar to other diseases. The causative agent is some strains of the fungus Pythium ultimum. Infected bulbs turn pink, become soft, watery and emit an unpleasant odor, like fusarium. However, they develop short shoots, which makes things even more confusing. Both the seedlings and the root system look healthy at first, but then quickly rot.

With “late” infection (during cultivation), the tips of the leaves turn yellow, the plant droops, and the buds dry out literally just before flowering. The most vulnerable time for bulbs is the first few weeks after planting, especially at temperatures of 12-14°C and above.

Diseases and pests of tulip bulbs

Diseases of tulip bulbs - soft rot

A greenish mold appears on the surface of the bulbs. Fungal spores fall on the bulb and brown spots appear in places of mechanical damage, especially in the upper part. If the growth point is damaged, the mycelium quickly penetrates and affects the flower bud. When storing bulbs before planting at high humidity, the bulbs in the packages are sometimes completely covered with green mold. And with an abundance of moisture in the soil, such planting material quickly rots.

The disease progresses in the same way as penicillosis. only the coating on the bulbs will be black like soot.

Gray rot is manifested by browning of tissues and the formation of a smoky-gray coating of sporulation on the surface, in which small black fruiting bodies - sclerotia - are formed over time.

Bacterial soft rot is often common on hyacinths and lilies and is a secondary infection when bulbs are damaged by onion root mites. The affected tissues rot and become slimy, and an unpleasant smell of rot appears.

How to protect bulbous crops from an existing infection and prevent the spread of those that are present in a hidden (latent) form?

The best protection is to treat the bulbs before planting.

This method suppresses the spread of pathogenic microorganisms on the bulbs themselves and prevents their penetration from the soil. Treating the bulbs before planting is much more effective than pouring solutions of preparations under the roots of the plants and allows you to protect the plants in winter, when pathogenic microorganisms are actively spreading in the soil.

It is often difficult to judge the quality of the bulbs.

But if in one batch of purchased planting material there are bulbs that are one-sided, puny, drying out or rotting, then perhaps all the others are already infected, only in a weak, hidden form. Often, if stored improperly before being sold in a shopping center or at home before planting, the bulbs already rot and become covered with a coating of sporulation.

According to experts, the later we plant bulbs, the less time their roots have time to become infected from diseased bulbs. But you shouldn’t linger too long, since there should be enough time for rooting. At the beginning of October it’s worth 4 to call it a day. Soil pests - wireworms, May beetle larvae, mole crickets, etc. – damage underground parts of plants.

Reference by topic: Pests of flowers in spring

Soft rot. A fungal disease caused by Pythium ultimum fungi. The disease affects the bulbs. They become watery and take on a pink tint. They give off an unpleasant putrid odor. Sprouts initially develop from the affected bulbs and for some time they look healthy.

But, as can be seen in the photo, this disease of tulip bulbs soon leads to rotting of the planted material. If the bulb was healthy, and damage occurred during the growing season, the tips of the tulips’ leaves turn yellow, the plants droop, and the buds dry out without blooming. To prevent the disease, the soil and planting material are treated with fungicidal preparations.

Non-infectious diseases of tulips

1. Fusarium (wet rot) infects tulip bulbs, penetrating through the roots and bottom. Sick plants produce short peduncles and roots, and small buds. The disease is expressed by a putrid odor and the appearance of brown spots on the bulb, leading to its softening and rotting.

Pre-planting treatment with a 0.2-0.25% solution of foundationazole or bulb uzgen will protect tulips from disease.

One of the most common diseases of tulips is fusarium.

2. Gray rot is a disease transmitted through infected bulbs. It appears as brown spots, causing darkening and wrinkling of the bulbs over time.

An infected plant serves as a source of infection for other flowers. With a mild disease, signs of damage on the bulb are practically invisible, appearing on the regrown aerial parts in the form of gray-yellow spots, increasing during wet weather and becoming covered with a gray coating. The disease causes softening and drying of tissues, leads to deformation of peduncles, leaves and buds, and in some cases to the absence of flowering.

To prevent infectious diseases, tulip bulbs must be treated before planting.

Following the rules for growing tulips and storing bulbs will help protect plants from gray rot. Before storage, dug up bulbs should be etched with foundationazole (0.2% solution) for 30 minutes. Repeated processing of the bulbs is carried out immediately before planting. During the growing season, to protect against infection with gray mold, it is recommended to spray tulips 2-3 times with Bordeaux mixture (1%) or euporen (0.5-1%), the first time after the sprouts appear, the second time after 2 weeks.

3. Soft rot is a disease that affects tulip bulbs, making them watery and turning them pink. Infected bulbs are easily recognized due to the putrid odor emanating from them. When tulips are infected during the growing season, the disease manifests itself as yellowing of the tips of the leaves, leading to premature drying of the buds. Treating the bulbs with a fungicide will help protect tulips from soft rot.

Attention! The disease affects the bulbs in the first weeks after planting in greenhouses if the soil temperature exceeds 12° C, so in the first 2 weeks it is recommended to maintain the soil temperature at 10° C.

Often the cause of fungal diseases of tulips is contaminated soil

1. Necrotic spot (August disease), appears in the form of brown stripes, causing drying and cracking of plant tissues. As a result, infected tulips gradually dry out, or while remaining viable, form deformed buds, and in some cases do not bloom.

Brown spots appear on the bulbs, which are transmitted to the children. Sick plants become susceptible to fungal diseases.

Compliance with the rules of cultivation and crop rotation will protect tulips from necrotic spotting. Affected plants must be destroyed, along with the earthen clod.

Digging up tulip bulbs every year will help prevent many diseases

2. Variegation - the disease is expressed by a violation of the formation of pigment - the appearance of variegated colors of buds, leading to a change in cellular characteristics and degeneration of plants. The disease is transmitted by insects: thrips, aphids, whiteflies and others.

Attention! The disease variegation spreads with plant sap, so the source of infection is often cutting tools used for cutting flowers.

The destruction of harmful insects and timely destruction of diseased plants, refusal to grow lilies and tulips together, and disinfection of cutting tools with a solution of potassium permanganate, soda or alcohol will help protect tulips from disease.

The source of this type of disease is unfavorable external factors.

1. Drooping of the peduncle is caused by a lack of calcium in the tissues during a period of accelerated growth caused by elevated temperatures. The cause of the disease is an immature bulb dug up too early. The disease appears as a glassy spot in the upper part of the plant. Observing the temperature regime and additional fertilizing with fertilizers containing calcium will help prevent the development of the disease.

Lack of flowers in tulips - too early planting or improper storage of bulbs

2. Blind buds appear as a result of violation of the rules for storing bulbs. The second reason is early planting in insufficiently cooled soil, which is why the bulbs actively begin to grow, while the root system practically does not develop, causing a growth imbalance. The second cause of the disease is infection of the bulbs with fusarium. Planting such bulbs provokes a lack of flowering in neighboring healthy tulips.

Compliance with the conditions for planting bulbs (soil temperature 5-10°C), ensuring appropriate storage conditions, and rejecting bulbs infected with fusarium will help prevent the development of the disease.

3. Lime disease affects tulips if the bulbs are stored in damp rooms with high temperatures. The cause of the disease is digging up unripe bulbs. The disease is expressed by the appearance of white hard spots on the bulbs.

Digging up unripe bulbs can cause lime disease

Gum treatment

The formation of gum on the surface of the bulbs is always associated with growing in highly moist soil. When water stagnates, optimal conditions are created for the spread of fungal infection.

The bulbs are re-infected with fusarium, a sticky, viscous, odorous liquid appears, which then dries out. Any gum discharge may be the first symptom of fusarium rot. And indeed, gradually light brown spots appear on the lower part of the bulbs, bounded by a brown line, and then a pinkish-white coating of sporulation of the fungus appears. The bulbs completely rot.

Almost all bulbous plants are imported and supplied to Russia from Holland. We must be prepared for the fact that, when they find themselves in a zone of risky farming, they will encounter a whole range of problems and may contract not only Fusarium rot, but also other rots.

Features of prevention

Carrying out certain measures can significantly reduce the level of diseases and reduce their distribution area:

• careful selection of a site in accordance with the requirements of growing tulips;
• preparing the soil, adding the necessary fertilizers to it;
• when cultivating tulips in a greenhouse, change the soil annually;
• treating the soil with fungicides before planting bulbs;
• compliance with crop rotation conditions when growing in open ground - replanting tulips in one place is possible after 4 years;
• proper fertilizing with mineral fertilizers. An overdose of nitrogen fertilizers leads to a decrease in the resistance of tulips to diseases;
• compliance with planting conditions, absence of thickening.
• carrying out weeding, timely destruction of infected plants;
• rejection of diseased and mechanically damaged bulbs;
• storing bulbs in appropriate conditions and using disinfected containers.

Tulips, with their variety of shapes and colors, are popular garden flowers. The ability to recognize signs of diseases and knowledge of how to deal with them, and most importantly, how to prevent the development of diseases in flowers, will allow you to grow beautiful and healthy tulips, and accordingly obtain high-quality planting material for their propagation.

Tips for treating tulips

• Preparing the site for planting - without stagnant water and without soil pests: mole crickets, click beetles and their larvae, long-legged mosquito larvae, weevil and beetle larvae, onion flies, ants. To reduce the number of soil-dwelling pests, diazinon-based preparations are used: Terradox, Grom, Grom-2, Barguzin, Pochin, Medvetoks, Muraviin, Vallar.
• Using high-quality planting material without visible symptoms of yellowing, rotting, or drying out of the bulbs.
• Valuable but infected planting material is planted separately from healthy bulbs.
• All bulbs, without exception, are pickled before planting in the ground. For dressing, use the drug Vitaros, which is recommended for flower crops against helminthosporium, fusarium, penicillosis and rhizoctonia. To prepare a working solution, take 2 ml of the drug and dilute it in 1 liter of water. The bulbs are immersed in nets or in bulk in the solution for 2 hours, after which they are immediately planted in the soil.
• If the bulbs cannot be planted immediately or you are treating them before storing them (for example, gladioli corms), then they need to be dried.
• Almost all bulbs are damaged by onion root mites and, as a result of the damage, by soft bacterial rot. Therefore, the basic rule for planting bulbous plants is mandatory dressing in a fungicide solution with the addition of an insectoacaricide. For example, in a tank mixture: HOM (0.4%) Fufanon | (0.1%).
• If you do not want to use chemicals, you can pickle the bulbs in a red solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes, after which they can be planted. This is what our grandmothers did year after year, planting onions and garlic.

Diseases of tulip bulbs - soft rot

1. Penicillium rot of the tulip 2. Penicillium rot of the narcissus. 3. Rotting of the damaged bulb. 4. Aspergillus rot of the bulb 5. Gray rot of hyacinth. 6. Tulip bulb damaged by wireworm 7. Hyacinth bulb damaged by nematode 8. Exudate on narcissus bulb damaged by narcissus fly. 9 . Drying of a tulip bulb affected by mites and bacterial rot. 10. Soft bacterial rot of the tulip.

Variegation (Tulip virus 1, Smith)

The most insidious and unfamiliar disease to flower growers. The causative agent is Tulipa virus. It is most active during the flowering period. Graceful strokes, small spots and stripes appear on the corollas of flowers. Then they move onto the leaves. The flowers become small, and the plant seems to become “dejected.” How to distinguish variegation from the varietal characteristics of tulips?

So, what you need to pay attention to before declaring yourself the creator of a new variety:

• if you did not plant bicolor tulip hybrids on the site, then most likely the appearance of variegated tulips is the result of an infection;
• when infected with variegation, greenish stripes and spots appear not only on flowers, but also on leaves and stems. Moreover, this happens even at the stage of plant germination;
• Varietal tulips have a strict, symmetrical pattern. For the infected, it is chaotic and randomly located;
• Purple and blue stripes appear on infected tulips with white corollas. Red tulips have yellowish streaks and spots and vice versa.

Viral diseases of tulips

1. Necrotic spot (August disease), appears in the form of brown stripes, causing drying and cracking of plant tissues. As a result, infected tulips gradually dry out, or while remaining viable, form deformed buds, and in some cases do not bloom.

Brown spots appear on the bulbs, which are transmitted to the children. Sick plants become susceptible to fungal diseases.

Compliance with the rules of cultivation and crop rotation will protect tulips from necrotic spotting. Affected plants must be destroyed, along with the earthen clod.

Attention! Early varieties of tulips are most susceptible to necrotic spot disease.

Annual digging of tulip bulbs will help prevent many diseases
2. Variegation - the disease is expressed by a violation of the formation of pigment - the appearance of variegated colors of buds, leading to changes in cellular characteristics and degeneration of plants. The disease is transmitted by insects: thrips, aphids, whiteflies and others.

Attention! The disease variegation spreads with plant sap, so the source of infection is often cutting tools used for cutting flowers.

The destruction of harmful insects and timely destruction of diseased plants, refusal to grow lilies and tulips together, and disinfection of cutting tools with a solution of potassium permanganate, soda or alcohol will help protect tulips from disease.

Gray mold (Botrytis tulipae)

The causative agents of this disease are especially pronounced in cool and rainy weather. It is caused by two different fungi: gray rot itself (Botrytis cinerea) and a specific tulip parasite, Botrytis tulipae (in English sources these are two different diseases - gray rot and tulip fire). The fungus instantly spreads throughout the plant, and it appears as if it has been scorched. The entire aboveground (leaves, stems, buds and flowers) and underground parts of tulips are affected. The source of infection is the soil and diseased bulbs. Yellowish-gray spots of various shapes and sizes appear on the bulbs. Then they become covered with a gray coating formed from fungal spores. The tissues dry out and become ash-gray, as if burned.

The stems are bent, the buds are deformed, and if flowers appear, they remain very small until the end of the growing season. With severe damage during storage, the bulb rots completely, and with weak damage, gray rot is not always noticeable, and the diseased bulb is sometimes planted in the soil. In spring, the tulip grows weakened and actively begins to scatter spores around itself. The spread of the disease is facilitated by increased soil and air humidity, dense plantings, insufficient lighting, excess nitrogen in the soil and spring frosts.

So, following the agricultural techniques for growing tulips, timely inspection and removal of diseased specimens, as well as proper care of healthy plants will help you admire a beautiful flower garden every spring. Follow these simple recommendations and you will never have problems with tulips.

Non-infectious diseases of tulips

The source of this type of disease is unfavorable external factors.

1. Drooping of the peduncle is caused by a lack of calcium in the tissues during a period of accelerated growth caused by elevated temperatures. The cause of the disease is an immature bulb dug up too early. The disease appears as a glassy spot in the upper part of the plant. Observing the temperature regime and additional fertilizing with fertilizers containing calcium will help prevent the development of the disease.

Lack of flowers in tulips - too early planting or improper storage of bulbs

2. Blind buds appear as a result of violation of the rules for storing bulbs. The second reason is early planting in insufficiently cooled soil, which is why the bulbs actively begin to grow, while the root system practically does not develop, causing a growth imbalance. The second cause of the disease is infection of the bulbs with fusarium. Planting such bulbs provokes a lack of flowering in neighboring healthy tulips.

To prevent the development of the disease, compliance with the conditions for planting bulbs (soil temperature + 5-10 ° C), ensuring appropriate storage conditions, and rejecting bulbs infected with fusarium will help.

3. Lime disease affects tulips if the bulbs are stored in damp rooms with high temperatures. The cause of the disease is digging up unripe bulbs. The disease is expressed by the appearance of white hard spots on the bulbs.

Digging up unripe bulbs can cause lime disease