Why do some tulip buds turn papery?

K S mith

Hello. I found sometimes the tulips I’ve planted in pots as well as in the ground will develop buds but some will stop developing and turn pale and papery and die. The plants look healthy enough.  Any idea why this is?

Papi Jo

Same disappointing behaviour on some of my narcissus. Waiting for explanations.

K S mith

Let me know what you find out.

The email notice from GW of your reply states:

'There may be other replies also, but you will not receive any more notifications until you visit the forum again.'

Do you know what this means?  Do I have to put a response in, such as this, or just log in?  I'm automatically logged in.

Fairygirl

The notification is just that - it's to let you know someone has replied to your query. If you don't go back to the thread and read it, you won't get further notifications. That's my understanding anyway.

I don't use them, I ust go back to the threads I've posted on or am interested in. They tend to be a bit hit and miss.

In reply to your query - sometimes bulbs aren't building up enough in the previous year to  flower well, or have used up all the available nutrition in a pot. The bigger bulbs will tend to be healthier and more productive, but tulips often don't return, or flower so well, after the first year. Species types are different from the blousier types though. 

K S mith

I know all that; I feed my tulips after flowering and repot in fresh peat free compost. That's why it's a mystery to me. I don't think it's a virus like tulip fire but tulips are susceptible to nematodes which are virus vectors. I remove these bad buds when they form, usually on dwarfed stems, allowing the plant to not waste energy on it. 

So. Bacterial? Environmental? My neighbour looked at it the wrong way? It's not possible to ask the experts at GW as us mere mortals won't get a reply.

So come on Horticulturists; what causes these tulip buds to fail?

(And thank you Fairygirl for your help. I open the pc to work so don't always check forums and need to be told when a reply is in. I don't really like forums as I too often don't see a proper answer and it can be a waste of time.)

Fairygirl

Well - this is a free forum and mainly populated by ordinary people who have a lot of accumulated knowledge and experience and offer their help and advice for nothing so I can't agree with you that forums are a waste of time. I've found it a huge help in the years I've been here, but if you want specialist advice, you may need to contact a specialist. 

If it was me, I wouldn't use peat free compost - I think it's uselss on the whole. Good quality compost with grit mixed in is better as a medium for them. I think you may be overthinking the problem. Tulips aren't as long lived as some other plants. Many people treat them as annuals as the ground and climate in many places isn't ideal for them. If I get two or three years out of mine I consider that a good deal. 

K S mith

I get two or three years out of mine as well and in a nursery bed, grow on the small bulbs into large flowering ones.  As to peat free, there is too much variation in the quality but I have found one that gives consistent results. We need to preserve our peatlands as a carbon sink and for flood control. And I always use grit at the base of the bulbs for drainage.

I have consulted forums for various things over the years, and have found the car enthusiasts to be the best at having good usable information. Most sites have an expert monitor who not only overlooks but advises.  GW should as well to assure that the information that is going out has quality. 

Fairygirl

K S mith says:

 Most sites have an expert monitor who not only overlooks but advises.  GW should as well to assure that the information that is going out has quality. 

See original post

 I'm sure the moderators will be interested to hear your comments - there's a feedback option at the  bottom of the page   

This forum isn't monitored or run by the TV programme though.