Tulip seed

[Oliver Buckle]

Some years ago someone gave me some tulips they said were "Turkish tulips". The nearest I can find online is Tulip dasystemon tarda. Normally I dead head them as soon as they have flowered, but this year they got left, and produced very attractive seed pods. Those have now ripened and I have a lot of seed from them. Question, does anyone have experience of growing these, or any tulip, from seed? Can I plant now? Should I wait 'til next Spring? And in what sort of medium and how deep?
I shall probably try all the combinations I can think of, there is a fair bit of seed, but it would be good to know if I am going in approx. the right direction.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I'm going to put some in the fridge for a day or two.

 

[Owdboggy]

They do take a while to reach flowering size . However, always worth a try.
Sow the seed fresh. It germinates better straight from the plant rather than being dried off.

Cover lightly with grit, gravel or whatever rather than compost.

Sow in a deep pot rather than a seed tray (reasons later).

Leave exposed to weather. They need a period of cold followed by warmth to initiate germination.

When (if?) they germinate do not be in a hurry to p rick them out. This is the reason for deep pot rather than seed tray. They have only one root to begin with and if it is damaged, it dies and a new one has to be produced from the base of the seedling, usually they die.

Feed the seed pot with dilute Baby Bio type stuff, until the leaves go yellow then allow the pot to dry off.

Repotting may be done when they are dormant. Some types never really go dormant so be careful.

I often do not repot until they have had another seasons growth. Remember many of them actually grow in late winter/early spring.

Cannot think of anything else for the moment.

Not as hard as it seems.

This is for Alliums, but the general principle is the same.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Thank you, it is going to be some time before there is any cold weather, that is why I was thinking of putting some in the fridge for a bit, will I get some growth this year that way ? Or should I just stand the pots at the back of the greenhouse and forget them for nine months. Actually, I have enough seed I will probably try both.

 

[LouisFerdinand]

I have planted tulips for years: Both tulip bulbs in late Autumn and actual tulip plants in the Spring.
I have not planted tulip seeds.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I have planted tulips for years: Both tulip bulbs in late Autumn and actual tulip plants in the Spring.
I have not planted tulip seeds.

Wise, it probably isn't worth it, I just thought I would give it a try. There is now a tray sitting outside the North end of my greenhouse. I couldn't find any gravel instantly, but I have used small bits of terracotta from burnt clay on the surface.

 

[Sabina515]

I have a bunch of seeds to that I collected! I read all over how to plant these and storing etc, and you know what? I am going to do what nature does and just put them in the ground and hope for the best! And if it doesn't work, just let them do it themselves next year.

Peonies are the same way. They grow seed pods that are ready in the fall.

Both take a few years to establish and grow flowers.