Have you ever heard of the Rembrandt tulip? His name is related to the famous painter. In fact, you may have seen some of his tulip-related works. But why was it called that? What’s so special?
Well, if you want to know what the Rembrandt tulip is like, what characteristics it has as well as the care it needs, here is a practical guide with all this information. Go for it?
How is the tulip Rembrandt
The Rembrandt tulip is one of the most beautiful and impressive varieties of tulips.. What most characterizes this cultivar is, without a doubt, the color of its petals. Obviously, it is not something natural but rather it is caused by a virus that was transmitted to the bulb and that causes it to be born and flourish in this way. But if you are already worrying that it is contagious (because it is), we will tell you that as long as you keep it in groups or alone, nothing should happen. Especially if you have other aphids in your garden.
The Rembrandt tulip is relatively large, because its stems can easily reach 50-70 centimeters in length, sometimes more. For this reason, and for the color of their flowers, they are highly appreciated and rare. Hence, the price of these is not cheap to say.
But perhaps the most beautiful thing about this tulip are its flowers. These are usually white, although the truth is that there are also some yellows. But this base color is lost through the spots that appear, reddish or pink. No tulip is the same as the other, which is why it is one of the most appreciated, being able to find some with only a few spots in that other color and others almost completely covered.
Now, it is not a very cultivated tulip. In fact, only in a few places can you see them like this. For example, in the case of the Netherlands and Germany (which are the main growers) or in other parts of Northern Europe. Does that mean you won’t get bulbs? No, actually, and thanks to the Internet, it is now easier to do it, not only outside of Spain, but also in the country. As a complete plant it is even more difficult to achieve.
Rembrandt tulip care
Now that you know more about the Rembrandt tulip, how about we give you the keys to take care of it? It is not difficult to do it, but the fact that they are contagious means that they are not always cultivated. We recommend that, if you have them, instead of putting them in the garden, you do it in a pot. This will ensure that the soil does not spread and you do not suddenly find yourself with an unusable part of the garden.
That said, here we talk about the main care.
location and temperature
Like any tulip, it needs direct sun to develop properly.. That is why we recommend you put it outside the home and in one of the places where it receives the most sun possible. In this way you will ensure that it blooms more and that its growth is adequate.
Taking into account that it is planted in autumn, we could say that it is not a plant that fears the cold, rather the opposite, it resists it very well. The only thing you would have to be careful with is frost. Because, as you have seen from the location, it has no problem with the heat.
Substratum
When planting it, either in a pot or in a garden, you must make sure that the bulb is about 15 centimeters deep. Besides, You have to leave a separation between the bulbs of at least 10 centimeters.
And the type of land? Bet on a mixture of universal substrate, earthworm humus and perlite. In this way you achieve that it has a land that stays humid but not with accumulations of water.
Irrigation
Irrigation, as you will have verified, is necessary, especially since it always needs moist soil. Of course, it usually needs more watering than other types of tulips.
When watering, avoid the hours of greatest solar incidence. That at least in spring and summer. But from autumn you have to reduce them, and in winter they are only “symbolic” (that is, when you remember to water it).
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Being a plant that blooms in April and May, you need to start fertilizing it in early spring (actually when it has the first leaves). One of the best is fertilizer for flowering plants. Use the dose that the manufacturer gives you. (you can start in half and when it gets bigger increase).
Plagues and diseases
Tulips in general do not usually have pests and diseases to worry about, so it is normal that you can get by a bit of it. But there is an important problem to take into account: root rot.
This happens when a bad watering is done, and this can rot the roots. In this case, if the bulb is healthy, nothing should happen because you just have to let it rest and try your luck again the following spring. But if the roots end up damaging the bulb, then you won’t have anything to do.
Another problem that you can find is the fact that the tulip does not bloom. This is usually caused by a lack of sun. If you move it around it should fix it.
Reproduction
Finally we have the Rembrandt tulip spread. In this case, like all tulips, it is done through the bulb. Of course, it is not always achieved. But when the plant season ends and the bulb goes into dormancy, you can dig it up and see if it has developed suckers. If you have done it and they are big, you can separate them using a sharp knife and leave them in the air so that the wound inflicted heals and, in spring, plant them and have more plants.
As you can see, the Rembrandt tulip is quite a delight to look at. Do you have any in your garden? If not, you can try buying some bulbs and applying the care that we have told you.
