posted
Today my husband bought home a beautiful container full of daffodils,tulips, etc., from the local greenhouse. He got conflicting answers to this question. When the plants die down do you replant the bulbs outdoors in the fall or sping? One person said this spring the other said wait till fall. Which one is correct? Also when the plants die down would I take the bulbs & store them in a cool place & then plant them the correct time of year? I am really looking forward to spring too.
Plants: 25 | From: Decorah, Iowa USA | Registered: Feb 2007
| Seeded: 67.1.121.231
loz
guest
posted
I just answered this exact question on the phone to my friend....
I got a pot of hyacinths....any spring flowering bulbs like tulips, daffs get planted in the fall......
Forced bulbs don't always reflower good though...I've had good luck with mine so it's worth trying.
When the flowers die put the pot in the brightest location you have inside...like a window ledge or under a light....Let the foliage die all the way down.....the foliage has to collect light so it can flower next year, that's why you leave it to die back.
When it's totally died down, cut the dead foliage off and dig the bulbs out...store them in a cool, dry place in a bag...I put mine in the basement....
Come fall you can plant them outside about 6-8 inches down...I cover mine with a few leaves and that's it.
With forced bulbs sometimes they don't come up good the next year....like I said, I've had good luck with mine coming back up!
Seeded: 70.16.167.22
loz
guest
posted
Forgot to add, some people do replant them in the spring/late summer I believe...I just prefer waiting until their natural planting time in the fall....
I water mine with about 1/4 of houseplant fertilizer mixed in until the foliage looks rough.....then I let it dry out, all the time keep them in high light until it's totally died back.
Seeded: 70.16.167.22
posted
Loz, I have so many Tulips & Daffs popping up, that I've never paid any attention to what time of year it is when I've moved them... & they haven't seemed to care! (If I don't move them while I'm thinking about it, it won't happen! Maybe I've just been lucky!)
quote:plant them outside about 6-8 inches down
I haven't been a flower gardener for very long, but when I first started moving mine, I never found any of them that deep! As a rule of thumb, I've always planted seeds (and bulbs) twice as deep as they are tall. Maybe I'm doing it wrong but only a few things (like beets & carrots) turned out to need more soil above them.
I'm still learning as I go, so keep talking!
Good luck with your spring flowers Bonny! (Would love to see pics of what you have growing, if you have photos!) It seems like winter is lasting forever & I was so impatient to see flowers, that I went out last weekend & dug up some of my Daffodils & brought them inside... they started opening up today!
And welcome to the forum! Hope to see you around here & there... it's a great place to share & learn, & you'll find a pretty friendly bunch of folks here!
posted
Gosh, I probably wouldn't make it with bulbs if I lived in cold country. Once I plant them, they stay in the ground forever. Y'all do have to be more diligent than me. I have daffs blooming already and they sure are a welcome sight BTW Bonnie, welcome to the site--you'll like it here.
posted
Marleine, I don't think that Tulip & Daff bulbs are among those that need to be brought up for the winter, cuz they're pretty hardy. As far as I know Gladiolus & certain Lilies should come up, but Daffs will pop their heads up through the snow, the same as Crocus!
(Someone please correct me if I'm wrong!)
I'm with you... I wouldn't have some of the flowers I do, if I had to dig them up every fall! My Daffs are up, but still in bud... unless I bring them in the house!
posted
Thank you for the warm welcome & answering my question. I have another question. When you put the bulbs in the full sun do you still water them or just allow them to go dorment without watering? I think they are in a soilless mix right now. The fertilizer is a good idea to help the bulb get built back up. Here in the midwest bulbs are planted in the fall. Tulips & daffodils winter over real good here. We have clay soil here so it holds the moisture really well. If we use a soiless mix to amend the soil for plants to winter over in usually they will freeze out.
Plants: 25 | From: Decorah, Iowa USA | Registered: Feb 2007
| Seeded: 67.1.120.249
posted
Lez, I just went back & read what you wrote. You stop the watering when the plants foilage drys up. Sorry, I so exceited at all the responses & went back to read them again to make sure I have it all down in my head. You are a nice friendly group of people. Plants: 25 | From: Decorah, Iowa USA | Registered: Feb 2007
| Seeded: 67.1.120.249
posted
It's possible to plant the bulbs in the ground as soon as your soil is workable. If any foliage remains leave it intact and left above ground after planting. Add bulb fertilize to the bottom of the hole. Continue watering thru fall. Mulch the bed. Although fall is optimal for most bulb planting, daff bulbs often have to be moved in spring and can been done successfully.
If your tulips are forced hybrids they will probably produce only foliage. Hybrids are recommended to be treated as one would annuals, a one season plant. Since you have the bulbs give them a try. Hybrids that do flower usually revert back to the stronger parent so if you do get flowers they may not look like what you have now.
I plant a low growing annual in the center of each bulb bed as dying foliage allows. The annual acts as a marker so I know where not to plant new purchases and where to fertilize/water bulbs in fall.
Plants: 29 | From: Macomb MI | Registered: Feb 2007
| Seeded: 172.133.150.40
posted
Thanks for setting me straight Patty. I had visions of y'all having to work ten times harder than me to have your flowers. I LOVE working in my yard but don't care too much for "extra" work! That's why every flower in the beds around my house is a perennial that has a loooong blooming season
posted
Now I have something to think about Herbalyn. Our soil is suppose to be fit for planting by May 15th. It does not happen like that every year. We can plant bulbs right into November as long as the ground isn't frozen. With the clay ground if we have an abundance of rain (monsoon rains in the Midwest) things tend to get rotten, moldy, & die. I will have to wait & see what the late spring brings us this year. Last spring was wet & cold till June. Planting the annual in the spot where the are bulbs are is a great idea. A lot of times I find myself digging up bulbs accidentally. Actually my gardening is a big accident anyhow. But I keep trying & miracles do happen.
Plants: 25 | From: Decorah, Iowa USA | Registered: Feb 2007
| Seeded: 67.1.121.187
posted
I planted mine so that 3 inches of soil was over the top. But then mine didn't have any greenery left attached to it. And I've been told that 3 inches of leaf mulch in the fall is a very good idea. And it's worked well for me. I get loads of babies every year. Mine is a mixed bed of crocuses, daffodils and tulips.
* * * * Plants: 8557 | From: triangle, virginia | Registered: Mar 2005
| Seeded: 4.249.141.136
posted
In this zone what we do is wait for a frost & the ground to harden some then put a mulch on. If we put the mulch on before the freeze the bulbs don't winter in & then they can freeze out. Sometimes if we have an open winter (no snow) we end up losing a lot of bulbs & perennials. The snow helps act as an insulation too. It is darn if we do darn if we don't.
Plants: 25 | From: Decorah, Iowa USA | Registered: Feb 2007
| Seeded: 67.1.120.67
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As a rule of thumb, I've always planted seeds (and bulbs) twice as deep as they are tall. Maybe I'm doing it wrong ![[dunno]](graemlins/dunno.gif)
but only a few things (like beets & carrots) turned out to need more soil above them.
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Hope to see you around here & there... it's a great place to share & learn, & you'll find a pretty friendly bunch of folks here!
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BTW Bonnie, welcome to the site--you'll like it here.
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