With our early pile of snow, some of you may have been caught with a collection of tulip, daffodil, crocus or other fall bulbs that have not made it into the ground.
They will dry out if you try to keep them until next fall, so is there anything you can do to save these bulbs?
Fall bulbs need exposure to a period of cold to grow and bloom. They grow roots in the fall even under the snow, and many of the small bulbs will bloom in spring even before the snow is all gone.
Fall bulbs can be planted outdoors in September and October, even if you have to clear off some snow to plant them in soil that is not yet frozen.
An easier way to plant them with all this snow covering the garden is to “force” them.
Tulips, daffodils,crocus and many others can be potted up and enjoyed indoors in late winter and early spring. Any pot with drainage can be used, the size depending on the size of the bulbs being planted.
Use regular potting soil with some bone meal mixed in. Plant the bulbs so that they are very close together, but not touching. The pot should be deep enough to allow for roots to grow from the base of the bulb into the soil, and to allow for an inch of soil covering the tops of the bulbs.
Tulips and large daffodils will require larger and deeper pots than small bulbs like crocus and snowdrops.
Water well and label the pots with the type of bulb and the date planted. Then the pots need to be placed in a cool, dark area for several weeks to mimic winter. Crocus and other small bulbs need about eight weeks of cold and dark, while tulips and daffodils need 12 to 16 weeks. A cool corner of the basement or attic, a heated garage or even a spare refrigerator will work. Ideal temperature is 4°C to 10°C.
Check the bulbs regularly and keep the soil damp, but not wet. When the required time has passed, white roots are visible at the drainage holes and tops are about one to three inches out of the soil, the bulbs are ready to come out of cold storage.
Place them in a cool room and introduce them to bright light gradually. Fertilize regularly with houseplant fertilizer until they bloom and until the foliage dies back.
As soon as weather permits in spring, the pots can be placed outdoors or the bulbs can be replanted in the garden where they are to grow, allowing the foliage to die back in the garden. Allowing the foliage to die before removing it allows the bulbs to mature for future blooms.
Horticulturalist Mary Wright has lived in Denare Beach for over 20 years. She shares her passion for gardening with Flin Flon readers every second Wednesday in The Reminder.
