Home Gardening

It's time for bulbs!!
Garden Tips Newsletter - November 13, 2000

Now is the time to get ready to plant your bulbs. Most garden centers are now selling spring flowering bulbs for fall planting. Here are a few tips to remember when planting bulbs.

First, its best to sketch out a design of how you want your bulb bed to look, take into consideration the height, color, and bloom time of the bulbs. Once you have decided how to plant your bed, you need to prepare the bed before planting.

The best time to plant bulbs is when the soil temperature is 40 -- 45º F. If the bed is new or hasn't been used for a while, dig up the entire bed up to 9-12 inches deep and work the soil. Working the soil will help with drainage and new root development, while also providing for uniform planting and flowering. While working the soil, add compost, fertilizer, and other amendments to help your bulbs grow. Before adding fertilizer, test your soil to know exactly what needs to be added. Bulbs grow best in a soil with pH between 5.5 and 7.0. Phosphorus will need to be added to the soil to encourage root development and flowering.

Once you have prepared the bed, dig out your bulb holes. The rule of thumb on how deep to plant bulbs is to dig a hole that is 2 to 3 times the diameter of the bulb. Most prepackaged bulbs have planting recommendations printed on the label.

After your bulbs have flowered do not cut back the foliage. Bulbs need to regenerate for the next flowering seasons and do so by photosynthesis taking place in the leaves. Once the leaves have turned yellow or brown, you can cut them back.

For more information about planting bulbs and information on specific bulbs refer to Extension publication 1736 "Planting and care of bulbs, corms, rhizomes, and roots" by Dr. David Tatum.

These archived newsletters were written by Dr. Lelia Scott Kelly. Kelly is a Horticulture Specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service. Her office is in the North Mississippi Research & Extension Center, Verona.