Bulb Garden Care Tips

Monday, March 14 | Gardening Info

Forcing Bulbs

Our potted bulbs were planted last October and refrigerated until just a few weeks ago.  During that time we kept them watered and dark to simulate a winter spent in the ground outside.  Now that the bulbs are being kept warm in our greenhouse, they think it’s spring and time to grow and bloom.  This process is called ‘forcing’ bulbs.

 

Growing Bulbs

While growing your bulbs indoors, keep them in as sunny of a spot as you can find to keep them from growing too tall for lack of light.  Also be sure to mimic the rainy conditions of springtime by keeping your bulbs consistently moist (but not waterlogged).  The bulbs do not need to be fertilized while they are blooming.  The flowers may be cut for arrangements or left on the plants.

 

Transplanting Bulbs

After your bulbs have finished blooming, cut off the flowers and their stems, but leave the green foliage.  Continue watering your plants until outside night temps are consistently above freezing.  Transplant your bulbs outside to a sunny spot where the sod will not encroach.  Dig your hole such that the bottoms of the bulbs are about 6” below the ground.  Continue watering and start fertilizing your plants to keep them growing green as long as you can.  During this time the leaves are using the sun’s light to regenerate the bulbs and store energy for blooms next spring.  As the weather warms up into June, the green leaves will start to die back naturally and the bulbs will go dormant for the rest of the season.  Apart from keeping the grass from growing over your bulbs, no further action is needed until your bulbs bloom again next year.