Hang Onto Your Bulbs: The Answer
Janet Wintermute
I've been promising for more than a month: what to do with all the
bulbs you bought last fall but failed to get into the ground.
Here is Jack's "foolproof" way to process crocus, daffs, hyacinths,
tulips, and minor spring bulbs so they will flower abundantly this
coming spring in spite of you!
Jack says many containers are suitable but heavy-duty 5-gal plastic
buckets are perfect. Tall containers can' be used because you can't
place the bulbs properly at the base. It's OK to use an old plastic
trash can, but saw the bin in half horizontally.
Containers MUST drain water. Drill or otherwise poke a dozen or more
half-inch holes in the base of each container. Next, line the bottom
with an inch of stones or pieces of plastic foam ("peanuts"). On top
of that, place a 3-inch layer of soil. Any soil will do, but to avoid
outdoor digging, you can use a 50/50 mix of sharp sand and peat humus
in place of soil.
Multiple layers of bulbs can be planted in the container, but each
layer needs to be separated by 3 inches of soil.
To keep track of what went where, keep each layer in each bucket all
one kind and color of bulb. Jot down what you're doing on each layer
as it goes into the container.
Set the first layer of bulbs on top of the soil at the base. Bulbs
can be crowded, but don't let them touch one another. Cover this
first layer with soil to the tops of the bulbs, then add 3 more inches
of soil or the 50/50 mix.
Next add an inch or two of bark chips or nuggets on top of the soil.
Repeat the layering.
Put the container outdoors and wet the soil with a gallon or more of
water. The container is best positioned in the shade. Containers
must be exposed to winter rain and snow so bulbs have access to
moisture over the next 3 months.
Position the container so it doesn't tip over, and if you planted
tulips. consider a protective piece of screening cut to fill the top
of the container to keep rodents out. (This is not an issue if you
processed only daffodils. I don't believe rodents go for hyacinths
either.)
If the only spot where you can leave the container is in full sun,
tape a strip of aluminum foil around the outside of the container to
diffuse the sun's rays.
Friends, this is where Jack stopped. I seem to recall in prior years,
this advice included help on what to do when March rolls around.
Common sense says, carefully undo the layers and put the bulbs where
you want them to bloom in the garden. Perhaps a paragraph got snipped
from his article in today's paper. If there's an addendum about the
final steps in this process in a later column, I'll post it.
Excuse me now; 38 Daffodil 'Salomes' are calling my name.
--Janet