Autumn: Bulbs In,
Bulbs Out
By Steven Jakobi
Allegany County
Master Gardener volunteer
Remember those bulbs you ordered from catalogues months ago?
The crocuses, irises and daffodils? Well, they are starting to arrive now and
it’s time to plant them during the month of October. And if it isn’t enough to
put the garden to bed, to plant the garlic and those spring-flowering bulbs,
you have the added chore of digging some bulbs up to put into storage. Wait –
did you say dig some up? Oh, yes, because along with planting bulbs, it is soon
time to dig up the dahlias, canna lily, calla lily, and the gladioli.
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| Photo by Steven Jakobi |
Ok, let’s start with planting. Ideally, the bulbs of plants
that will flower in the early spring (the crocus, daffodil, snow drop, etc.) go
in about six weeks before the first frost. When that will occur is, of course,
anyone’s guess, but in the last twenty years or so, that date keeps getting
pushed back more and more as the planet warms. It is safe to say, though, that
it’s about time to plant. Different kinds of bulbs go in at different soil
depths, but a frequently mentioned rule-of-thumb is to dig a hole two to three
times as deep as the bulb’s height. But this is just a general guideline, as
tulips do best when planted at a depth of8 inches, hyacinths at 5-6 inches and
crocuses at 3 to 4 inches. Large allium bulbs prefer a depth of 8 inches, while
small specimens of the same should be at 2 inches. And don’t forget that the
pointy end of the bulbs faces upward when placed into the hole.
As some bulbs go in, the summer-flowering ones need to be
dug up and put into storage until next spring. These include dahlia, gladiolus,
some species of lilies, and elephant ear (technically, some of these “bulbs”
are corms, rhizomes, or tubers but, from a practical point of view, the
terminology is of no consequence). These plants originated in tropical or sub-tropical
areas of the world and they are unable to survive the cold winter conditions
found in our area (planting zone 5). Once they are carefully dug up after the
first frost kills back their foliage, the bulbs are stored in well-aerated mesh
bags or paper sacks in such a way that they are not crowded together. A
temperature regime of around 50 ⁰F and dark are recommended for storage. That
is because these bulbs are living organisms whose cells continue cellular
respirations and produce moisture which rot fungi thrive on. Some gardening
websites recommend washing the soil off the bulbs prior to drying and storage,
but I don’t do this. While I do shake the excess soil of the bulbs, I believe
that washing is unnecessary and removes some of the protective coating of outer
plant tissue, as well as the soil particles that contain beneficial microbes
that are antagonists of rot fungi and bacteria. Ok, it’s time to go and let’s start digging.
Come next year, all the hard work we put in now will be rewarded by the beautiful
flowers that these plants will produce.
