Is it too early or too late to container plant bulbs??

Can I plant them and set them outside-kind of like winter sowing? Is it too cold for the roots to develope?? I live in SW Iowa and I'm sure we will have more below zero weather--Guess I am looking for a reason to 'play in the dirt' We have had very cold and windy (35-45mph) weather with below zero wind chills the past couple of days, but monday they predict 40's and 50 on tuesday so am certain I have spring fever--and have not planted many bulbs-so am coming to the experts!!
Thanks in advance for your advice
Jeanette

Jeanette, first of all, what kind of bulbs do you want to plant?

Well duh!! :) Allium-daff's-tulips-crocus--Sorry --I am really new with bulbs--can ya tell??
Thanks
Jeanette

We are having a MAJOR spring fever here in Colorado! 60-68F! I saw the Colorado Home and Garden Show yesterday, there must have been 5,000 forced bulbs! I know what you'll be going through! I would follow the guidelines below, esp the second link. You may not get enough chilling time in, this late in the season. But, good luck!

J

http://www.bulb.com/spring/chilling.asp
http://www.bulb.com/spring/timetable.asp

Well I guess my next question would be Where you gonna get bulbs? Around here, you couldn't buy any unless they were leftover from the fall in the bargain bin from some loser store. And I doulbt you'd have much success with those.

As Jeannette said, they all have certain requirements, and cooling times.

Thanks SNFan-I am a fan too--I have the bulbs-thought I could put them in a pot outside- but guess it's too cold for them to grow roots--live and learn-hate to put them in the ground--I rent--
Thanks again
Jeanette

Well, Number1Angel, why not try putting them in pots in well draining potting mix, watering them and sticking them in an unheated garage for a few weeks to get some chilling and see what they do? (There are different opinions about how much 'chilling' bulbs actually want/need, I think. Some more--some less, and where have you been keeping them? Anyplace cold?)

Or pot them and put them on your deck/patio/balcony in a very protected place--some people put black plastic bags filled with mulch-y type stuff or newspapers for insulation around there pots if the temps dip down...

well--desperate measures for desperate gardeners...could there be a TV show in this?! lol!

Let us know what you do and if you get results!

good luck with your Spring Fever! t.

I came to this forum with the EXACT same question! This thread was perfect :) I'm new to bulbs, too, and I'm still not certain on the answer. I didn't get all of the bulbs that I bought last fall in the ground before Joy was born, so I still have about 20. Some hanging out in the insulated garage, some in the basement. Pretty sure the ground is too frozen for any hope there, but I was wondering if it's still worth it to try to plant these bulbs in containers for outdoors. I'm not trying to force them indoors, I'd like them to bloom at the normal bloom time in containers outside. I have a few each of daffies, tulips, and crocus. I'm assuming it's too late for the crocus??? So, any thoughts. Should I try it? If so, what medium and what type of container? Thanks!!!

Hi, huga, well it is awfully late, but, what the heck, just plant them in a few plastic pots which are 6-8 inches deep with some well draining potting soil--cactus growing mix or a perlite and potting soil mix might be a good choice--and set them outside in a protected spot or with those saran wrap type covers with holes for transpiration to protect from too much rain but to get some chilling. (If you have an extra refridgerator you could put them in that, too. for the next month or two.)

The other approach I tried a few weeks ago was getting a bag of top soil from HD and pouring out some on my (wet and/or sort of frozen) garden bed, then placing out the bulbs (allium) and then pouring a layer of topsoil on top. I don't know if it will work, but it was worth a try!

The worst that will happen is that they won't come up, but they won't come up if we don't plant them, either!

If it works for you, remember how you did it! I'm sure the issue will come up again next year! t.

Thanks, tabasco. I think I'm gonna go for it. I'm wanting to get out and buy a couple of half barrels for annual seeds soon, might as well get a few pots for bulbs while I'm at it. I'll let you know if I actually get around to it!

P.S. Are any of your daffs starting to poke through a teeny bit yet?

Yes, I have some daffs showing. Lots of muscari, too. I'm afraid I lost some to rot though. The ground around here is so wet in winter. Like a swamp almost. Doesn't seem to dry out at all ever, does it?...

I think you could cool them in your refigerator. As long as you can trick the bulbs into thinking it is winter by regulating the temperature and the lack of light, it should work. Just make sure that you cool for the appropriate length of time for each particular bulb. Sometimes I start late, too, with good results. After the cooling period, either put outdoors if it is warm enough or just let them grow indoors. If anyone needs specific cooling times for a bulb, let me know.

This message was edited Feb 9, 2005 5:31 PM

JEANETTE:
I just set up some begonia & cala lilly bulbs today in containers & have had good luck every year with them. I start them in the basement under gro lights, That way I can leave them in the basement a little longer in case it gets warm & then freezes again.

If you get a chance to come to the Iowa Roundup here in Des Moines on May 7th we are going to have a great time.

If you want to check out the roundup go to Forums at the top of the newsletter, When you get to the roundup click on IOWA ROUNDUP for 2005 & it will let see everything that is going on.

I have several rose seeds coming up plus I have hardy hibiscus- brugs & dat seeds up & that are about 4" tall.

Jerry.

Hi, again, everybody--Here's a pic of my transient 'bulb farm' right now located in our front hall because it was below freezing outside last night and too cold on the front steps! I was keeping them in the garage and under the deck for cooling but then decided it was too warm in there for them.

Then I got Spring Fever and decided to put them all outside when temperature climbed last week. Of course, in the meantime they lost all their labels and I didn't note down when I planted or put each pot in cold storage because I was SURE I would remember. (What was I thinking?!). (I do know lilies are in the big pots with muscari anyway.)

Now I haven't a clue what is going on with these, but I am just going to keep moving them in and out the front door everyday according to the weather until I start to see (or not see) results....

(My DH must really love me because he is actually the one carrying the pots around every night after Comedy Central. And this is really only half my transient bulb farm 'cause the other half is by the back door.)

Well, the long and short of it is that the bulb pot gardening has required a lot more effort and angst than I first thought and I hope it will be worth it!

I will keep fingers crossed for everybody, and I hope you do to! t.

p.s. and, Huga, when you come to the Ohio River Valley RU April 23 you invited for a personal inspection of my Bulb Farm! And anybody else who wants to come, too!

OK! This is (a not very good picture of) an Amaryllis (supposed to be 'Aphrodite' however it looks more like 'Sweet Surrender') and I will tell you amaryllis are MUCH less work than the other bulbs! Just stick 'em in a pretty pot and they grow and bloom. lol ;-)

I guess the pic didn't take the first time. So, here is 'Aphrodite' (that might be 'Sweet Surrender'.) Sorry the flower is more faded looking than it is in real life!

This message was edited Feb 18, 2005 5:15 PM

Oh, dear. Now there are two! I guess you can tell I am new at this (bulbs and posting photos)! Good practice, though, if you can bear with me.

In mid January I potted up some daffodils (little ones called Cheerfulness I think) that had been sitting in my garage. They had already started to sprout a bit so I potted them up in little 4" pots. I left them in the dark in the garage for a couple of weeks hoping to get some root development. There are some green sprouts showing and I have set them out some on my porch. My question is how much cold can they tolerate without hurting them while in such small containers. I wonder how cold the soil gets at the depth the bulb when it is planted in the ground. Anyone have any ideas?
Thanks!

Do not let the soil freeze.

Interesting question--and I am looking all over for the answer, too. I did read on another site that if the bulbs have roots they have developed an 'antifreeze' system that will help protect them if the ground freezes. Some northern gardeners say their ground freezes up to two feet and their bulbs survive if they have the 'antifreeze' system up and running...if they don't have the roots, then the antifreeze doesn't work and the bulbs turn to mush when the pots thaw...(these are opinions I've collected--I don't really know if they are accurate.)

I don't know if anyone has really done research on this and put it on the internet...the best thing is to not let them freeze as Bleek says, but THAT is not always possible (I'm here to tell ya! since I've been nurse maiding my pot bulbs along this winter like a neurotic fanatic and I've still been caught off guard with freezes!!!).

Is it possible for Bleek weigh in on this issue with some more detail?