What Should I Do With These?

Hi, This spring I planted bulbs for the first time. These were crocus, narcissus and another that the name escapes me. I dug these up only because I was planting other things in the beds and I saw them and took them out. Most of the bulbs are still in the ground scattered throughout my beds, so they'll have to stay there. Of the ones I dug up, I cleaned them by removing all the dead stuff and washing off the dirt. What should I do with them next? I read somewhere that you should soak them for 6 hours in water with a little bleach to kill any fungus or bugs and then dry them out and store them. Another thing I read said to store them in a dry bag along with some moth balls. Should I put them in the refrigerator? Sorry if these are silly questions, I'm confused and need help please! Also, will the bulbs that I'm going to leave in the ground ever grow again? Thanks very much for any advice. :)

In your very warm climate, refrigeration may have to be done to get them to reflower--not enough natural winter cooling in the soil there.

We don't have to do that here so I don't know the particulars of when and how long to chill, when to plant and so on. Maybe another poster can fill you in.

6 hours seems a bit long for the bleach to work, but if that comes from a good source, why not? Maybe the long soak is more to kill pests than bacteria, and/or allow the solution to soak under all scale layers.

Robert.

Ok, thanks, hopefully someone else can come along and confirm? I have no way of knowing the validity from the internet source, since I read it in passing and don't recall the site. Thanks for your thoughts.

When I lived in CA zone 9b, tulips did not reliably rebloom even with chilling (I had a fridge all to myself for bulbs). Part of the problem is that on top of not being cold enough long enough, we also didn't have spring - we went from 50 to 80 to 100 sometimes within less than 60 days. Many of the tulips bloomed practically in the ground. The tulips often leafed out ok, but then bit the dirt when the temps rose, no matter how much water I gave them. The ones in partial shade fared only a little better. I eventually treated tulips as a yearly investment, and then just stopped buying them all together - and now I'm in zone 6b and am looking forward to my first spring with tulips (if the chipmunks don't get them first...)

Daffodils, on the other hand, came back reasonably well. I never bleached either the tulips or the daffs - just stuck them in the ground. If you got the daffs from a local source, you hopefully got ones that will rebloom under "warmer" conditions, so you may not have to chill them. I got reasonable returns just letting nature do her thing, but over the long run, there was a general decline. Not enough cold and the flowers just don't seem to develop. Also, I wasn't real good at feeding them.

Other things I have bleached have been "10 in 10" - 10 seconds in a 10% solution, then let dry in shade with lots of air circulation. My guess would be that sitting that long in moisture might "wake up" the bulb and make it think it's the summer rains...

Good luck!

thanks! I appreciate the help and we'll see how they do next spring. :)

Part of the problem is the soil being cool enough for root formation. Without a good root system, the bulbs are not able to adequately replenish spent reserves which causes them to decline.

An underformed root system also fails to support the plant during drought, so supplemental irrigation would be important.

Too much heat will also cause the blooms to blast, or otherwise bloom down in the foliage, close to the ground, not on a good normal length of stem.

You might pot some of them for forcing. Your fridge should be able to be set at a good temperature for root production. You might be able to grow them on out if you have good light. Otherwise, enjoy what you can and say goodbye......

Robert.

Most bulbs require a 12- to 16- week chilling period to produce flowers. Coastal gardeners can ensure spring blooms by refrigerating bulbs in ventilated packages until planting. Avoid storing fruit near the bulbs, since fruit-produced ethylene gas can prevent blooming. When bulbs do not receive enough chilling, they bloom close to the ground, on very short stems. Some bulb suppliers sell bulbs that have already been given a chilling treatment.

this is from outr local university botanical garden. heres the link.

http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC1155.htm


herre are a few other good links

http://www.vdqbulbs.com.au/growing_hints.htm

this one shows pictures too

http://www.gardenexpress.com.au/index.html?target=growing_guide/forcing_bulbs/forcing_bulbs.html&lang=en-us

hope these help. Marie

thanks very much for all the advice. I'll stick them in the fridge and hope for the best. :)