Premature Sprouting in Stored Bulbs

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wishfulgarden Hingham, MA Feb 14, 2009

This is the first year that I've stored bulbs- I pulled a slew of calla lillies and gladiolus in the fall, dried them and stored them in the basement in boxes layered in sand. It appears that now, they are sprouting prematurely as I still have about at least a month and a half or two months before I can plant them outside. What should I do to stop them in their tracks?

Thanks!

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WeeNel Ayrshire Scotland, United Kingdom Feb 17, 2009

Hi Wishful, did you remove all the dried foliage from your tubers / bulbs, if not, gently tug this way now that you see new shoots appear, if the sand they are in is very dry, just give enough water to slightly damp the sand or you may find the new growth will wilt and die off, Bulbs are different from other plants in as much as the bulb acts like a store cupboard and the living / flower is already stored withing the bulb, like cutting an onion in half, you will see all the layers of flesh (food stored) then right in the center, you will see the flower, (small tender part) where the flower will grow from or mature from. so your bulbs will be fine for the next few weeks, before you do plant them out, introduce them to a bit more light to harden up the green shoots / foliage and just slightly more water, dont soak them though, then when you feel there is no danger of night cold temps, dig them into the planting area and cover them with good compost, a handfull of feed mixed in and if you place them to the right depth for each individual type of bulb, then they will be just fine, I plant my Calla and Glads about 6 inches deep, but it will depend on your soil, zone and shade / wind rock etc, so they will be just fine for some time yet. both of these type of bulbs are later to flower here in UK, about July / August and they still have a lot of growing to do before they reach flowering time yet. good luck, hope this is a bit of help for you. WeeNel.

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