Recycle your summer bulbs
GARDENING
Bright blue skies, golden trees and crisp October mornings signal the time to start the autumn garden chores.
If you’ve been enjoying non-hardy summer bulbs such as dahlias, caladium, elephant ears and cannas, it’s almost time to dig them up and store them for the winter to replant next spring. This is garden recycling at its best.
Summer flowering bulbs (rhizomes, corms, and tubers, as well as bulbs) are native to warm climates and will die if left in the ground over the winter in our Niagara gardens.
When should you dig them up? In most cases, wait for the first frost, the foliage will turn yellow or black, signalling that the plant has started to shut down and it’s time to dig up the tubers or bulbs.
Usingagardenfork,carefullyloosen the soil around the plants and lift the bulbs from the ground. Gently brush off excess soil and discard any bulbs that show signs of disease or rot.
Some references suggest leaving the foliage intact when the bulbs are lifted.
You can also cut back the dying foliage, reducing the bulk of the plant, and then lift the bulbs to dry.
Spread out the bulbs in a warm, dry location, out of direct sun (the garage floor is ideal) for seven to ten days. Once the bulbs have cured, trim the foliage to two centimetres from the top of the bulb and sort the bulbs according to size.
The largest bulbs will perform best next year; compost the smaller bulbs if you do not need extra plants. Alternately, smaller bulbs can be grown on to increase your stock, although they may not produce many flowers the first year.
Store the bulbs in a spot that is cool, dry and has good air circulation. Avoid storing bulbs in sealed, air-tight containers which may lead to moisture build-up and rot.
Most bulbs store best where temperatures remain about 10˚C. Cool, dry basements or unheated garages, that stay above freezing, are often good locations.
There are many ways to store bulbs for the winter. Arrange the bulbs in a box of peat moss or sand, spreading them out so the bulbs aren’t touching each other.
Don’t stack bulbs deeper than three layers. You can also store the bulbs in mesh onion bags and hang them in the wine cellar. My son stores canna and elephant ear tubers in Dutch crates, lined with newspaper, with good success.
If you are storing more than one variety, label the bulbs by type and flower colour before putting them away for the winter. Check stored bulbs occasionally throughout the winter and discard any that show signs of rot.
Summer flowering bulbs fall in to different categories for harvest and winter storage.
Cannas are popular in Niagara gardens to add a splash of tropical foliage and vibrant colours to our sum- mer plantings. It is heavy work, but cut back the foliage to about 15 cm tall and then dig up the rhizomes in fall.
Season the bulbs as described above. The bulbs can be planted directly in the garden in the spring, after all danger of frost has passed.
For a head start, start cannas in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse.
Caladium are a little more sensitive to cold than canna or dahlia tubers. Dig them up before the first fall frost and allow plants to dry.
Cut foliage back to 2.5 cm, then pack the bulbs loosely in peat moss.
Keep slightly warmer than other stored bulbs, 10˚C to 15˚C.
Althoughdahliascontinuetobloom well in to autumn, they will not survive our Niagara winters. After frost kills the foliage, but before the ground freezes, remove any supports or cages and cut the foliage and stems back to 6 or 10 cm tall. Carefully lift clumps, and then carefully brush or shake off any clinging soil, allow the tubers to cure for a week or so, then put them in a plastic-lined box filled with perlite or peat moss, spacing them so that none are touching. Store boxes in a dry area at 10˚C. Dahlia tubers must not dry out completely; moisten packing material slightly if necessary.
Container grown elephant ear (alocasia and colocasia) can be brought indoors and treated as house plants for the winter. Alternately, lift the tubers, cure and store them in peat moss in a cool dry place.
Dig gladiola corms before the first frost, remove excess soil, cut the stalks to within 2.5 cm of the corms, and let them cure for one to two weeks in a warm,airylocation.Thenremoveand discard the oldest bottom corms and store the large, new corms in plastic mesh bags in a well-ventilated garage that stays above freezing for the winter (2˚C to 10˚C is ideal).
Tuberous begonias can be lifted before a frost and then dried for the winter.
Store them in dry peat moss in a room that will stay above freezing, about 10˚C.
Digging up and storing summerflowering tubers, corms and bulbs for the winter months is a great way to stretch your gardening dollars. After removing the tender bulbs, fill the vacant spaces with colourful spring flowering bulbs such as tulips and daffodils. Theresa Forte is a local garden writer, photographer and speaker. You can reach her by calling 905-351-7540 or by e-mail at theresa_forte@sympatico.ca.