Fall is time to plant spring flowering bulbs
Fall is the time to plant hardy springflowering bulbs. Planning and effort now will result in beautiful blooms next spring.
Purchase your bulbs in early fall for the best selection. Daffodils, crocus, snowdrops and hyacinths can be planted in October, but wait until November to plant tulips.
For visual impact, try planting groups of bulbs in drifts or waves. Most of the spring bulbs will come back year after year, but in our climate, tulips will put on a big show the first year and slowly decline in following springs.
Plant bulbs in full sun or partial shade.
Properly preparing the soil for planting is important since good soil drainage is essential. Soils with a high clay content can be improved by adding compost, peat moss or other sources of organic material. The organic material should be worked in the top 12 to 18 inches of soil.
Adding compost to the planting area is one of the best ways to fertilize bulbs. Bulbs need phosphorous to encourage root development. Most Oklahoma soils have plenty of phosphorous, but if you have had a soil sample and know your soil needs phosphorous, you can mix bone meal with the soil in the lower part of the planting bed as it is being prepared.
The general rule for planting spring bulbs is to plant two to three times as deep as the bulb is tall.
Plant most large bulbs like tulips or daffodils about 6 to 8 inches deep, and plant smaller bulbs 3 to 4 inches deep. Planting depth is measured from the bottom of the bulb.
Space larger bulbs about 4 to 6 inches and smaller bulbs about 1 to 2 inches.
Plant bulbs with the nose of the bulb upward. The best method of planting is to dig and loosen the entire bed to the proper depth. Press the bulbs into the soil in the planting area and cover with soil.
In hard clay soils, regular bulb planters do not work well. A great way to plant is with a bulb auger attached to your drill. You can purchase these at many garden centers or online, and they work well for other transplants, as well.
Water the bulbs after planting to help settle the soil in the planting bed, plus provide needed moisture for the bulbs to start rooting. Shallow watering will not be adequate as the bulbs may have been planted 6 to 8 inches deep, and the water needs to soak to that depth. Through the bud, bloom and early foliage stage, add about 1 inch of water per week if this amount has not been supplied from rainfall.
While leftover foliage may be unsightly, foliage should not be mowed off or removed until it turns yellow and dies back naturally. The foliage on the smaller bulbs die back rapidly, but the foliage on the larger bulbs like tulips and daffodils may take several weeks to die back.
After flowering, the plant needs the green leaves to manufacture food through photosynthesis to store in the bulb for next year’s growth.
The bulb bed can be mulched to help minimize temperature fluctuation and maintain an optimal moisture level in the planting bed. The small, early blooming bulbs should not be mulched heavily.
Once the foliage dies back or matures in the late spring or early summer, the bulb is in summer dormancy. As the foliage dies back, the roots that nourish the bulbs also die back.
With fall rains, the bulb comes out of summer dormancy and roots begin to grow again to provide the bulb nutrients and moisture.