It’s time to divide flower bulbs

Many home gardeners love to grow flowering bulbs in their landscape and for a good reason; they have pretty flowers. To keep your bulbs blooming year after year they need to be divided, especially when they become overcrowded.

If you haven’t dug and divided your spring flowering bulbs in the last five years, they probably have become crowded. The first sign of overcrowding will be a decrease in the flower size, uneven blooms and decrease in the plant’s height. If you see these things, then you know it is time to divide your bulbs.

However, wait until the foliage is brown and dry, then you can dig up your bulbs and divide them. To dig your bulbs out of the ground without damaging them, you will need to dig fairly deep. Most long lasting bulbs are planted a little deeper than normal.

Once you have dug them up, set them in a shady, dry spot. Leave some soil on the bulbs. You will find that some of the bulbs are joined too tightly to divide. Once the soil has dried out thoroughly, you can separate the bulbs without damaging the root system.

Store your bulbs in a cool, dry place until planting time. Inspect them for signs of disease. Keep only large, healthy bulbs that are firm and free of spots. Discard diseased bulbs.

Since your bulbs have been in the ground for quite some time, you probably need to add some organic material to the soil, such as peat moss, compost, or some other type of organic material. The material should be worked into the top 6 to 8 inches of the soil.

Whenever you decide to plant your divided bulbs, here are few things you need to do to get them off to a good start:

Make sure you do not plant your bulbs any deeper than what they were planted in the original bed.

Water the bulbs once you get them planted. This will help settle the soil around them. Don’t overwater them, as this can result in bulb rot.