Bulbs produce a brilliant sign of spring. These tips will help them return next year
Cheerful daffodils, tulips and hyacinths announce spring’s appearance after a long, deary winter. These traditional bulbs are planted in the fall. They spend the winter developing strong roots while they wait for the arrival of warmer days and nights.
Once they finish blooming, these signs of spring are forgotten until next year with the hope of an annual return. Before your early flowering bulbs are a memory, here are some tips to ensure another season of bloom.
Spring bulbs must store enough energy before going dormant to allow them to flower next year. Energy is created through photosynthesis. This requires green growth taking in the sun’s energy for as long as possible. The green leafy foliage needs to be preserved. Do not cut off, tie, twist or remove any green growth until it starts to dry and brown naturally. Once most of the foliage is yellowed it can be cut off to clean up the bed.
Care should be taken to help the bulbs generate as much energy as possible. In addition to not removing the foliage, fertilization can also help build food reserves. Bulbs should be fertilized before they bloom for best results. Fertilization can start when the new growth begins in the winter and continue through flowering.
Bulbs do not require a lot of fertilizer. A tablespoon of a balanced fertilizer like 10-10-10 or less than a teaspoon of lawn fertilizer, without herbicides, such as 30-0-0 can be applied to clumps of five to 10 bulbs. Simply sprinkle the fertilizer out and around the planting and water in.
Hot dry springs can shorten the bulb’s life. They prefer cooler temperatures and start to decline in our spring warmth. Timely watering provides needed moisture, cools the soil and extends the green growth for better energy storage. Once the flowers fade the bulb is shutting down.
When the bulbs finish blooming, some may set seeds. Seeds on most spring bulbs will never develop to flowering size in our climate. Snap or cut off the seed heads. By removing the seeds, the plant puts its energy into developing a strong bulb instead of developing seeds. Some smaller flowering spring bulbs like grape hyacinths can produce viable seed and naturalize in an area. Removing seed heads is not necessary in this case.
Once the foliage has died down, bulbs can be divided or moved to a new location. When the bulbs are dug, they should immediately be replanted or stored in a cool dry location until fall planting time. After the foliage is all gone it is easy to lose track of the location to dig and divide in the fall. A trick is to mark the location. Place a plant label or Popsicle stick in the center of the clump for lifting later in the autumn months.
Spring flowering bulbs are an investment not only monetarily, but in the celebration of the arrival of another season. If you take a little extra care to preserve the green growth after the flowers bloom, you can help ensure they make another return to say hello next spring.
Dennis Patton is a horticulture agent with Kansas State University Research and Extension. Have a question for him or other university extension experts? Email them to garden.help@jocogov.org.
This story was originally published April 1, 2022 at 5:00 AM.