Bulb Care For Established Bulbs

Once you plant a bulb care is required to keep it blooming for years is minimal. Flower and garden bulbs are the easiest plants for beginner gardeners to grow.

There is just something about a mass planting of bulbs in flower that makes me smile. These tulips wouldn't have the same effect if there were fewer of them in the group.

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General Bulb Care

You could get away with attention to bulb care during planting bulbs only and letting them grow without any care the rest of the season. While giving your bulbs no care is an option, giving them some attention is recommended.

Watering Your Bulbs

During spring and summer, water the bulbs during dry spells. The growth cycle on bulbs doesn't end after flowering, it continues until the foliage turns yellow and dies so keep watering as necessary during the whole growth cycle.

Fertilizer

Feeding the bulbs once they emerge from dormancy can give them a nice little boost. Use a commercial bulb food or general purpose fertilizer, scratching it into the soil surrounding the bulb.

Foliage Care

Foliage of your garden bulbs should not be cut back, knotted or tied together until it has yellowed. Foliage is necessary to supply the bulb with next years nutrients. If you remove or damage the foliage too soon, you will end up with either no plant or smaller plants the following year.

Dividing Bulbs

If you have a large clump of daffodils or iris and they produce few flowers than it's likely time to divide them.

Dividing Daffodils
Carefully dig up the whole clump after the foliage had turned yellow. Daffodils will have their roots entangled, so carefully separate them into smaller groups and replant them.

Dividing Iris
Iris clumps should be carefully lifted from the soil. Cut young rhizomes from the main group. The rhizomes you cut away should have one to three fans of foliage and some roots attached to them. Older clumps should be discarded. Trim the folilage into a fan shape and trim any damaged roots. Replant the rhizome.

Storing Bulbs

If the bulbs are hardy you can leave them in the ground and may get a few years growth out of them. If the bulbs are not hardy and you want them to grow another season you'll want to lift and store them over the winter. Tips for storing bulbs.

More About Bulbs

Garden Bulbs
Bulb Care
Flower Bulbs
Deer Resistant Bulbs
Spring Bulbs
Summer Bulbs
Fall Bulbs
Buying Flower Bulbs
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