The most important things are to keep them dry and cool and do not let them get too cold before or during storage. Most tender bulbs should be dug after the foliage dries up or after the first frost. A light to moderate frost will not penetrate to the depth of the bulb but will kill the tender top growth.
Do I need to dig up my bulbs or can I leave them in the ground? Spring-blooming bulbs that are winter hardy, such as tulips, daffodils and crocus, can be left right in the ground. Summer bulbs such as dahlias, tuberous begonias and calla lilies, will not survive cold winters.
By lifting and storing dormant rootstock, you can protect tender bulbs from the ravages of winter and enjoy their beautiful blooms for many seasons to come. Remember to dig and lift before the first frost – except dahlias – and allow a brief drying period before packing them away in storage for the winter.
Dried bulbs can be stored in 2 to 3-inch layers of peat moss, sand, vermiculite, sawdust or coconut coir in a well-ventilated container such as milk or bread crates or cardboard boxes. Try not to let bulbs touch one another while they are being stored; because this will help prevent the spread of rot between bulbs.
Most bulbs can be stored for up to a year, but tend to perform best when planted within six months of lifting. For tender bulbs, be sure to plant in the spring following the fall in which they were lifted-they will likely not have enough energy to survive past the warm season and into the following year.
Saving the bulbs for planting next fall is not a wise choice either. Proper storage conditions to keep the bulbs cool and dry are often hard to find in the home environment. Bulbs usually begin to soften and rot or may actually sprout before they get planted.
Place the bulbs in a paper bag in the refrigerator. Be sure that the refrigerator is set at a temperature between 35°F and 50°F.
Outsmart Old Man Winter by saving bulbs of frost-tender plants over winter and planting them again next spring. It's not a tough job, and you don't need any special knowledge or tools to succeed. Use this technique with plants that aren't winter hardy in your zone.
Caring for hardy bulbs
These bulbs are perennial and thus left in the ground year after year. With good conditions, they will bloom every spring. Every three to four years, hardy bulbs should be dug up in the fall, divided and replanted. Rotting or dried up bulbs should be composted.
While you do not need to dig and divide your tulips every year; they should be dug up at least 3-4 years if planted in the ground. If you are not digging them up yearly, make sure they are not in an area of the yard where they will be watered all summer. Too much water over the summer will rot/kill your bulbs.
The foliage of the spring-flowering bulbs, such as daffodils, tulips and hyacinth, is beginning to turn yellow and brown and looking a little ratty in the landscape. Late April to early May is a great time to lift or dig these spring-flowering bulbs from the garden where possible.
Many bulbs readily multiply by producing offsets without any help from the gardener. But as well as taking advantage of this, it is quite simple to grow more of your favourite bulbs using just a few other techniques, including scaling, bulbils, seed and division.
You can either replant the bulbs right away or store them until fall planting time. If you store them, place them in mesh or paper bags in a cool, dark place. Do not seal the bags. As long as you can easily locate the bulbs, you can also dig them up in fall and transplant them immediately.
Short-lived bulbs: Most properly planted and cared-for bulbs will flower well for 3-5 years and beyond, but some thrive only for a couple of years or even one season before needing to be replaced.
Dried-out bulbs won't sprout when replanted. Store them in a dark location in a shed or garage where temperatures remain above freezing.
Once the daffodil flower blooms it can last for several weeks. Daffodils are true bulbs and like all true bulbs are perennials, with a life span of three to five years, during which time they self- propagate.
For most bulbs, use your fingers or a brush to remove dirt and soil from the surface. If your bulbs need to be stored with the soil on to stay healthy, as is the case with is menes, dahlias, caladiums, cannas, begonias, achimenes, and others, do not clean them. Discard bulbs that show signs of rot or damage.
Plant Bulbs in Winter for Later Blooms
But as long as the ground is workable, you can plant bulbs! This means that you can plant bulbs as late as January – if you can dig a hole deep enough to plant. Plant tulips and daffodils as late as the end of January!
Plant Bulbs Deep Enough
Generally, dig a hole two to three times deeper than the bulb is tall. So if you have a 3-inch-tall bulb, dig a hole 6 to 9 inches deep. Of course, there are always exceptions, so check the planting directions that come with the bulbs for more information.
Simply loosen the surface soil, add a little fertilizer or mycorrhizal fungi, then drop the bulbs on the ground. All that's left is to cover them with 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) of mulch (shredded leaves, straw, pine needles, ramial chipped wood, etc.).
Once you've dug the holes and planted them in the fall, you can almost forget about them until they pop up and flower the following spring. As the planting matures, the bulbs will divide and spread on their own.
Transplant, if Needed, After the Foliage Fades
If spring-flowering bulbs need to be transplanted, carefully dig up the bulbs once the foliage has died back. The bulbs can be replanted immediately or dried and stored until fall. Prior to storage, allow the bulbs to dry for 2 to 3 weeks.