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.
Storing Bulbs Over Winter. You'll pack away your bulbs in a cool, dry place. An unheated garage that does not freeze can work well. Just keep in mind the ideal location has temperatures between 35 and 45ºF and relative humidity of about 50%.
Store them away from sunlight in a cool, dry basement, cellar, garage or shed at 60-65°F. Avoid temperatures below 50°F or above 70°F unless different instructions are given for a particular bulbs. Follow specific storing instructions for tender bulbs, such as Dahlias, Gladiolus and Begonias.
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.
Bulbs do not require water during the dormant season. Water them in once when planting your bulbs, and keep them watered regularly during the growing season, but don't water them when they are in the ground.
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.
To prevent bulbs from getting too hot, make sure to keep them away from the furnace, out of bright sunlight, not on top of the refrigerator or any other place that can get hot in your home. Ideal storage places in the home include a basement, closet or utility room that stays cool but above freezing.
Store your bulbs at their temperature of dormancy.
To make sure bulbs don't grow while in containment, store them at a temperature that will keep them dormant without causing damage. In most cases, this will be around 50 to 60 °F (10 to 16 °C), though individual bulbs may have specialized temperature needs.
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.
Store bulbs in a dry place.
Store your flower bulbs in a dry place until you're ready to replant them. Aim for a storage temperature of 45 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit, such as a garage or refrigerator. Store tropical bulbs in a slightly warmer area.
Don't panic if the bulb planting season has passed and you still have some or all your bulbs in need of planting. Storing these in a spare refrigerator will give you the best chance of success. The consistently cold temperature in the refrigerator is perfect for storing and initiating flowers for the coming spring.
Dried-out bulbs won't sprout when replanted. Store them in a dark location in a shed or garage where temperatures remain above freezing.
Choose a sheltered location like a shed, basement, or unheated garage to store them for winter in the pot. The soil should stay only slightly moist through the winter. Place bait for mice and voles, which will happily make a meal of your bulbs if they aren't protected.
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.
As long as you can easily locate the bulbs, you can also dig them up in fall and transplant them immediately.
No, bulbs should not be soaked before planting because they are prone to rotting. Bulbs have tiny roots at the base and the idea behind pre-soaking is that perhaps the roots should be hydrated before planting. But, when planting in fall, there should be adequate moisture in the soil to provide what the bulbs need.
Water well when you plant the bulbs in fall as this will stimulate the roots to begin their growth. Keep the soil moist over the winter and continue throughout the blooming period as necessary. Stop watering about 3 weeks after the blooms have passed and allow the foliage and stems to die back.
Most bulbs will still flower if they were left out for up to a year unplanted. But realize that with every passing season, while it's still possible that they could grow and flower, their growth might be weaker and flower production and size will continue to go down.
Most gardeners store their bulbs in a container layered with peat moss, vermiculite, perlite, cocoa hulls or sawdust. Store in a cool, but frost free spot until spring.
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.
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.
Many bulbs will naturally self-propagate through the formation of offsets, bulbils, or seeds. Others need some human interaction to reproduce successfully, with the most common techniques being chipping, scaling, and scooping.
The trick to ensuring bulbs are safe and happy all winter long is to keep them uniformly cool. So after you plant, it's valuable to put mulch on top of the soil. Not only does mulch keep the bulbs uniformly cool, but it also inhibits weed seeds by cutting off the light that encourages germination.