Spring bulbs easy to grow with these tips

Dear readers: Last week I said I’d discuss the planting of Spring Blooming bulbs, offering what i know. So, here goes.

First, I hope that you’ll have taken the time to choose and really rough up the spaces where you’re wanting to plant these gems. Know that most can take quite a bit of sun, especially since they bloom in the spring, and it hasn’t gotten hot yet.

I would aim to plant more tender bulbs, like tulips, in spots where they won’t be buffeted by harsh wind. The blooms can become very bedraggled looking if buffeted by too much wind. Sturdier bulbs, like daffodils and most of the shorter by nature varieties, can withstand windy spots better in the long run.

I’ll suggest that you do plant in spots that will receive at least six hours of sun. Too much shade and they might not perform up to snuff.

Most bulbs need soil that holds some water without staying soggy. That’s why you want to break up the areas and add compost, especially to sandy soil, but if the soil is hard-pack clay you’ll need the clean sand to help keep it more fluid, so to speak.

I will also suggest that you do invest in either super phosphate, bone meal or bulb food. I like prepackaged bulb food because it usually contains a smidgen of potassium along with the phosphorus needed for root development.

As for tools, you will want a sturdy trowel to dig the holes to the proper depth. On the market, you can find a tool called a bulb planter. It reminds me of a hand-held post hole digger, only a lot shorter. Once you get the hang of using the hand-held bulb planter it is a nifty tool. Find an old pillow or kneeling pad to offer your knees a bit of relief because you’re going to be at ground level for as long as the project takes.

You’ve chosen your bulbs, now comes the fun. If you have an actual design plotted, keep the schematic close by, so you can refer to it as needed.

Now, here’s the rule of thumb that I was taught. You plant each bulb at double its depth. Meaning, if you have a bulb, like a daffodil, that is 4 inches long, the hole you need to dig should be 8 inches deep. A tulip at two inches long, you need a 4-inch deep hole. A small crocus at only 1 inch, the hole needs to be a shallow 2 inches deep. When I say “the bulb is three inches long,” that means from the bottom of the bulb, where the roots will grow, to the usually pointy top of the bulb. That’s how you’ll be measuring. It’s simple math really, but very important to get each bulb planted to an adequate depth. Shallow and barely covered is not healthy in the least.

Think of the bulb as an anchor for that explosion of growth that happens in the spring. Not only as an anchor, but if planted too shallow, bulbs sometimes can tend to heave or actually be pushed out of the soil by the temperatures warming and cooling the soil, so plant at the proper depth for sure.

As you dig each hole, place a tablespoon of the food you’ve chosen in the hole and spread a little soil on top to cover it. Then place the bulb in the hole and move the soil to cover the bulb itself. No part of the bulb should be showing. If planting a bevy of the same sized bulbs and digging individual holes seems taxing, dig a trench instead. It still needs to be at that proper depth with the food sprinkled and barely covered just like with hole planting, but you can do quicker that way. You can move the soil to cover the bulbs using the back of a stiff-tined rake to get the soil covering a trench planting easily.

Remember that bulbs do have a true top and bottom. You definitely want the tops pointing up. Once you’ve gotten all the bulbs planted, you will need to thoroughly water the area. This will settle the bulbs so they start doing their magic. If we’re blessed with precipitation this coming dormant season, then all’s good. If it stays dry or the periods between precipitation is too long, you will want to offer a good drink periodically, maybe weekly to every ten days, just so that area never is allowed to dry out. A dry bulb is a dead bulb.

I have always been amazed by bulbs. After the initial work of planting, except for the occasional watering, you’re done. Those little power-packed marvels, spring blooming bulbs, are such a treat.

I hope you enjoy the wonder of them while you’re out there having fun Diggin’ In!

Tracey Fitzgibbon is a certified nurseryman. Send garden-related questions to Digging In, Albuquerque Journal, 7777 Jefferson NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109, or to features@abqjournal.com.