How to Move and/or Separate Spring Bulbs
Q. Michael in Northern Virginia (near Washington DC) writes “Can I divide my Spring bulbs now? Is after the blooms have faded the best time? Thanks, and stay safe from the Evil Squirrels!”
A. Evil is too nice a word for those long-tailed servants of Satan! They’re already trying to plant leftover black walnuts in all the containers I’m growing Spring lettuce in! (They are thwarted, however, by my unrolled tomato cage material arched over top. Hopefully.)
But it’s interesting that you mention those miserable munchers. I had one of the greatest displays of Spring ephemerals pop up around our crabapple tree this Spring: Snowdrops, Glory of Snow, Bloodroot, Hepatica, two kinds of Anemone, Spring Beauty, Virginia bluebells, Toothwort, Starflower, Wild Hyacinth, Wood Sorrel, and many many others (but not crocus; I grow them in my front garden; and the wild violets have taken over an area just outside of the garden proper.)
I have to stop here and thank the website “Epic Gardening” for helping me remember what I had and their names. Normally, I just sit there and look at them. If someone asks me “What’s this one’s name?” I say “Harry”.
Nothing bothered my amazing ephemerals, just like they didn’t bother my daffodils. Nothing bothers daffodils, as they are toxic and foul tasting (fritillaria are also very critter-proof in the Spring Garden), whereby EVERYTHING loves to munch on every part of tulips: bulb, flowers and entire plants.
Which leads me back to what this article is supposed to be about, as I have a somewhat similar problem right now; one of the best raised beds in my vegetable garden has somehow become filled with daffodils, and I got LOTS of edibles that need to be planted there!
So I will first give advice to Michael who wants to divide his bulbs, and then reveal the plan for my problem.
Michael: Do not attempt to divide bulbs right after the flowers fade. As I have mentioned many times, the green leaves must be left unmolested if you want to see flowers next year, because those green leaves are photosynthesizing the energy necessary to grow the following year’s bloom. (Or return only with leaves.)
And yes, this is the main reason that perennial bulbs like daffs fail to return; the gardener cut off the leaves right after the flower faded to make things look nice and clean. Beware excessive ‘cleaning up’!
Anyway, back to Michael’s division. Clip off the seed heads that have appeared where the flower used to be, but leave the leaves alone. You can gently remove them later this season when all trace of green is gone—but don’t rush it. Then wait for a dry spell and carefully dig the clumps out (don’t do this when the ground is wet to prevent disease problems in storage).
Let the clumps dry in a cool dark area with good air circulation for about a week. Then carefully untangle the tangled roots and cut them off the bulb, leaving an inch or two of root attached to the bulb.
Very Important: DO NOT WASH THEM! Moisture is the enemy of stored bulbs! Gently brush off any loose dirt, but only by hand—no scrubbing! Then store the bulbs in a cool, dry place out of the sun, protected from mice and such. Hanging them in mesh onion bags is perfect. Make sure they have good air circulation.
Or wrap them in newspapers or milled peat moss to help them retain moisture—but in a cool and dark place that’s not in direct sun until Halloween. Between Halloween and Thanksgiving is the perfect time for bulb planting in the mid-Atlantic and similar climates. Southerners should plant later.
Do NOT plant them early! It will screw up their vernalization and cause them to sprout too early and you won’t get your flower. Don’t feed at planting time; the flower is fully formed inside and needs no food. The best time to feed bulbs is after the flowers have faded in the Spring.
Now—what am I gonna do? As Mr. Spock famously said on an episode of the classic Star Trek, “I believe I shall take a risk.”
I’m going to wait until early evening on a non-scorching day. I have already prepared the bed they will move to. (It was filled with hostas and I already have to weed whack half the hostas we got out there!)
I will have been slowly deep watering the bed they’re in; and then I will begin grabbing them by the clump, as close to the ground as possible and begin to sloooowly pull. Clumps that pull up easily will be transplanted to their new home. If a clump resists, more water and maybe a little gentle hand digging around the edges.
Just don’t harm the roots! When you’re finished, water the newly planted bed deeply and spread compost on top.
Note: I am not separating my bulbs at this point. The idea is to move them so gently and without stress that they won’t even know they got moved. I may, however, separate them later on—when all the greenery is brown. I’ll clean up the roots just a touch and replant them in the same bed, because they already are where they need to be.
A. Evil is too nice a word for those long-tailed servants of Satan! They’re already trying to plant leftover black walnuts in all the containers I’m growing Spring lettuce in! (They are thwarted, however, by my unrolled tomato cage material arched over top. Hopefully.)
But it’s interesting that you mention those miserable munchers. I had one of the greatest displays of Spring ephemerals pop up around our crabapple tree this Spring: Snowdrops, Glory of Snow, Bloodroot, Hepatica, two kinds of Anemone, Spring Beauty, Virginia bluebells, Toothwort, Starflower, Wild Hyacinth, Wood Sorrel, and many many others (but not crocus; I grow them in my front garden; and the wild violets have taken over an area just outside of the garden proper.)
I have to stop here and thank the website “Epic Gardening” for helping me remember what I had and their names. Normally, I just sit there and look at them. If someone asks me “What’s this one’s name?” I say “Harry”.
Nothing bothered my amazing ephemerals, just like they didn’t bother my daffodils. Nothing bothers daffodils, as they are toxic and foul tasting (fritillaria are also very critter-proof in the Spring Garden), whereby EVERYTHING loves to munch on every part of tulips: bulb, flowers and entire plants.
Which leads me back to what this article is supposed to be about, as I have a somewhat similar problem right now; one of the best raised beds in my vegetable garden has somehow become filled with daffodils, and I got LOTS of edibles that need to be planted there!
So I will first give advice to Michael who wants to divide his bulbs, and then reveal the plan for my problem.
Michael: Do not attempt to divide bulbs right after the flowers fade. As I have mentioned many times, the green leaves must be left unmolested if you want to see flowers next year, because those green leaves are photosynthesizing the energy necessary to grow the following year’s bloom. (Or return only with leaves.)
And yes, this is the main reason that perennial bulbs like daffs fail to return; the gardener cut off the leaves right after the flower faded to make things look nice and clean. Beware excessive ‘cleaning up’!
Anyway, back to Michael’s division. Clip off the seed heads that have appeared where the flower used to be, but leave the leaves alone. You can gently remove them later this season when all trace of green is gone—but don’t rush it. Then wait for a dry spell and carefully dig the clumps out (don’t do this when the ground is wet to prevent disease problems in storage).
Let the clumps dry in a cool dark area with good air circulation for about a week. Then carefully untangle the tangled roots and cut them off the bulb, leaving an inch or two of root attached to the bulb.
Very Important: DO NOT WASH THEM! Moisture is the enemy of stored bulbs! Gently brush off any loose dirt, but only by hand—no scrubbing! Then store the bulbs in a cool, dry place out of the sun, protected from mice and such. Hanging them in mesh onion bags is perfect. Make sure they have good air circulation.
Or wrap them in newspapers or milled peat moss to help them retain moisture—but in a cool and dark place that’s not in direct sun until Halloween. Between Halloween and Thanksgiving is the perfect time for bulb planting in the mid-Atlantic and similar climates. Southerners should plant later.
Do NOT plant them early! It will screw up their vernalization and cause them to sprout too early and you won’t get your flower. Don’t feed at planting time; the flower is fully formed inside and needs no food. The best time to feed bulbs is after the flowers have faded in the Spring.
Now—what am I gonna do? As Mr. Spock famously said on an episode of the classic Star Trek, “I believe I shall take a risk.”
I’m going to wait until early evening on a non-scorching day. I have already prepared the bed they will move to. (It was filled with hostas and I already have to weed whack half the hostas we got out there!)
I will have been slowly deep watering the bed they’re in; and then I will begin grabbing them by the clump, as close to the ground as possible and begin to sloooowly pull. Clumps that pull up easily will be transplanted to their new home. If a clump resists, more water and maybe a little gentle hand digging around the edges.
Just don’t harm the roots! When you’re finished, water the newly planted bed deeply and spread compost on top.
Note: I am not separating my bulbs at this point. The idea is to move them so gently and without stress that they won’t even know they got moved. I may, however, separate them later on—when all the greenery is brown. I’ll clean up the roots just a touch and replant them in the same bed, because they already are where they need to be.
