Nov
24
2011

Bulb Season!

It’s that time of year again, bulb season! If you’ve been in to see us recently, I’m sure you have noticed all our lovely paperwhite and amaryllis bulbs. Some have been planted, some are in boxes or kits and some are still waiting to be taken home and planted up by you! Now is the perfect time to plant up your bulbs if you want them to be in full bloom by the holidays! Not sure exactly what you are doing when it comes to bulbs? No problem! Here are some sneaky tricks we use at the shops…take notes because they work almost every time!

Paperwhites:

-We like to cut off the dried up roots to force the new ones to sprout faster.

-Add a few stones or broken pottery to the bottom of your container for drainage.

-Your soil should always come a little higher than half of your bulb.

-Always give the bulbs a good twist once they are planted in soil and don’t forget to add some sort of support! (branches work best!)

-If you are resting your bulbs on top of pebbles or river stones, make sure the bulb isn’t sitting in water. The water should only slightly touch the roots of the bulb.

-Your bulbs maybe be taking their time to come up, if they are put them in a warm place. Close to a heater or a sunny window…but don’t forget to water them because they will dry up fast!

-Want to do the opposite? If they are growing too fast, add a little alcohol (yes alcohol) to them…but this only works if they are resting on stones…not planted in soil. Or place your pot of bulbs in a cool location, such as a garage or fridge.

Amaryllis:

-Plant them the same way you would a paperwhite. But do not remove all the dried up roots.

- Make sure your bulb is super secure in the soil because it will get top heavy when your stem is in bloom.

-Use branches to support your amaryllis, you may have to readjust them once it starts to grow.

-You will notice that your amaryllis grows towards the light…rotating your plant every few days will help it to grow straight!

-Just like paperwhites, if you need to slow down the growth of your plant you can place it in a cool location. Or speed up the process place them close to a radiator or in a sunny window!

Happy planting!