Bulbs have sprouted up in your garden. Crocus, grape hyacinths, and daffodils are blooming in whites, yellows and purples, and perhaps they have for many years. Tulips and irises will delight you in their own time.
All of this is above ground, but have you thought about what goes on beneath the soil?
Each year we enjoy these lovely perennials, from a diminutive three- or four-inches to a statuesque three-and-a-half-feet tall. Although the look of a thick clump of blooms above ground is elegant, most benefit from division beneath.
You will also benefit, with proper technique, by propagating your plants from the fleshy bulbs. Bulbs are specialized plant structures that allow plants to reproduce asexually – that is, without seeds. Typically, growing from a bulb is faster than from seed because there is already a shoot and food stores that are actually fleshy leaves. The end of the bulb that is opposite of the shoot is the basal plate where roots grow.
Dividing flower bulbs
When should I divide flower bulbs? The answer is six to eight weeks after the plant has bloomed. Proper care includes leaving the foliage until it withers and browns before cutting it to the ground. This not only restores and feeds the plant, it allows the bulbs to reproduce. Planning is essential because the best time to divide is when the foliage has withered and been cut. However, by that time you may not remember the beautiful bloom that dried brown clipping represents.
Take photographs of your garden and place a labelled marker in the ground where every plant grows, not just the ones you intend to separate! This will help prevent over planting another specimen that blooms too close or at the same time. Even if you don’t know the name of a plant, describe or number it until it can be identified using the photographs you’ve taken. Then replace the numbered label with its proper name.
When there are no plants next to labels in the garden, you’re ready to dig.
How do I divide bulbs? First, gather more blank labels for the bulbs if you are digging more than one kind at a time.
Second, have a plan for your harvest. Are there a few bare places in your yard where you\:! like to plant these same flowers? If so, it’s a good idea to have those sites prepared to plant right away.
Third, if you aren’t using your bulbs right away you’ll need temporary storage containers and labels for the extra bulbs you dig up. Be prepared to rinse the bulbs clean, and when they are dry to semi-moist store them in a cool, damp (but not wet) environment such as sphagnum moss. Use a container that breathes like a paper bag or a box with a wire mesh bottom.
After identifying the specimen to be divided, begin digging a circle about six inches from the center of the dead foliage and about eight inches deep so as not to damage bulbs. If you haven’t done this in a a few years, prepare to be amazed at how many you find! The longer you’ve waited, the more gentle your approach, and larger and deeper your hole should be.
Many other plants grow from bulbs and should be divided in the spring, including: amaryllis, cyclamen, lilies, dahlias, caladium, elephant ears, and rhubarb. What else can be propagated? Lots of things! You can start many kinds of plants from seed outdoors, but take into account the Northwest’s relatively short growing season. Even vegetable varieties with short maturation times (less than 80 days) do better with a jump start from seed indoors. For this reason, most people prefer to grow vegetables from starts.
Hostas are easily divided by slicing when their spring tips are beginning to show. Simply loosen the soil on one side of the plant clump and slice up to one-half the size (this can be cut into thirds) of the mother plant. Fill the hole with soil. The remaining half will regrow.
Different plants have various types of structures that can be divided for propagation. Some can produce flowers within a year; others require several years to fully mature. An excellent resource for the adventurous can be found in an article sponsored by Washington State Extension at http://tinyurl.com/digbulb.
Great herb and vegetable starts can be found at the Snohomish County MG Annual Plant Sale Saturday, May 7, 9 AM-2 PM at McCollum Park.