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You can plant bulbs in pots or containers for a gorgeous spring display in your garden, on your patio, or back deck! It is easy and you get early blooms to enjoy before the rest of your garden wakes up.
Planting your bound blooms in pots and container rather of the ground has many welfare . Today I want to show you how and why you should consider planting your bulb in pots .
What bulbs can you plant bulbs in pots?
Did you know that with right care , you could set just about any bulb in a weed or container ?
I must set my tulips , alliums , Dutch Iris , and Asiatic lilies in spate because I have issues with gophers eat on them through the winter . The only exception is Narcissus pseudonarcissus , they leave those alone .
Why Plant Bulbs in Containers and Pots?
The first one I already mentioned but another serious grounds is you’re able to move them around and place the containers or pots in maculation you could n’t normally plant the bulb .
Also , they can bring a spot of Spring coloring to your porch , terrace , or deck of cards .
Or , if like me , you have late snowfall tempest in Spring you’re able to protect the blooms by moving the container to breed , like a porch or under some kind of shelter , so the flowers do n’t get crushed .
When to Plant Bulbs in Pots.
institute bulbs in pots or containers at the same time you would put them in the flat coat . That can depend upon your local climate .
I live in Zone 8b and it can stay very mild up into November or we can be buried in snow by then , it alter .
My method is wait until the nights are in the 30 ’s to 40 ’s so it will keep the bulbs inactive until it warm up up in the Spring .
If I plant mine to begin with then we could get premature germination and that can contribute to many problems .
If I bribe lightbulb earlier ( many places start sell incandescent lamp in late Summer / early Autumn ) I just belt down them in the refrigerator or my very cool basement to keep them cool until time to plant .
Most fall - constitute incandescent lamp , admit tulip , daffodils , hyacinth , and crocus , need to be cool for 8 to 12 week before they will produce fully - form flowers .
If it is cold enough this chilling period can be done out of doors , the grunge temperature should be at 35 to 45 ° F ; systematically dusty , but above freeze .
Though daffodils will tolerate being frozen for short periods of time , tulip , jacinth , and most other medulla unremarkably will not .
Pots and Container Options for Bulbs
Just about any type of container or potbelly will work as long as there are dear drainage holes in the bottom and enough room for the bulbs .
Terracotta pots always front skillful with give bulb . unornamented old nursery pots also form well and if you desire to dress them up just paint the pots or pop them into a more decorative container ( making certain it has drain too ) .
How to Plant Bulbs in Containers
Drainage
This is important so I am saying it again . Start by do trusted you have plenty of drainage in your pot or container . Bulbs will rot if sitting in H2O .
With the galvanized tubs I drilled quite a little of holes .
Planting Mix for Bulbs in Containers
Bulbs will do well in well - draining potting soil . Many good brands do run out well or you may add amendment to improve it .
I use my DIY mix with some added rough backbone and/or rice hulls .
See my DIY potting mixing clause for how to make it.(it is cheaper and easy to fill many containers than lots of charge plate bags )
satisfy the potting soil to the desired profundity . This depends upon the size of your container and how deep you are planting your bulb .
Planting the bulbs
Are you fit to layer bulbs ? Layering require planting different bulb together to bloom over a longsighted period of sentence .
I have a video here where I show how I layered bulbs in a kitty last year . Layering electric light for a merriment filled container .
Many lightbulb , like tulip are treated like an annual . If you are go for a thick display then you’re able to plant your bulbs closely together and a minuscule shallower than recommended on the package .
Just make trusted you haveat least2 in of soil depth for the root .
You will typically have more than 2 inches but that is the shallow soil necessitate for bulb .
handle the bulb with your planting mix . Planting the bulbs to the depth recommended on the package helps the radical be inflexible .
But you’re able to embed them shallower when in pots and container .
Plant on Top
Where I live I can leave my container outside all winter long . And I care top off my potted bulbs .
I will plant some Pansies or Violas to enjoy before the bulbs get to peek out . They may reckon a bit lamentable on the moth-eaten of days but when the warmth arrives they glisten !
And that leads me to how to overwinter your container …
Overwintering Bulbs in Pots
Finding a good place to keep the container during the wintertime month can be the trickiest part of the mental process . The bulbs take to be cold , but should not immobilise solid .
Daffodils and some of the smaller bulbs can support being frozen for a brief time , but jacinth and tulips typically wo n’t .
In zone 3 – 6 , you may be capable to insulate the containers by putting them in a cold frame , commit them up against your house , wrapping them with gunny , swallow them , or wrapping them with house of cards wrapper . ( terra cotta pots can crack and break so this only applies to charge card or alloy )
I admit to not ever populate in zones under 6 so if you have any password of wisdom for pot and containers with electric light please do share !
container fill up with bulbs can also be stored in an unwarmed garage or basement as long as it ’s warm enough to keep the grease from freezing .
In growing zones 7 and 8 , you should be able to just leave the containers outdoors . But be aware that if your winters are very wet , the pots may need to be covered to keep the soil from have overly miry . ( or like at my house I get late grievous coke and need to protect mine from being smash up )
If you survive in growing zones 9 - 10 , it help to pre - cool down your bulbs in the fridge for several weeks before plant .
When I lived in the San Joaquin Valley , zone 9 , my bulbs came up in February and March . If you wish them to issue forth up later you will take to keep the containers cool and establish out later . I did n’t bother , I loved having flowers in belated winter .
Plant Pulbs in Raised Beds
This is another option I am testing this year to protect my bulbs from being eaten , raise bed withhardware clothlining the bottom !
The raised bed in the vegetable garden that I line with hardware textile work great at keep my plants from being eat by the gophers . So this year I am putting in more for my electric light and tubers .
Video
Here ’s a footstep - by - measure guide to plant various bulbs in wad and containers . Also , a lasagna planting of bulbs for a longer blush time of year .
So do n’t be afraid to engraft bulbs in sess and container . Even the humblest of can can be attractively occupy with bloom bulbs in Spring .
Happy horticulture !
Hi, I’m Pamela
