The Dim Bulb that Killed the Live Bulb
April 23, 2017 1:47 PM Subscribe
Did I kill these flower bulbs?
Last Fall I bought a bunch of flower bulbs--mostly daffodils and tulips--and made a couple of dim-witted mistakes:
Last Fall I bought a bunch of flower bulbs--mostly daffodils and tulips--and made a couple of dim-witted mistakes:
- I let the ground freeze before I got them in the ground.
- Instead of storing them in a cool, dry place, I left them on my stairs all winter.
Wait, 58 not "-58"? Should be fine if there was not serious sub-zero periods. Plant'em.
posted by sammyo at 2:28 PM on April 23, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by sammyo at 2:28 PM on April 23, 2017 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Go ahead and plant them. They won't bloom, I don't think, but they might leaf out and that will re-charge the bulb. If not, they'll disintegrate into the ground and, uh, cycle of life. Water them well when you plant them, then forget it.
Don't worry about the ground freezing when you plant bulbs unless it's to a degree you can't get a shovel in. I've planted bulbs way into November and I think even December and while I think they come up a little late, they're really forgiving, they're little fat carbohydrate storage cells and they are designed to wait, and wait, and wait, for the good times. (I'm a terrible bulb abuser.)
I just planted some caladium bulbs today--they are leafy foliage bulbs you plant in the summer and store in the winter--and they spent all winter in my closet, which is what they're supposed to do, and they're light as a feather and look like shrunken heads. They will be fine--I do this every year. First year, I felt like I was planting crumpled up bits of paper.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 2:50 PM on April 23, 2017 [2 favorites]
Don't worry about the ground freezing when you plant bulbs unless it's to a degree you can't get a shovel in. I've planted bulbs way into November and I think even December and while I think they come up a little late, they're really forgiving, they're little fat carbohydrate storage cells and they are designed to wait, and wait, and wait, for the good times. (I'm a terrible bulb abuser.)
I just planted some caladium bulbs today--they are leafy foliage bulbs you plant in the summer and store in the winter--and they spent all winter in my closet, which is what they're supposed to do, and they're light as a feather and look like shrunken heads. They will be fine--I do this every year. First year, I felt like I was planting crumpled up bits of paper.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 2:50 PM on April 23, 2017 [2 favorites]
(Yeah, squishy I would maybe give up on but merely desiccated I'd give it a go.)
posted by A Terrible Llama at 2:50 PM on April 23, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by A Terrible Llama at 2:50 PM on April 23, 2017 [1 favorite]
"Plant them and see what happens" is about 85% of my approach to gardening. What do you have to lose?
posted by humboldt32 at 1:34 AM on April 24, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by humboldt32 at 1:34 AM on April 24, 2017 [3 favorites]
7 months in temperatures between 58F and 68F
You won't be getting flowers this year, but you'll get some mostly-nice greenery.
And then you'll be all set for a year from now, and won't have to remember them in Autumn!
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 7:15 AM on April 24, 2017 [2 favorites]
You won't be getting flowers this year, but you'll get some mostly-nice greenery.
And then you'll be all set for a year from now, and won't have to remember them in Autumn!
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 7:15 AM on April 24, 2017 [2 favorites]
I just put tulips in the ground that I forgot in a box outside all winter, exposed to rain and snow and temperature changes. They seem to be happier now.
Most of them were sprouting in the box and I threw out the ones that were obviously moldy. If they're firm they are probably fine and will look scraggly this year but nice the next.
posted by lydhre at 11:52 AM on April 24, 2017
Most of them were sprouting in the box and I threw out the ones that were obviously moldy. If they're firm they are probably fine and will look scraggly this year but nice the next.
posted by lydhre at 11:52 AM on April 24, 2017
This thread is closed to new comments.
If they still feel firm, and you can see white flesh under the skin (sort of like an onion), then I would go ahead and plant them.
If they are moldy-looking, rotten, squishy, and stinky, then I would toss them and try again next year.
posted by colfax at 1:55 PM on April 23, 2017 [1 favorite]