How to Plant Spring Bulbs: When, How Deep & What Comes Back, by Family Tree Nursery on YouTube. 7 min 46 s.
- Video length
- 7 min 46 s
- Time to do it
- 1 hour
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 9
What you need
Steps
Buy bulbs in early fall while the selection is good. Look for firm, heavy bulbs with no soft spots or mold, and plant them before the ground freezes.
Plant when soil temperatures have cooled, roughly when nighttime temperatures drop near freezing. In most areas that means October into November, before the ground hardens.
Set each bulb with the pointed end up and the flat root plate down. If you cannot tell, plant it sideways and it will right itself.
Dig a hole about three times the bulb's height. That is roughly 6 to 8 inches for large tulips and daffodils and 3 to 4 inches for small crocus.
Plant tulips in tight groups of 7 to 10 bulbs rather than single rows. Space them about one bulb-width apart for a full bouquet-style display.
Choose a spot with at least six hours of sun and soil that drains well. Avoid low spots where water pools and rots the bulbs.
Pick bulbs that return reliably, such as daffodils, crocus and allium. Many hybrid tulips bloom well the first year but fade in later years.
For containers, use pots with drainage holes and layer bulbs with the largest deepest and smallest near the surface. Cover with soil and water once.
Mix bulb fertilizer into the soil at planting or scratch it in as shoots emerge in spring. Do not pile fertilizer directly on the bulbs.
Tips and common mistakes
Backfill the hole and water well after planting so soil settles around the bulbs and removes air pockets.
Cover beds with chicken wire or mesh just under the soil surface to stop squirrels digging up fresh bulbs.
Mark where you planted so you do not dig into the bulbs later or mistake spring shoots for weeds.
Skip heavy watering in winter; soggy soil is a bigger killer of bulbs than cold.
Questions
Which way up do I plant a bulb?
Pointed end up, flat root plate down. If a bulb is round and you cannot tell, plant it on its side and the shoot will grow upward.
Will my tulips come back every year?
Some will, but many hybrid tulips bloom best the first year and thin out after that. Daffodils, crocus and allium are more reliable returners.
Can I plant bulbs in pots?
Yes. Use a pot with drainage holes, plant at the same depth as in the ground, and expect to water more often since pots dry out faster.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
