Mulch Your Spring Flower Bulbs in the Fall for a Beautiful Spring Display
by Michael J. McGroarty -
www.freeplants.com
Flower
bulbs need a good, long, winters sleep. Like some people we
know, if they wake up before they are fully rested, they get
kind of cranky, and then they don’t bloom well at all.
Actually what happens is during a mild winter, the soil
stays too warm, and the bulbs begin to come out of dormancy
early. They start to grow, and once the tips emerge above
the soil line, they are subject to freezing if the
temperatures dip back down below freezing. And that’s
usually what happens. After the bulbs have emerged, they
freeze and then don’t bloom at all, or if they do it’s a
very sad display.
Another reason this happens is because the bulbs are not
planted deep enough. They may have been deep enough when you
planted them, but as the soil goes through the freezing and
thawing process, the bulbs can actually work their way up in
the ground. One way to keep your flower bulbs sleeping
longer, which will protect them from freezing, is to mulch
the bed.
In
the fall just apply a 3-4” layer of well composted mulch.
This layer of mulch will do a couple of things. It will
maintain a higher moisture content in the soil, which is
good, as long as the soil isn’t too soggy. Well composted
mulch also adds valuable organic matter to the planting bed.
Organic matter makes a great natural fertilizer.
A
3-4” layer of mulch also acts as an insulator. It will keep
the soil from freezing for a while, which is good because
you don’t want the bulbs going through a series of short
cycles of freezing and thawing. Then when the temperatures
drop below freezing and stay there for a while, the soil
does eventually freeze. Then the mulch actually works in
reverse and keeps the soil from thawing out too early.
Keeping it in a frozen state is actually good because the
bulbs remain dormant for a longer period of time.
When
they finally do wake up it is spring time, and hopefully by
the time they emerge from the ground the danger of a hard
freeze is past and they will not be damaged. If you can keep
them from freezing, they will flower beautifully. The extra
organic matter will help to nourish the bulbs when they are
done blooming, and the cycle starts all over again.
We
also plant annual flowers in the same beds with our spring
bulbs. By the time the danger of frost is past and it’s time
to plant the annuals, the top of the bulbs have died back
and are ready to be removed. The mulch that is added in the
fall also helps to nourish the annual flowers, as well as
improve the soil permanently. Anytime you add well composted
organic matter to your planting beds, you are bound to
realize multiple benefits. The key words here are “well
composted”. Fresh material is not good.
Michael J. McGroarty is the author of this article. Visit
his most
interesting website,
www.freeplants.com and sign up for his excellent
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