unplanted bulbs, how to save them?

[haapai]

I have a bunch of bulbs sitting on the kitchen table and there's six inches of snow on the ground.  Slap me with a wet noodle if you must but do you know any way to keep these bulbs from going to waste?  The bulbs in question are daffodils, snowdrops, dwarf irises, and one of the hardier anemones (windflower).  Can I throw them in the freezer and plant them in the spring?  Do I have to pot them and put them outside?  If I do pot them, what media should I use?  Should I just chuck them on the compost pile now and hope for a nice surprise (and an unusable compost pile) in the spring?  If you know what works, please share.

[Deleted]

Don't you always dig your bulbs up?   I have no clue because flowers aren't my thing, but my uncle is out there every Fall digging up wheelbarrows full of bulbs.  He just puts them in brown paper bags in the basement and replants in the Spring.

[Deleted]

I dunno where you are. If the 6" of sNOw will melt before the ground freezes, run out and plant the bulbs before the next sNOwfall. Or if you're willing to shovel the sNOw from the flower bed, dig and mix some garden soil for flowers, plant the bulbs, mulch. Wait for spring.

You can plant them in pots if you want to, just regular potting soil will do the trick. Do keep them outdoors if you put them in pots, then transplant them in the spring when the ground thaws.

If not, don't put them in the freezer. You can keep them in the fridge and try to plant in the spring; they will probably grow just fine but doubtful that they will bloom until the next year.

[Tennesseer]

Nov 13, 2019 13:28:53 GMT -5 haapai said:

I have a bunch of bulbs sitting on the kitchen table and there's six inches of snow on the ground.  Slap me with a wet noodle if you must but do you know any way to keep these bulbs from going to waste?  The bulbs in question are daffodils, snowdrops, dwarf irises, and one of the hardier anemones (windflower).  Can I throw them in the freezer and plant them in the spring?  Do I have to pot them and put them outside?  If I do pot them, what media should I use?  Should I just chuck them on the compost pile now and hope for a nice surprise (and an unusable compost pile) in the spring?  If you know what works, please share.

In what part of the country do you live? Are you expecting any warm up in the near future?

You can store them in your refrigerator's vegetable bin if need be until the spring if you cannot plant them now or in the near future.

If you have a non-ceramic pot, one that won't shatter from the rain/snow, freezing temps, and you would like to see a few of the daffodils bloom, plant a few in the pot and leave it outdoors.

[Deleted]

Not necessary to dig up the bulbs every year even in cold climates. Cut back the foliage and mulch. Presto, flowers the next spring/summer.

[haapai]

Some bulbs are hardy to zone 3 or lower and do not need to be lifted each fall.  The ones that your uncle is digging up each year are probably glads or dahlias or some other bulb type that won't survive the winter in his climate. 

I generally don't mess with bulbs that need lifting anymore.  I'm not any better at taking bulbs out in the fall than I am at planting them in the fall. 

FWIW, I'm in zone four or five. 

[tskeeter]

I think the key is to keep the bulbs cool/cold.  I wintered over a bunch of iris bulbs in a cardboard box in an unheated, uninsulated garage.  Around here, overnight temps in the winter run in the teens and low twenties.  Daytime highs are usually in the mid 30’s to low 40’s.  The water heater in the garage probably kept the temp above freezing most of the time.  The bulbs did well when I finally got around to planting them.  

The types of bulbs you listed require an extended period of cold weather in order to bloom.  IIRC, irises require at least three weeks of low 30 degree or below temperatures.  Some of my reading suggested storing bulbs in the refrigerator. I don’t remember any suggestions to freeze bulbs

[Deleted]

I never lifted bulbs even when we lived in the frozen north five miles south of the south shore of Lake Superior. The ground up there freezes down about 10-12 feet in the winter, no kidding! Had iris, glads, crocus, tulips, hyacinth, daffodils and daylilies every year, but I still wouldn't store the bulbs in the freezer.

[happyhoix]

Elephant ears are cold sensitive. I had a bunch that came back year after year, I never dug them up, then we had a colder than usual year and they froze. In the spring they were a rotten mush.

I've put amaryllis bulbs in the fridge, they like a cold spell but you can't leave them outside to freeze. I would leave them outside after they bloomed, then take them out of their pot and put them in a large baggie in the fridge.  It worked for about five years, then something went wrong one summer, the bulbs were undersized and when I tried to replant them they didn't sprout. I think I failed to water/fertilize adequately.

I would see if you get a warm spell and plant them if you can. If you plant them in the spring, you may  not get flowers - at least not this year.

[NastyWoman]

Nov 13, 2019 13:42:04 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Don't you always dig your bulbs up?   I have no clue because flowers aren't my thing, but my uncle is out there every Fall digging up wheelbarrows full of bulbs.  He just puts them in brown paper bags in the basement and replants in the Spring.

Huh? I remember digging up bulbs in the summer and replanting late fall for spring blooms? Must be the difference in weather/temperatures. Our (Dutch) weather is very similar to that of Seattle

ETA: crocuses I just "sowed" under my lawn by the hundreds and they would stick up their head out of the snow every spring. Never did anything with them after that first planting 

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

I live in Zone 5. You can plant all of those as long as you can still manipulate the soil (I.e., the ground has not frozen solid). I planted over 200 bulbs last December just before Christmas because I hated to waste them. The ground was frozen, but not solid. I topped each bulb with soft soil from a bag of a compost rich garden soil just to be safe. EVERY bulbcame up and bloomed beautifully. So either dig away the snow and plant, or check the weather to see when the snow will melt and then plant. Wind chills here today are in the teens and it won’t get much warmer until the middle of next week. I have around 100 bulbs to plant. I MIGHT get to it next weekend but I am not too worried as long as the ground doesn’t freeze solid.

[Deleted]

Nov 13, 2019 15:24:06 GMT -5 NastyWoman said:

Nov 13, 2019 13:42:04 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Don't you always dig your bulbs up?   I have no clue because flowers aren't my thing, but my uncle is out there every Fall digging up wheelbarrows full of bulbs.  He just puts them in brown paper bags in the basement and replants in the Spring.

Huh? I remember digging up bulbs in the summer and replanting late fall for spring blooms? Must be the difference in weather/temperatures. Our (Dutch) weather is very similar to that of Seattle

ETA: crocuses I just "sowed" under my lawn by the hundreds and they would stick up their head out of the snow every spring. Never did anything with them after that first planting 

My MN weather is nothing like Seattle!  We're zone 4, Seattle is 8. 

I know my uncle has Dahlias and it says they need to be pulled in all zones lower than 8. 

[haapai]

Nov 13, 2019 15:27:13 GMT -5 GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl said:

I live in Zone 5. You can plant all of those as long as you can still manipulate the soil (I.e., the ground has not frozen solid). I planted over 200 bulbs last December just before Christmas because I hated to waste them. The ground was frozen, but not solid. I topped each bulb with soft soil from a bag of a compost rich garden soil just to be safe. EVERY bulbcame up and bloomed beautifully. So either dig away the snow and plant, or check the weather to see when the snow will melt and then plant. Wind chills here today are in the teens and it won’t get much warmer until the middle of next week. I have around 100 bulbs to plant. I MIGHT get to it next weekend but I am not too worried as long as the ground doesn’t freeze solid.

Brrrrh.  I was so hoping for a different answer.  Yes, the snow will probably melt away and the ground will be workable but it will not be pleasant work.  There's also a possibility that planting bulbs in semi-frozen earth will create a pleasant enrichment exercise for the squirrels and chipmunks. 

Those cheeky little chipmunks not only munched through $150 in crocus bulbs but they also sat on my porch while munching on them.  They also left the very last bit of root behind.   They may have also munched on the daffodils, but done so on site.  The daffodil bulbs might have been too heavy for them to drag to the porch. 

The only crocuses that have survived their depredations are planted in meticulously twisted wire cages and it takes a long time to bend that wire, dig those holes, and fill those cages thoroughly. 

Right now I'm thinking of splitting the baby.  I'll make a stab at planting the irises, snowdrops, and anemones but I'll keep the daffodils in the crisper with vague plans for forcing them in February or March.  Putting them in the ground or the garage is probably just feeding the vermin. 

[Tiny]

I've successfully over wintered bulbs (tulips, daffodils, iris, and "mystery bulbs") when I couldn't get them into the ground in the fall.  (I got the bulbs from relatives/friends were changing their landscaping and were gonna throw them out).    

Here's what I did when I had about 200 bulbs: 

I didn't want to wet/wash the bulbs so I spread 'em all out on layers of newspaper on the basement floor (cool, dry, dim) to dry out enough so I could remove as much of the soil as I could about 7 to 10 days (I set 'em out to dry on a Sunday nite and by the next Sunday they were dry enough to clean off). 

Once I brushed as much of the dirt off them as I could I laid a couple of old wooden window screens on the basement floor (with newspaper under neath) in a back corner.  I then spread the bulbs in a single layer on the screens.   I then put a piece of newspaper over them.   The goal here was to keep the bulbs in the "dark", dry, and with some air circulation.   In the spring I planted the bulbs (and put some screening over the flower beds to keep the damn squirrels from digging them all up...  )    That first year in the ground the bulbs sprouted and came up but were so so... once they got settled in - they've been beautiful every year since then. 

Alternatively  (here's what I've done when I've had 30 or so tulip bulbs) : 

If you have any large flower pots with dirt already in them - you could plant the bulbs in the flower pots now and let them over winter in your garage/basement/shed.   You can transplant from the flower pots in the spring or just have pots of early spring flowers.     (squirrels will dig them up from the pots.... you may need to find a way to deter the little monsters)    

I have two large planters (24inches wide probably 24 inches deep) on either side of my front steps.   I had planted daffodil bulbs in them in very late fall (after Thanksgiving) - I made sure the bulbs were 8 inches or so deep and atleast 4 inches from the sides.   They did great and looked awesome in the spring (for many years).   I would cut the foliage back and plant petunias/geranimums on top of them for the summer.   

[oped]

Nov 13, 2019 13:42:04 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Don't you always dig your bulbs up?   I have no clue because flowers aren't my thing, but my uncle is out there every Fall digging up wheelbarrows full of bulbs.  He just puts them in brown paper bags in the basement and replants in the Spring.

Sometimes I dig bulbs to separate and spread them. Otherwise not here in pa anyway.

[Tiny]

I have a terrible feeling that the bulbs will rot if you store them in your fridge crisper.    Why not wrap them loosely in some newspaper and store them in your garage/shed/basement/enclosed unheated back porch (someplace not human friendly warm)?    I would use newspaper and  box tops from the "paper boxes" which I could get at work.  The box tops are the perfect size for stacking (and recycle-able).   (they make great cat beds too)    Bulbs need to breathe (so no plastic bags or containers!!!) and to be dry, cool, and in the  dark/dim light.   The fridge is moist, dark and cold... 

[haapai]

Sigh, you are probably right.  The daffodil bulbs probably have better odds if I throw them into the garage than in the crisper or the basement.  The basement is too warm and the crisper is too humid.  The dry, desiccating air of the garage would probably be better for them. 

How much do I have to worry about them freezing?  The garage is completely detached from the house and quite drafty.  There are no machines out there that kick out any sort of heat.  I don't even park the car in the garage.  Putting these bulbs in the garage probably means that they will have to survive several weeks of single digit temperatures and several days of temperatures in the negative (Fahrenheit) range.    Can they survive that nekkid or would potting them up improve their odds?  If I put them in media, should I water them before putting them in the garage or should I just put them in insulating dirt topped with screen and topped with a brick? 

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

Caveat: if critters are hungry enough, they’ll eat anything. That said, I smother each bulb in cheap garlic powder before I cover it up with dirt and then douse the planting area with more garlic powder after topping the bulbs with soil.

As for freezing, they NEED to freeze. They need a cold, dormant, period. Whether they would survive naked, I don’t see why not, but I’m not sure. The planting will not be all that tough — you can do it!

[Tiny]

Nov 13, 2019 17:01:19 GMT -5 haapai said:

How much do I have to worry about them freezing?  The garage is completely detached from the house and quite drafty.  There are no machines out there that kick out any sort of heat.  I don't even park the car in the garage.  Putting these bulbs in the garage probably means that they will have to survive several weeks of single digit temperatures and several days of temperatures in the negative (Fahrenheit) range.    Can they survive that nekkid or would potting them up improve their odds?  If I put them in media, should I water them before putting them in the garage or should I just put them in insulating dirt topped with screen and topped with a brick?  

I don't think freezing is a problem... they'd freeze 8 inches down in your flower bed.  I would NOT store damp/moist bulbs.  I'd make sure they were dry going into storage.  My garage is detached and unheated and even seeds in flower pots (marigold volunteers) and hosta roots/tubers bare and just shoved into pots without dirt because I couldn't figure out what to do with them...   survived 10 days of negative temperatures and weeks of otherwise freezing or lower temps.    I wouldn't add extra water them if you plant them in pots.  If you aren't gonna plant em in pots... I'd  make sure the bulbs were dry,  maybe crumple some newspaper and then loosely put it all into a container (flower pot? cardboard box? plastic bin with the lid off?) and leave them in your garage. 

Have you ever wrapped green tomatoes in newspaper?  It's alittle like that -  I wouldn't necessarily wrap each bulb seperately - you're just trying to create some space between clumps of bulbs with a medium that will absorb a bit of moisture.   


Have you seen the bulbs in "net" bags at the Big Box stores?  Those bulbs have probably been without dirt or water for months and months - before you buy 'em and plant 'em.    You just need to keep them dry, cool/cold, with some air circulation and no direct sun light. 

[raeoflyte]

I stored bulbs in by basement freezer last winter to force bulbs for mothers day. But when I looked up specific instructions was told they wont bloom if you kept them in a fridge with fruits or veggies which I had so I didn't even bother.

[NastyWoman]

Nov 13, 2019 15:39:08 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Nov 13, 2019 15:24:06 GMT -5 NastyWoman said:

Huh? I remember digging up bulbs in the summer and replanting late fall for spring blooms? Must be the difference in weather/temperatures. Our (Dutch) weather is very similar to that of Seattle

ETA: crocuses I just "sowed" under my lawn by the hundreds and they would stick up their head out of the snow every spring. Never did anything with them after that first planting 

My MN weather is nothing like Seattle!  We're zone 4, Seattle is 8. 

I know my uncle has Dahlias and it says they need to be pulled in all zones lower than 8. 

We are a zone 7-8 (on the cusp). so my guess of temperature differences was spot on.