SEPT/OCT 2014
15
GARDENING
Conquering Separation
Anxiety in the Fall Garden
Keep your summer bulbs at their
bloomin’ best
by Frank Kourt,
Staff Writer
You may not want
to hear about spring
and summer blooming plants right now.
It is, after all, nearly fall, and aren’t
we done with all that?
Well, not really. Not, that is, if
you want your summer bulbs to
be happy and healthy and at their
bloomin’ best.
It may seem like the simplest
thing in the world to plant bulbs,
but over the years, you may well find
your efforts have been too successful. By that I mean the bulbs tend to
multiply, and when that happens,
they have to be dug up, separated
and re-planted elsewhere if you
expect them to bloom the next year.
A good case in point is the
venerable iris. For several years, we
planted irises in half whiskey barrels, and they’ve rewarded us with
beautiful, delicate blooms. This year,
though, not so much. The trouble is
the rhizomes have grown too close
together, resulting in no blooms.
This means they have to be dug up,
separated and re-planted before
the cold conditions of October and
November hold sway.
In order to do this, it’s best to lift
the crowded irises out of the ground
in a clump, if possible. If that’s not
going to work, you’re going to
Iris bulbs separated and
ready to plant.
have to break the giant clump into
smaller ones.
Next, brush as much dirt away
from the rhizomes as you can and
break the clumps apart into pieces
about 4 inches long. Each rhizome
should have at least one fan of leaves
on it. Those that have no leaves can
be discarded. Make sure you keep
the roots in each rhizome intact.
Once you have your separate rhizomes, you can trim the leaves back
to about 6 inches.
Now find a sunny spot with
well-drained soil and dig your hole
and plant the rhizome just below
ground level, spreading the roots
and spacing them about a foot and a
half apart. Cover the rhizomes with
loose, rich soil, allowing the leaf fans
to protrude from the ground, and
water them well.
Daffodils may experience similar
problems, while tulips seem less
likely to crowd. If you noticed your
daffodil blooms underperforming
last spring, it may well be that, like
iris rhizomes, the bulbs have multiplied to the point where blooming is
impeded.
If you know where your daffodils
are buried, you should have no
problem digging them up and separating the bulbs for re-planting. Unfortunately, at this time of year, the
foliage may have died back to the
point where you can no longer find
their resting place. Don’t despair;
you’ll just have to wait until spring,
when the foliage comes back, and
mark the spot for easy identification
next fall.
Assuming you do know where
your daffs are buried, just dig them
up and separate the bulbs. Replant
the largest bulbs in well-drained
soil in a sunny spot about 5 inches
below the soil’s surface, making sure
the pointed end is facing up. Space
them about 4 to 5 inches apart.
Here’s an example of iris crowding that needs to be remedied.
Water thoroughly, then cover with
about 3 inches of mulch to protect
the bulbs from the cold and keep
them moist.
In the less likely event you have a
tulip-crowding problem, dig up the
bed and separate the bulbs, leaving
some in the original spot. Plant your
tulip bulbs about 8 inches deep,
drop in a generous amount of peat
moss and add some bulb fertilizer.
Cover them up with soil and water
well.
If all goes well, you’ll be greeted
by a whole new set of blooms next
summer!
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