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#1
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how to dig up tulip bulbs safely?
When digging up tulip bulbs, to divide them:
(1) How do you avoid damaging the bulbs? I can't think of any way to prevent goung some bulbs, except to have them in soil so friable (such as Miracle Gro potting soil) that you could just lift them out and not use a spade. (2) When you have damaged a bulb, how much damage is "okay"? How much can get lopped of, and the thing will probably grow next spring anyway? Thank you! Ted Shoemaker |
#2
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Get underneath them with a fork first. Wiggle the fork to loosen the soil,
then lift gently. Unless you're planting in cement, that should give a result that'll allow you to feel around in the soil with your bare hands and extract the bulbs without hurting them. "Ted Shoemaker" wrote in message om... When digging up tulip bulbs, to divide them: (1) How do you avoid damaging the bulbs? I can't think of any way to prevent goung some bulbs, except to have them in soil so friable (such as Miracle Gro potting soil) that you could just lift them out and not use a spade. (2) When you have damaged a bulb, how much damage is "okay"? How much can get lopped of, and the thing will probably grow next spring anyway? Thank you! Ted Shoemaker |
#4
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I don't have tulips, but I have a lot of daffodils. When I dig them up
to divide them I just use a fork and don't worry about gouging some. I always end up with far more undamaged bulbs than I started with, and usually have to give some away. I don't keep any that show a wound, although I suspect some of them would survive. Ted Shoemaker wrote: When digging up tulip bulbs, to divide them: (1) How do you avoid damaging the bulbs? I can't think of any way to prevent goung some bulbs, except to have them in soil so friable (such as Miracle Gro potting soil) that you could just lift them out and not use a spade. (2) When you have damaged a bulb, how much damage is "okay"? How much can get lopped of, and the thing will probably grow next spring anyway? Thank you! Ted Shoemaker -- SPAMBLOCK NOTICE! To reply to me, delete the h from apkh.net, if it is there. |
#5
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2) When you have damaged a bulb, how much damage is "okay"? How
much can get lopped of, and the thing will probably grow next spring anyway? Ted As long as there is part of the basal plate attached to the piece, it should grow. Of course, the larger the part of the plate, the more likely it will grow and bloom. The basal plate is the flat part at the bottom of the bulb where the roots will emerge. I let any cut pieces dry out for a day or so and callous over before replanting. Emilie NorCal |
#6
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I did them up all the time by accident, - also when I go to pull the dead
foliage off in early June, often the entire bulb comes up with the leaf. I just stick them back in the dirt and they have expanded like crazy in my garden, where, apparently, they are not only perennial but invasive....LOL Incidentally, although I'm in a cold climate, I have found that they will grow perfectly well if planted anywhere from 1 to 5 inches deep. "Ted Shoemaker" wrote in message om... When digging up tulip bulbs, to divide them: (1) How do you avoid damaging the bulbs? I can't think of any way to prevent goung some bulbs, except to have them in soil so friable (such as Miracle Gro potting soil) that you could just lift them out and not use a spade. (2) When you have damaged a bulb, how much damage is "okay"? How much can get lopped of, and the thing will probably grow next spring anyway? Thank you! Ted Shoemaker |
#7
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"Ted Shoemaker" wrote in message om... When digging up tulip bulbs, to divide them: (1) How do you avoid damaging the bulbs? I can't think of any way to prevent goung some bulbs, except to have them in soil so friable (such as Miracle Gro potting soil) that you could just lift them out and not use a spade. (2) When you have damaged a bulb, how much damage is "okay"? How much can get lopped of, and the thing will probably grow next spring anyway? Thank you! Ted Shoemaker It has been my experience that most bulbs reproduce like crazy. I have had more trouble clearing my garden of unwanted flowers than of damaging any bulbs while digging them up. |
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