Plant Spring Bulbs
Do you have to put fertilizer down the planting hole?
Absolutely not. In fact, putting anything down the hole after the bulb is definitely not a recommended gardening practice even though it is often recommended on fertilizer packages (which tells you who wants you to put the fertilizer down the hole) :-)
It turns out that sometimes tender bulb roots are burned by chemical fertilizers. Why this comes as a surprise to many gardeners is beyond me. It burns the roots of most plants if it comes in direct contact with them. Why not bulbs too?
How do you feed bulbs?
By having fertile soil and the easiest way to get the food down to the bulbs is by tossing several shovels of compost onto the soil in the fall or very early spring over top of them. That will surely make them happy.
What About Watering the Bulbs After Planting?
This is a great idea. Soaking them in does several things. To begin with it will settle the bulb in the soil and definitely bring the emerging roots into contact with damp soil (a good thing).
It will also eliminate the signs of any soil digging. This is one of the cues that squirrels use when deciding when and where to dig your bulbs. Disturbed ground = food to a squirrel. So when you turn the area into a giant mudpie, the squirrels can’t find the disturbed ground (plus they don’t like getting their feet muddy).
Anything else I really need to know about spring bulbs?
Not in the fall. Simply put them in the ground, cover them over and go back to doing something interesting.
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