Q.
I have been growing bulbs and tubers for the last few years. They shoot out at the right time of the year and grow okay, but some plants are not flowering well or not at all. What can I do to make them flower?
A.
- Bulbs need well drained soil and plenty of sunlight to thrive.
- Once the bulbs start to grow start watering, this could be infrequent at first, increase watering as and when required depending upon the weather.
- Feed bulbs planted in the garden with a balanced specialty bulb fertiliser such as Tui Bulb Food, this can be dug in at the time of planting or applied when flower buds start appearing. Apply again once flowering has finished.
- If you are growing bulbs in pots and containers use a quality free draining potting mix such as Tui Bulb Mix. Repot bulbs into fresh potting mix at the beginning of each season as all of the fertiliser will have been used up. Feed bulbs in pots and containers with a controlled release fertiliser such as Tui Enrich Pots & Containers fertiliser. Some of your tubers, such as begonias, may be able to be left in the pot for a couple of seasons before repotting. Apply a controlled release fertiliser when new growth emerges.
- When bulbs have finished flowering leave the foliage to die down naturally as this is the bulbs food supply for next seasons growth and flowering.
- Overcrowding reduces flowering, divide clumps every 3-5 years when flowering has finished or once they have died down.
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How do I get my bulbs to flower? Comments
I moved house within the same area last September and dug up some of my daffodill bulbs to bring with me. I kept them in a large tub and planted them in the garden of our new home in May. Not one flowered even though we had hundreds of leaves. They had always flowered in our previous house's garden. Have you any idea why this happened? Do you think they will come up next year?
Barbara
Hi Barbara, there could be several reasons why your daffodils haven't flowered. It may be that your daffodils weren't planted deeply enough in their pot when you dug them up, if not planted deeply enough the summer heat can affect flowering. Did they receive enough water throughout summer? Ensure the foliage is left intact at the end of each season as that is the bulbs food storage for the following season. Not enough sunlight and keeping them in a shaded spot could affect flowering. Have the daffodils been fertilised with a balanced fertiliser such as a specialty bulb food, a fertiliser with too much nitrogen can cause a lot of leaf at the expense of flowers. Make sure the fertiliser contains phosphorus and potassium to promote flowering. I think next year they should flower as long as the bulbs are planted in a well drained soil, and are fed with a balanced fertiliser. Mulch over the summer months will protect the bulbs from intense summer heat.
Lianne