Great reply GardenGal. Just about anything written back in the last century suggests fertilizing after the bulb has bloomed. But research at Kansas State University has discovered that once the bulb has flowered, the roots shut down and any fertilizer applied at this time is wasted. Why don't I let them tell you themselves. I hope that I am not breaking any copy write laws... Oh, one last thing, I have wondered if giving them a good foliar feed with Miracle Gro or Fish Emulsion while they are blooming would be useful. I'll shut up now Released: February 18, 2000 Feed Tulips, Daffodils When They Emerge MANHATTAN, Kan. Gardeners often waste fertilizer on spring-flowering bulbs. Traditional gardening lore holds that the time to feed tulips, daffodils and the like is while or after they bloom. Scientists have found, however, that when these plants begin to flower, their roots start to die  which shuts off the route fertilizer needs to reach the bulb. "The roots are most active when the plants foliage first pokes through the ground in spring," said Ward Upham, K-State Research and Extension horticulturist. "If you feed spring-flowering bulbs then, theyÂll make best use of the nutrients that help produce flowers the following year." Tradition also holds that gardeners should leave springÂflowering bulbs foliage in place until it dies naturally. That folk wisdom is exactly on-target, Upham said. Each yearÂs eight weeks of fading foliage is more important than fertilizer for ensuring next yearÂs blooms. "After flowering, however, the plant is transferring energy from its dying foliage to its bulb, not taking nutrients up from the ground," he said. "So, fertilizer applied then really is a total waste." Which early-spring fertilizer to apply depends on the nutrients already in the soil. "An on-site soil test is the only sure way to know. But if youÂve applied a complete fertilizer to the bulbs in the past, chances are your soil wonÂt need phosphorus and potassium," Upham said. "In that case, blood meal is excellent, applied at a rate of 2 pounds per 100 square feet or 1 teaspoon per square foot." An "okay" alternative is turf fertilizers, applied at two-thirds pound per 100 square feet. These fertilizers typically list their nutrient content with three-number groupings such as 27-3-3 and 30-3-3. For soils that need phosphorus and potassium, Upham recommended using a complete fertilizer at a rate of 2.5 pounds per 100 square feet or 1 rounded teaspoon per square foot. Complete fertilizers carry near-equal numbers on their labels (e.g., 10-10-10 and 9-9-6). # # # Filler: Spring-flowering bulbs get smaller and weaker year after year unless theyÂre allowed to keep their foliage until it dies. Unfortunately, the dying leaves arenÂt too attractive. So, gardeners often try to make the spent foliage look better by braiding it or folding it into a sheaf with a rubberband or string. "If you donÂt want to watch the leaves die, however, simply interplant your spring-flowering bulbs with a perennial that will be growing up as the bulb foliage dies down," he advised. "Many people find some variety of day lily works well in this kind of situation." -30- K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus in Manhattan. Kathleen W. Ward Communications Specialist

greetings! There are different schools of thought on fertilizers. But most agree to NOT fertilize when they are going dormant, or anytime during dormancy. I don't usually fertilize until plants are growing well. That's usually sometime in June for me. And there doesn't seem to be any real evidence that a high middle number (P) helps with blooming. Plumerias will bloom when the branch growths are mature enough and when the plant has enough resources (good root system, beefy limbs, etc.) to expend energy on inflos. Also, you don't really want a super-high Nitrogen fert either as the plant may grow too much soft leafy growth instead of blooming. Now, some do advocate using a source of Magnesium (like Epsom salts) to give the plant a boost in preparation for dormancy and then again in Spring? I may have that wrong so hopefully Bill with comment.

I plant them whenever I have time and get around to it! More often very late as opposed to a little late. I recall 1991, having our families over for Thanksgiving dinner and to see our new house. Guess who was in the house cleaning and baking ahead of time, and who was out in the yard frantically planting hundreds of bulbs before the ground froze? I am sure you can guess that I was out in the yard planting despite all the company coming over. I even had to take a day or two off work to get all the bulbs in the ground. I had the pleasure/misfortune to be told about what a great deal it is to order from a wholesale catalog . . . Hundreds of daffodils, hundreds of crocuses, tulips, scilla, chiondoxa, lilies, you name it. Last fall I didn't get all the daffodils planted, so I planted some of them at the beginning of March. They bloomed just fine. I only bought them because they were $6 for 50 daffodils at Menards very late in the year, hubby foolishly pointed them out to me. Fortunately I had kept the bulbs in the basement so they worked out, they just bloomed later than the rest is all. Marcia

Quote from Cynthia's roses, "What is this fertilizer you speak of??" Seriously, I made an unusual effort this year and fertilized them all once in the spring, though I didn't notice any particular difference from last year. Every year I pull out the liquid fertilizer and swear I'm going to top up at least the wimpy roses later in the spring and summer with a weak solution, and every year the bottles get rained on and that's about it. At least by fall I have the excuse not to bother. I agree in principle with not fertilizing in the last 6-8 weeks before the first hard frost, but I've hardly put that to the test even remotely any year. By Halloween however I'll probably go put away those extra bags of fertilizer and Ironite that have been sitting on my front porch since April. I think that counts as fertilizer work, right? Cynthia