Bulbs in garage sprouting too early

10 years ago

I planted pots of bulbs and put them in the garage. It's pretty cold in there, cold enough that if I keep a watering can near the door, it freezes.

I noticed some daffodils coming up already. The tips are just peaking out of the soil. My goal was to put them outside after frost, in April.

Should I stop watering them? Maybe put some mulch on top of the pots?

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Comments (11)

katob Z6ish, NE Pa
10 years ago
Just leave them. Keep them watered but not too moist, and as long as they stay cool, the sprouts shouldn't extend too much. Bulbs will grow roots after planting as well as sprouts, the sprouts shouldn't get too big until after a couple weeks of cold temperatures have passed.
If they look like they're getting too big maybe you could find a leaf pile to bury them in outdoors. That should be enough protection to take them through the winter.
junebugapril
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks Kato, I only have a balcony but I have a bunch of Christmas tree branches in my window boxes that I could pull down and cover them with.
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If the pots are reasonably large - 10-12" high and across, and you originally used a good-quality mix - check to see if they need water. The garage is providing a micro-climate, either frost-free, or not too much (you've probably gained a zone or two!) so the bulbs are acting as they would, say, for me, instead of snuggling down to wait out the cold. My winters are usually wet, with overnight frosts gone before lunchtime except for in frost hollows. If I get an eighth of an inch of ice on the pond I'm complaining! The bulbs are fine with this. The early daffs start flowering late July-early August (your January to February) and the others come along according to their type. Light and moisture and protection from deep/lasting frost is what you'll be needing to provide. If the garden bed you have in mind can protect from any deep frost then plunging the larger pots is an option. If you feel you have a 'sacrificial' pot, then it could be worth the experiment, if you're unsure. If the pots you've found are smaller than 10" across/deep, then potting on is probably in order. You might be amazed by the sheer density of the root mass curled around the inside of the pot. And the extra bulbs you've acquired by natural division. Don't try to separate them (although the bulbs could well break apart from the mass if the soil is particularly dry); put them into a bigger pot which will allow at least four inches of fresh mix below the present roots and enough soil above to completely cover the paler green of the stems. (It seems to improve the stiffness of the stems.) Leave the deeper green sprouts above the new soil. Water once, and after then only enough to maintain even damp but never dripping wet. When your soil is workable in spring you could plant out and let the bulbs finish the season in the soil.
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You could plant all the glads together in 1 large pot to save space for now. Separate and plant outside later,(June) when the soil warms up, ditto for Elephant E's. If planted too soon, when soil is still too cold, they will rot.
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My understanding is they don't need any dormancy at all, so if you have a place with good light you could bring it in. I'm of course much warmer here in south Louisiana than you are, but my 'Illustris' has been outside for several years now. This crazy winter they kept starting into growth and then getting nipped, but I'm sure they'll be fine. Seems funny to me that they do much better in a very large self-watering pot than in the ground where I thought they'd be protected from the cold better--think I've lost that whole patch. But that was more because of last year's drought. I water, but not enough.
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The question really is whether you think you'll get a hard frost (e.g. the moisture in the soil actually freezes to any extent) or not. The tubers will survive in the soil with cool temperatures, just not frost. Remember, they are shallow root plants so you only need to freeze a couple of inches of soil and you'll kill or damage the roots. It would take several weeks of ground frost to kill the tuber (think about what happens at the end of the season.) I too am in Zone 5, and am on the side of a lake (which usually means our temperatures are slightly higher than others) but you are more daring than I. But my reason is that most of mine are 8" tall already and I don't want to have to bother with coverings for frost warnings. Most of my tubers took 15 days to go from nothing to a cuttable sprout. Were they in the ground, that sprout would have had a couple of sets of leaves above the ground and would have been highly susceptible to frost. The up-side of your plan, however, is that even if the above-ground part gets frosted, a root system should get established as well, so a new sprout should come up quickly. Good luck, and let us know how it works out for you. Cheers, Russ
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dbarron
10 years ago
In mild winters, I've had daffs start sprouting by Christmas, so this isn't horribly unusual. (I mean permanently planted outdoors daffs)
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
10 years ago
Daffodils are showing shoots here outdoors. They'll just sit it out until the conditions suit them. They are not fazed by cold.
junebugapril
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks, you guys! I was afraid to leave the window boxes outside here, in Zone 5. I've tried planting bulbs directly in my balcony window boxes, and they don't come up. Same with pansies I try to overwinter, they don't come back either.

So it sounds like I should just keep them in the garage and not worry about them. Hopefully they won't get too big. I'm still thinking I should probably cut back the watering to once a month or so.
dbarron
10 years ago
If they freeze solid, they will usually rot and die. That's why you lose them in the window boxes.
katob Z6ish, NE Pa
10 years ago
I wish it were that straightforward but I think there's more going on than just avoiding freezing.
I have plenty of bulbs that freeze solid yet grow and bloom just fine... but I've also had plenty that rot in containers after looking healthy all winter. Maybe next fall I'll do a little planting experiment :)
junebugapril
Original Author
10 years ago
I did try one experiment. I have an enormous pot, so I planted a couple of Iris rhizomes right in the middle, then covered the pot with a pile of Spruce branches. We'll see if they survive the Chicago winter!

If these puppies in the garage get any bigger I might have to bring them in the house as forced bulbs.
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
10 years ago
junebugapril - can you find them a cooler spot so they slow down? How tall are they exactly?
bellazur
2 years ago
I'M in Montreal and are sitting in pots near a sunny window , standing over 12 inches. How unusual is that ? I do minimal watering
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
2 years ago
Are they indoors? And what sort of bukbs are they?

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Bulbs in garage sprouting too early

Comments (11)

katob Z6ish, NE Pa

junebugapril
Original Author

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dbarron

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK

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floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK

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Bulbs in garage sprouting too early

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