The bulbs in question are: daffodil, hyacinth, tulip and crocus. They are all in one concentrated area in the garden, as my failed experiment in layering spring bulbs. After my spring bulbs flower and wilt, I will be digging them ALL up, to transplant them elsewhere (in smaller, scattered clusters!).
I have tried moving daffys before they wilted, unsuccessfully: pre-bloom, blooming and after blooming but before wilting. They died. Only when I dug the bulbs up, AFTER willting, cured them in the house thru the summer and re-planted the bulbs in the fall: they lived and bloomed the next year.
Do I need to bring ALL of them in (70 degrees), cure and store them until re-planting them in this fall? I have no experience or knowledge of what I need to do with the other bulbs.
Please be explicit as I'm a beginner gardener and I might not know whereof you speak! LOL
(and thank you in advance for your help!)
advice sought: moving fall-planted bulbs
By any chance can you dig them up now and replant them now? Before bloom? When in early spring I see that my bulbs are too concentrated that is what I did. If I am understanding you correctly, dig the new holes, put some compost and perhaps bulb food in the new holes (mixed with the soil, so there is no direct contact with the bulbs), dig up your bulbs and immediately transfer them and water them.
I do not think you need to move them indoors. I think that they are getting ready to bloom this spring but don't have the nutrition they need because they are competing with one another.
Does this make sense, or am I not understanding what you are trying to accomplish?
It's not possible (or god, I think) to dig them now. Being so concentrated, I would have to dig down 9" thru red clay soil, that is IF I could get there!!
Despite being chosen to extend the blooming time for that small section (with each genus AND variety blooming sequentially), there are at least three genus' (that I can identify) that had sprouted together BEFORE the snow&ice. Three days later and that has melted, making the ground a muddy mess!
Sprouts began appearing about three weeks ago; now they are about 3 inches tall.
I was aiming to wait until ALL bulbs bloomed and their foliage wilted and then dig up all the bulbs. I would then bring the BULBS inside for curing etc.
I wanted to know if I needed to cure etc the hyacinth, tulip and crocus bulbs. . I already know what to do with the dazffodi bulbs.
I'm afraid that you just took me out of whatever area of expertise I have.
I wish i could have been of more help.
Donna
Bet ~ I am glad you asked this question. I moved some iris reticulata and they did wilt, even though I watered them. I am hoping they will reappear next spring. If they died I will be surprised. I have moved a lot of daffodils this way, and they all survived in their new spaces.