How to Store Flowering Bulbs over Winter

Gladiolus bulbs

Storing flowering bulbs such as tulips, gladiolus, and daffodils over the winter is an easy fall project. With this storage plan, even folks in zones four and five can enjoy bulbs for zones eight and nine during the spring and summer. You can enjoy these flowering bulbs year after year. This article will show you the easy steps.

Things You'll Need

• Flowering bulbs
• Gardening fork
• Wood chips or peat moss
• Paper bags
• Fungicide

Instructions

1. Dig up the flower bulbs. Do this after the first frost, or when the foliage has withered and yellowed. Using a garden fork, dig under the flower bulb and gently pry upwards. Keep the dug up bulbs organized for identification.

2. Prepare the plant bulbs for storage. Discard all damaged or diseased / soft bulbs. Cut off all remaining foliage with a sharp knife. Take care not to damage the bulbs while doing this. Lay out the bulbs on a flat surface, in a well-ventilated area. Do not allow the bulbs to touch. Allow them to dry for one week.

3. Prepare storage containers for each type of bulb. This can be anything that is not air tight such as a paper bag, open crate, or pantyhose. Half fill the containers with wood chips, peat moss or a mixture of the two.

4. Store the flower bulbs. After one week of drying, the bulbs can be stored. Before doing this, remove all remaining soil from the bulbs. Apply fungicide to the bulbs. Place within the containers and cover them up with the filling material. The bulbs should be stored over winter in a cool, dry environment. For most, the basement will be just fine.

Tips & Warnings

• This can be a fun project to share with your children.

• Do not damage any flower bulb when pulling out of the ground.