June fourth week in your garden:
REPOT DORMANT BULBS IN CONTAINERS:
Late June, July and August are the main months for repotting bulbs. Spring bulbs have died down by now, but will be dormant for only a short of while before they begin to grow
new roots.
Narcissus bulbs are the first to be reported, as they have a short dormant period and will be rooting as early as August. Fritillarias are reported in July or august
and crocuses in September.
If there are a lot of bulbs in a pot, use the larger ones which will be more likely to flower next year. Smaller bulbs may take several years to reach
flowering size. The repotting process is designed to split overcrowded bulbs and needs to be done only every few years, depending on the vigour of the species.
Bulbs in pots are
planted closer together than if they were in the ground but overcrowding can lead to poor displays.
- Plant the bulbs as required for display, about halfway down the pot or at the
same level as they were previously.
- Water well by standing the pot in water until the top of the compost is damp.
- Place the pot somewhere cool, light and airy. Some of the
earliest will show signs of life before Christmas.
Some fertilizer produce small bulbils the size of rice grains around the parent bulb. Inevitably many fall off during the
repotting process but they can be treated as seeds if more stock is needed. Patience is also required as they take three or four years to reach flowering size.
