HOLLAND, Ohio — With the cool fall temperatures, now is the time to put your fall bulbs in. Fall bulbs are hardy and with a little bit of work now getting them in, you can leave them in the ground.
When you purchase your fall bulbs, make sure you buy a nice array. Some Crocus, for example, would come up super early in the spring, even when there’s a little bit of snow on the ground. Then, add some tulips for the mid to late spring color. For early summer color, Jenny Amstutz from Nature's Corner suggests to put some Allen in there.
Jenny said that it's important to keep pests away from your plants.
"What I have to keep the deer away, one be choosey on the type of bulb you got. If you use daffodils, they are a bit more resistance to the deer. So, put some daffodils in some of your crocus, the deer don’t like them as much," Jenny said.
Jenny said to make sure you know what type of bulb you are choosing. Watch your different heights, and when you plant them, plant them in a grouping. That way, as they bloom, they are going to bloom like a bouquet and not as single flowers.
"Dig your hole, put a few bulbs in there and pad them over and you’re good," Jenny said.
Jenny said that she also uses a "Repels All."
"Some people will come in and customers tell me about chipmunks that will go and dig them up and bring them right to the surface after you did all that work to put them into the ground. 'Repels All' or other granular repellents will keep the little critters away," Jenny said.
"You can put them right inside the hole, right on top the bulb or after you are done planting, sprinkle it on top the soil.
A fall bulb you're putting in the ground, so you’re not going to see a lot of growth right away. When you plant, you will want to use a slow release fertilizer such as bone meal or starter food. The bone meal will just help to feed the roots.
When you’re putting your fall bulbs in, the soil is still nice and warm, so the roots are going to start to grow and start to grab hold before it goes dormant. The bone meal will help to feed that and to strengthen your bulb. In the spring as the bulbs start to grow, it’s good to add a little bit of bone meal before they flower again.
Starter food is also something else Jenny likes to suggest.
"It’s great just to strengthen up the roots and you can also use that when your planting," Jenny said.
With planting your full bulbs, you have a lot of options with colors, so have fun in your garden! When you’re taking out all your annuals this fall, it’s going to leave it a little bare, so you will see those areas that need that splash of color this spring.
As always, if you have any questions, feel free to ask the experts.