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Planting Bulbs in Containers and Pots
The Planting Process for Container Bulbs
Plant spring bulbs in soil in pots or containers, whether pre-chilled for forcing or untreated, depending on when you wish them to bloom.
Forced bulbs flower on a schedule determined by when and how long they were chilled before planting [see: Forcing Bulbs].
Bulbs without this chill treatment bloom on their normal cycle regardless of whether they are planted in a container or in the garden.
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Planting Options
For both forced and untreated bulbs, the techniques used for planting are the same.
Choose from three common methods of planting bulbs in containers:
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- Crowding a pot with bulbs of a single species,
- Planting a pot with a single layer of bulbs at one planting depth, or
- Layering a pot with several different species of bulbs, each at different depths.
Transplanting Sprouted Bulbs
Garden retailers and florists frequently offer bulbs reared until they are ready to bloom.
Most have been forced—held in cold storage, then moved to sunny warmth and allowed to sprout and bloom [see Forcing Bulbs and Planting Forced Bulbs].
Enjoy these blooming plants and transplant them to your garden or into an indoor container when their flowers fade.
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Forced bulbs rarely bloom in their second season. If cared for properly, they will regain strength and bloom during season in later years.
To transplant them, remember to protect their roots.
Rather than trying to lift the rootball out of its plastic nursery pot, cut away the pot to free the rootball, then transplant the bulbs. Choose a new, larger container or dig a hole in garden soil the same size and depth as the container.
For indoor transplants, choose a container the same depth as the original pot but slightly larger in diameter, and fill around the rootball with potting soil.
With outdoor transplants, set the plant so the soil level of the original container is the same as the surrounding soil, and water heavily to compact the surrounding soil. Add soil as needed to fill any slumps that appear.
Water transplanted bulbs during the first few days, then water only when the soil becomes dry to the touch.
Continue caring for the bulbs as you would any other bulb plantings [see: Caring for Flowers].
Step-by-Step Instructions
Planting in soil is the best choice for most spring bulbs.
Follow the directions below for three common methods of planting bulbs in soil. The most-common ways to plant bulbs in containers are crowding and layering.
Crowding Bulbs in Containers
Crowding is most common. Layering is less common, and usually follows one or two different methods.
Let’s look at crowding first. The best floral displays result when you crowd bulbs into a container. Simply ignore their normal landscape spacing recommendations when using this technique.
Large, firm bulbs have the largest blooms. Gather a container, potting soil, a trowel, gloves, and your treated or untreated bulbs, and follow these steps for crowding bulbs into a pot:
Crowding a Container with Bulbs
Cover the container or pot’s drain hole with porous landscape fabric, rocks, or pieces of broken pottery to prevent it from filling with soil and clogging. Fill your container with potting soil at least 3 in. (75 mm) deep. Use your palms to compact it.
With the soil level at the correct planting depth for the bulb species, tightly pack bulbs into the container. Orient each bulb’s top upward and its basal plate to the bottom. Press each bulb into the soil to set it firmly in place. Fill around the bulbs with potting soil, then cover them to their final depth. Firm the soil with the palms of your hands.
Saturate the planting with water, then allow it to drain. If the bulbs were treated for forcing, maintain them at the recommended temperature and length of time for the species [see: Forcing Bulbs]. Following any treatment, keep the soil damp until sprouts emerge and care for the container until it is ready for display indoors.
Two Ways to Layer Bulbs in Containers
Follow two techniques for layering. Either layer containers with a single species all at one depth, or with several different species of bulbs.
Single Species Layering
Single-species layering is a great way to show off different blossom colors.
Multi-Species Layering
Multi-species layering with bulbs that all bloom at the same time yields long-lasting floral displays featuring several different types of bulbs at different heights.
When bulbs of different species have different bloom seasons, multiple layering containers produce a succession of blooms that showcase changing flowers or foliage over time.
Gather your bulbs, potting soil, and container, and follow the simple steps for they layering style of your choice:
Planting Pots with One Bulb Species
Line the container’s bottom with pea gravel or porous landscape fabric to collect moisture below the soil and protect the drain holes from clogging.
Fill the container with 3 in. (75 mm) of potting soil, compacting it with the palms of your hands. Add more soil, compacting as you fill, until the soil level is the required planting depth for the bulb species, measured from 1 in. (25 mm) from the container’s lip. Place large bulbs into the soil according to your color and height plan, slightly crowding and evenly spacing them.
Cover the planting layer with potting soil, compacting the soil with the palms of your hands. Add or remove soil as needed until the container is filled.
Water the container and planting thoroughly to settle soil around the bulbs. Allow the container to drain completely before moving it to a rearing area or to its display location.
Planting Pots with Several Species in Layers
Protect the drain hole of the pot from clogging by filling the bottom of the pot with pea gravel. Then add 3 in. (75 mm) of potting soil. Compact the soil with the palms of your hands.
Add large, deeply planted bulbs, slightly crowding and evenly spacing but crowding them. Place each bulb into the soil with its pointed end facing up and its basal plate down.
Compact the potting soil with the palms of your hands. Place the next largest or deeply-planted bulb species into the soil, crowding the bulbs in the container. Fill around them with soil until they are just covered.
Plant the smallest and shallowest species, again evenly spacing them but crowding the container. Cover them with soil to within 1 in. (25 mm) of the pot’s rim, firming the soil with the palms of your hands.
Thoroughly water the pot to settle the soil within, allow it to drain, and move it to a protected spot outdoors or in an unheated, indoor location. Protect the planted container from freezing temperatures.
After the bulbs sprout, move the container indoors into a spot with strong indirect light and temperatures of 65–70°F (18–21°C). Allow the first blooming species in the container to develop flower bulbs before moving it to its indoor display location.
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