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Finding Healthy Bulbs
Choosing Bulbs
How do you know which bulbs to choose when you’re looking at them in a garden store display?
As a first step to successful blooms, choose healthy bulbs, filled with vigor and ready to burst forth with strong stems and beautiful flowers.
Look for these key features when buying bulbs:
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- Size—Bulbs that are large for the type have more volume to store nutrients and moisture than do smaller bulbs. They are better able to weather storage and handling. Some will produce multiple blooms.
- Firmness—Solid bulbs, heavy for their size, perform best. Such bulbs are generally free of fungal disease and excessive drying. Note that some tuberous roots and rhizomes naturally appear dry and withered.
- Dormancy—Bulbs that are dormant will be sprout-free, focusing early growth on establishing strong roots. If green sprouts are present, plant immediately.
- Freshness—Buy bulbs when they first appear in your garden retailer, storing them under ideal conditions if necessary until planting time arrives [see: Storing Bulbs.]
Garden stores and nurseries usually stock their spring-blooming bulbs in autumn. They also bring in summer-, autumn-, and winter-blooming bulbs in spring, allowing you to plant them when the time is right for your area.
Because retail stock may be limited, take advantage of direct merchants, including specialty bulb retailers that have unusual hybrids and cultivars rarely available in local, general gardening outlets.
Pass by assortments, and choose the best individual bulbs available.
Wherever you obtain your bulbs, avoid close-out sales, out-of-season displays, or seasonal merchandise in non-garden retailers.
Such bulbs are often inferior product with too-poor quality to sell through garden channels.
Avoiding Common Bulb Problems
When choosing bulbs, pick healthy ones, avoiding those with obvious signs of decay or mildew.
The best bulbs feel heavy for their size because they hold ample supplies of water. Avoid bulbs that feel lightweight or already have become dehydrated and shriveled.
Select bulbs that are healthy and lack cuts, bruises, or gouges that could permit decay and disease to infect the bulbs after planting.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Healthy bulbs are easy to spot: they’re large, heavy for their size, firm, and free of bruises, soft spots, mold, or cuts.
Pick out bulbs when they’re fresh, soon after they arrive in garden stores or appear in catalog listings. Spring bulbs are available in autumn, and summer and autumn bulbs in spring.
To choose healthy bulbs, make a list of your choice of varieties, then follow these steps:
Choosing Healthy Bulbs
Many garden retailers display their bulbs in convenient bins with photographs of the blooms and planting information. Use their names and pictures to help find varieties that match your planting needs and chosen color combinations.
Carefully inspect each bulb, choosing large, solid bulbs. Avoid those with premature sprouts, cuts, and signs of mold or shriveling. Those with superficial splits in their onionskin-like coverings are acceptable.
As you select bulbs, note each for its species and cultivar names, bloom colors and heights, planting depths, and the number of bulbs. Use breathable paper bags to carry for each selection. Avoid transporting or storing bulbs in plastic sacks.