How to care for bulb flowers? These basic facts you need to master

In the world of flowers, bulb flowers are among the easier ones to grow, such as narcissus, tulips, hyacinths, grape hyacinths, and amaryllis - all of these are bulb flowers. So, do you know the answers to these questions about growing bulb flowers?

Question 1: Are bulbs easy to grow? I'm a beginner - can I grow them to flowering?

Answer: Compared with herbaceous flowers, bulbs are much simpler, basically you could say there is no difficulty at all, and the care is relatively much more rough-and-ready; even a beginner can absolutely reap a surprise.

Tulip

Question 2: Are bulbs perennial? Can they be planted continuously?

Answer: Tulips and hyacinths generally degenerate quite seriously, mainly caused by "soil and water" issues; in the second year the bulbs find it hard to reach the flowering level of the first year, and the quality is much worse, so they are basically grown as annuals; other bulbs show almost no degeneration, or only slight degeneration, and as long as water and fertilizer are managed properly, from the second year on they can still bloom beautifully.

Narcissus (daffodil)

Question 3: Do bulbs need fertilizer?

Answer: Yes, because when they flower they consume a large amount of the bulb's own nutrients. However, at the early stage of planting it is best not to fertilize, to prevent burning the seedlings. After the leaves emerge, apply a liquid fertilizer about once every 10 days; if you don't apply it, the flowering quality will be much worse, and after flowering the bulb size will shrink greatly, especially for bulbs you want to still have a very good flowering effect the next year. Fertilizing is crucial for building up the bulb.

Hyacinth

Question 4: How should bulbs be fertilized?

Answer: Before planting, add an appropriate amount of base fertilizer to the growing soil. One month after planting, you can begin using various quick-acting fertilizers, about once every 10 days. Even after flowering, fertilize as normal until natural withering in May and June.

Crocus

Question 5: Why do the surfaces of my hyacinths and tulips have mold spots?

Answer: Hyacinths and tulips are indeed fairly prone to mold spots. If it is only a layer on the surface, then it has almost no effect on the bulb, and they can absolutely flower normally.

Amaryllis

Question 6: Do bulbs need to be treated before planting?

Answer: Regardless of whether the bulbs you receive have mold spots on the surface, before planting it is best to disinfect the bulbs (if there are a few mold spots, you can first gently wipe them off with a paper towel). You can use a carbendazim or thiophanate-methyl solution for soaking treatment; prepare the solution according to the reference concentration on the packaging, then soak for about half an hour, take them out and let them dry, and then they are ready to plant.