Cutting down the bulbs

[andy]

I love the bulbs in spring but they are just an absolute mess now. So when do you cut your down ?

We were always told that we shouldn't cut any naturalised bulbs (in the grass) down until July !!! But next door always cut their daffs down at the beginning of may even though they flower in March and are as green as can be.

I have a few crocus that are starting to look a bit manky so i might get out and chop them off.

So when do you cut yours back ?....i suppose the correct answer is "when they start to die down naturally"

[Spruance]

The bulbs growing under the tree, and in out of the way places tend to be left to their own devices, but the ones in the main beds have until the summer bedding is ready to go out at the very latest.

Can you remember the trend for tying - especially narcissus - leaves in a knot? I can remember my Mum always doing this in the 60's.

[Rosefriend]

Yes I can remember people tying daffodil leaves into knots - my father did it as well. I went through a stage that I used to plait them and my neighbour still does.

I tend to follow the 6 week rule - chop down 6 weeks after flowering although as you say Spruance the ones that are hidden away tend to be left until I get to them which can be quite a while.

One thing that I always do though is to take the seed heads off all the spring bulbs.

RF

[Dutchy]

The ones that stay in the border I simply tuck away under the plants around them once they get ugly. So yes let die down naturally.
You can tie the Narcis in a knot but it looks real silly and is not nescesary.

The tulips I have in the border sit in planting tray like baskets and are lifted basket and soil and all.
I plonk it behind the garden and leave them untill they go brown They then get wrapped in newspaper and stored in the shed for next year.

The empty space is prepared for the summer stuff that goes in later. ( Give the soil a little rest after having had those hungry tulips in it )

[beejay]

I have always followed the "Leave until they die naturally if you can but otherwise a minimum of 6 weeks from flowering"

[JennyWrenn]

I think I saw on GW or read in a garden mag that you should not "knot" the leaves as this prevents nutrients getting down into the bulb - I may have to dig around to find this info

I also read you have to wait six weeks after flowering - my Narcissi border looks a right mess have to say - have not knotted them but tied them with rafia and that looks OK

[greenfingers]

Mine get a feed of chicken pellets and are then left for 6 weeks. At this point, ifthey are very visible, I might trim them back to about 6" so they can carry on feeding the bulb a bit without sprawling everywhere but otherwise they get left and are hidden by perennials coming up.

Knotting is very bad for the plants. It breaks the cell structure that allows photosynthesis and osmosis to function and feed so the plant and also drastically reduces the leaf surface area which further lowers feeding capacity for next year's flowers to be made.

[JennyWrenn]

I wish Greenfingers I could put feed out but my dogs would just gobble it up I use bonemeal which is like dust but they still sniff at it and am sure they lick the soil

[greenfingers]

It is possible to buy distributor bottles which you attach to the end of your hosepipe and fill with a liquid food such as seaweed or tomato. Then you turn on the hose and put your finger over a wee hole on the bottle and as the water passes it sucks up enough of the liquid to give a dilute foliar and soil feed which your dogs couldn't eat.

Alternatively, you could loosely fork in the pelleted stuff and/or train the dogs not to go on the flower beds.

[JennyWrenn]

Thanks GF I could try it