blossom bulbs make a wonderful addition to the garden , fill it with color and fragrance from other spring all the manner through to mid - autumn .

They take up very small space , go equally well in layer , boundary line , or container , and are among the best flora for naturalizing in meadow and woodlands .

And by choose a selection that flowers at different times , you ’ll always have something coming into flush as the previous performers fade away .

A hand in a beige and off-white gardening glove holds a bulb with rootlike offsets, with a blue ceramic dish, a paring knife, and more bulbs in the background, on a surface covered with smooth gray pebbles.

Note the basal plates on the bottom.

The main problem is that some of them can be quite pricey . Not to the extremum of bulb mania back in the 1600s , but some of the more alien varieties can still put a good dent in your wallet !

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And that ’s where study how to propagate them number into play .

Vertical image of pink and grown gladiolus corms and bulbils, with fine roots and brown soil, printed with green and white text.

Note the basal plates on the bottom.

It ’s a simple skill to discover , supplies are minimum , and multiplying these glamorous gem can be quite easily reach by the home nurseryman .

Just remember to put a descriptive tatter on the radical while a given industrial plant is blooming – it will look substantially different several months later on when it ’s time to propagate , and a description will help to place it .

Multiplication for Masses of Blooms

Many medulla will of course self - propagate through the shaping of starting time , bulbils , or seed .

Others need some human interaction to reproduce successfully , with the most common techniques being knap , scaling , and scooping .

This requires a bit of care and patience from the nurseryman , but the many newfangled plant that will be produced as a result are well worth the effort .

Vertical image of pink and grown gladiolus corms and bulbils, with fine roots and brown soil, printed with green and white text.

And because some unexampled plantings can take anywhere from two to seven years to flower , this is a pattern that should become one of your steady fall project . If you split a few each class , you ’ll have a never - ending supply of blossom - ready bulbs on hand to plant out when they ’re wanted .

Here ’s the information we ’re covering in this pathfinder :

What You’ll Learn

Let ’s get to it !

The Various Types

A bulb is defined as a plant that contains everything involve for its total biography rhythm within an underground root structure that ’s used to salt away nutrients .

Typically , these are perennialswith periods of growth , flowering , seeded player setting , and dormancy as the topside development dies completely back .

They ’re commonly categorize into the following categories : rightful bulbs , corms , rhizomes , tubers , and tuberous roots . Let ’s take a look at each !

Dark and light pink and white oriental lily blossoms and buds, with green foliage, in bright sunshine.

True Bulbs

A “ rightful ” bulb has a basal shell on the bottom that roots farm from , plump scales that look like flat garlic clove , a shoot that forms the flower and leaves , and sidelong bud that develop into offset or bulblets .

Ones that have a tunic , or a theme - like covering , are have intercourse as urochordate bulb . The tunic protects it from drying out .

Examples of true tunicates arealliums , daffodils , hyacinths , muscari , andtulips .

Bulbs are piled in a terra cotta dish in the foreground, with a container of garden sulfur and a paring knife in the background.

Those without a tunic are call imbricate bulbs . Imbricates need to be keep dampish before planting to forbid the scales from drying out . Fritillariaandliliesare a few coarse types of imbricates .

incur more tips on identifying bulb top and butt here .

Corms

Similar in function to the true type , a corm is an hypertrophied stem base that ’s been accommodate to act as a storehouse construction . When cut in half , the corm does n’t have any visible reposition rings as do the lawful bulbs .

It also feature a basal plate , papery tunic , and a pointed growing lead .

Plants that use corm for energy storage includeautumn crocus , bounce crocus , andgladiolus .

A variety of white, yellow, and orange flower bulbs, in a rectangular shallow terra cotta container filled with gray pebbles, on a wood table.

Rhizomes

rootstalk are different from the above in that they do n’t have basal plates or tunic , and spread out horizontally under the soil surface rather than growing down .

Lily of the valleyandirisare unwashed garden rhizome .

Tubers and Tuberous Roots

Tubers are include in this category but they have a different structure , without a basal plate or a protective tunic . These includesanemones , caladiums , andpotatoes .

And tuberous base , like dahlias , disagree again . They have the same cycles and growth pattern as bulb , with the social organisation of proper roots .

Learn more about identifying bulb , corm , and tubers .

Bulbs arranged on their sides to show the basal plates at the bottom, on a stone background.

Propagation by Seed

One of the easygoing propagation methods , seeds are collectedfrom spent flower heads once they ’ve dry out out and spread out for semen dispersal . However , procreation from seed does not guarantee the newfangled flora will be identical to the parent , particularly with hybridized cultivar .

Pick dried flower psyche and shake seed onto a dental plate , then separate out the chaff . Toss the seeds in a light air to let the chaff to float aside , or mildly blow away debris .

Sow seeds on the surface of on fire , loamy potting soil premix . Cover the germ witha slender layer of sift compostand top with a bed of fine sand .

Brown gladiolus corms with pink bulbils and white roots, in brown soil in a terra cotta container.

Place flats or grass in a moth-eaten frame , unwarmed glasshouse , or in a sheltered spot out of peril from heavy rains . Ensure the soil is keep moistbut not pie-eyed .

reckon on the industrial plant , some seeds will germinate promptly , sending up a grass - alike shoots , while others like to form roots first and then send up Modern leaves in the springiness , after they ’ve enjoyed a cold-blooded spell .

Seedlings can be pot up in their second year , but you ’ll have to be patient – some bulbs started from seed , such as tulip , can take as long as seven days before you ’ll see blooms !

Brown papery iris rhizomes and green blade-like leaves, growing in brown soil in bright sunshine.

Certain types will of course self source in the garden , but you ’ll need to allow the seed heads to develop on the prow . bellied iris , crocus , andsnowdropswill all ego seed , but you ask to be careful not to weed out their tender new shoot , which resemble blades of grass .

Division

Propagation is also possible via an array of different methods . bet on the types that you have growing in the garden , their eld , and other factors , one or more of the following techniques can be used .

Read on to discover our tip and tricks for partition via offsets , bulblet , scaling , chipping , and scoop .

Offsets

Many variety will regurgitate with counterbalance , or babe bulbs , that grow alongside the mother . Offsets will be on the button the same as mother , seduce this method extremely true for both hybridized cultivars and heirloom species .

In the autumn , after the foliage has died back , gently come up bulb and detach the beginning , snapping or pulling them away from the parent .

Pot up little one in a plentiful grime amended with well - rot compost , andplace in a stale frameor shelter post in the garden , providing protection from wintertime cold if needed .

Dahlia tubers in a blue ceramic dish, coated with soil, on a weathered wood surface.

see the soil is moist , but not wet , and expect patiently until they ’re large enough to institute in the garden .

Smaller offsets may take 2 - 4 year before you ’ll see a flower , but larger ones can be direct planted into the ground , with blooms probably the following grow season . When planting first , combine them in with mature medulla oblongata to ensure a good presentation of blooms .

Offset product can be encouraged by planting a stock ( parent ) bulb shallowly , or by notching the basal scale at the clip of planting .

Snowdrops growing with other plants with red and green foliage in the garden.

To notch the basal plate , merely trim back out a duad of humble sections with a acuate , clean tongue , then dip the bulb in a fungicide before planting , such as this one from Southern Ag , usable via Amazon .

Southern Ag Thiomyl Ornamental Systemic Fungicide

Crocus , daffodils , corpus sternum , and some lily course bring about offsets .

Brown flower bulbs with roots and offsets, on a stone background.

Bulbils

bulblet grade in the folio axils of some lilies , including tiger and uncivilized types . These are miniature bulbs that originate on the stalk above land , as opposed to bulblets which modernize below ground on certain plant change .

Detach bulbils when plump and ripe , then press into a goat god or tray of rich , spunky dirt amended with plenty of compost . Cover with 1/2 in of soil and keep moist .

Keep the pan in a sheltered , hoar - free location over the winter , and plant out in large glob the following fall .

Seven flower bulbs in loose dark brown soil with white rootlike-offsets.

Scaling

For true bulb formed of multiple scale , like lilies and fritillaria , grading is a good method acting for their propagation . This can be done before planting the parent medulla oblongata , or when lift bulb in autumn after their acquire time of year is complete .

As faithful to the base as possible , shoot off 4 - 8 scale from a house , plump medulla oblongata then sprinkle the parent and scale with a antimycotic such as garden S .

Press the base end firmly into a tray of backbone so that each plate is standing upright . treat with a plastic bag , satisfy with gentle wind , and stamp . Store in a fond , dark location ( around 65 - 70 ° F ) for six weeks .

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Alternately , make a mixture of 50:50peat mossand perlite or vermiculite , and add water just to scantily moisten . home 2 - 4 in of the mix in a plastic bag and lay down your scales . shake off the handbag to cover the scale , then dislodge them so they ’re not affecting .

Fill the traveling bag with air , then varnish it . Store in a warm , dreary location ( around 65 - 70 ° F ) for six calendar week .

When bulblets have take form , discard any scales that have blend gentle and plant the stay bulblets with the scale in pots . Place in a stale frame of reference or a shelter , frost - free billet in the garden to winter , keeping the soil just moist .

Orange tiger lilies with bulbils growing on the green stems close to the base of the leaves, with a brightly lit brown-orange fence in the background.

If wintertime temperatures in your neighborhood do n’t settle below 40 ° atomic number 9 , place the scales in their plastic bag in the refrigerator for 6 - 12 weeks instead .

Plant out in a nursery bed in the spring , space 4 in aside , and in 2 - 3 years they ’ll be produce prime and ready for found in the garden .

Chipping

Chipping works well on flora including as alliums , amaryllis , daffodil , fritillaria , irises , and jacinth .

utilise bulbs that are clean and inactive , removing any of the papery tunica and trimming any etymon with sharp garden snips .

Remove the top 1/3 - 1/2 of the growing tip and throwing away .

Oriental lily bulb with offset bulb scales, on gray stones.

Invert so that the basal plate ( the spot where the root grow from ) is on top , and with a sharp-worded , aseptic tongue , cut the bulb in one-half . keep to snub each incision in half , ensuring each section has a piece of the basal plate attach , until you have 8 - 16 chips .

intoxicate the chips in a systemic fungicide answer for 15 - 30 minutes , then run out on a wrack for 12 hours – but do n’t sky the fungicide root .

Fill a pot with moisture - retaining peat moss , perlite , or vermiculite , then dampen with the fungicide resolution , guarantee the planting metier is thoroughly moist but not wet .

Flower bulb scales planted in a dry perlite mixture in a cardboard seed starting container, on top of a terra cotta container on a wood deck, with green plants in shallow focus in the background.

Press the chips into the perlite , basal scale down , then place the potty in a plastic bag . Fill the bag with aura , then seal and label it with the date .

Store in a drear , warm ( 65 - 70 ° farad ) position for approximately 12 weeks . Check periodically , control the perlite remains moist , and removing any rotting microchip if you notice them .

While in reposition , the layer of each chip will spread apart . Bulblets will form between the layers , just above the basal scale .

Bulb scales in planting medium in a cardboard seed starting container, covered with clear plastic, in a terra cotta flower pot.

Once formed , plant the bulblets into private pots and place in a sheltered spot in the garden , see to it the soil quell just moist .

furnish auspices against winter common cold in a sheltered spot or cold frame , and plant into the garden the following fall .

Scooping

best is a method acting used primarily for hyacinth , and it must be done in the wintertime while they are hibernating .

Using a clean shaving tongue or a sharpen teaspoonful , take up out the center of the basal plate to a depth of up to 1/2 inch , taking upkeep to go forth the out flange intact .

splash the scooped oddment with fungicide powder , shaking off any excess .

Vertical image of a two-year-old plant in the nursery, with other potted plants.

append common sand to a tray and water supply to moisten , then press the bulbs into the backbone upside down , with the trump basal plate on top .

set the tray in a warm ( around 65 - 70 ° F ) , dark locating , watering the sand periodically to keep it just moist .

In approximately 12 week , bulblets will from in the outflank out section . When tumid enough to care , gently detach them from the parent bulb , and pot up in individual container in a mixed bag of sift compost and fine grit , planting as you would for germ .

A white flower bulb sliced into chips for propagation, on an unfinished wood surface.

Prolific Garden Beauty

While some bulbs might be considered a bit pricy , they ’re well deserving the cost for their owing beaut , delicious fragrance , and years of prolific multiplication in the garden .

And for those species that are reluctant or dull to multiply on their own , you now have several methods to propagate them successfully at home .

commend to practice a fungicide on any cut surface to preclude putrefaction , and protect unexampled plants from wintertime frigid until they ’re ready to be planted in the garden .

A small round terra cotta container of bulb chips, a paring knife, and a white shallow dish of antifungal solution, on a brown wood table with spaces between the slats.

If you enjoy the gorgeous addition that these flowers make to the garden , be sure to say our other articles on how to grow them – like this one on hyacinths .

And for more baksheesh on dealing with bulbs , check out some of these other guides next :

Photos by Lorna Kring © need the Experts , LLC . ALL right RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . Originally print October 23rd , 2018 . Last updated April 19th , 2023 . intersection photo via Southern Ag .

A flower bulb, paring knife with black plastic handle, and dry potting mix in a terra cotta container to illustrate the scooping method of propagation, on a brown unfinished wood surface with wide spaces between slats.

About

Lorna Kring

White and pink oriental lilies with green foliage, growing in mottled sunlight.