We’ve been talking about fall garden activities recently. Some of those activities involve growing garlic, planting trees and shrubs, and getting our pansies and mums. But there’s another fall activity that will pay off with beautiful flowers in the spring and that is planting bulbs.

Planting and growing bulbs is one of the easiest things gardeners can do. All you need are some bulbs and a trowel. They make bulb planting tools which work great but are not required.

Planting time for bulbs is when the soil temperatures are in the 50s. I checked and at the time I was writing this article, soil temps at 2” and 4” deep are in the low 60s, so we are getting close. With the cooler weather, soil temps should drop pretty quick. So, it’s almost time to start planting bulbs.

We want the soil to be cool because the bulbs need cold to be able to bloom in the spring. If you plant them when the soil is warm, they might get confused. So, it’s best to wait until the soil temperatures cool down.

To find out your soil temperature, there are inexpensive tools you can get at the garden center or online that make the process pretty simple. Or you can just check the Mesonet. The Mesonet is a joint project between OSU and OU which provides weather data across the state. On the Mesonet you can find out how much rain we received, soil temperatures, soil moisture, and a host of other information. Just visit mesonet.org for everything you need to know about Oklahoma weather.

It may be a little early to plant which makes it a perfect time to shop for bulbs. Local garden centers have a good supply right now as do online vendors. If you wait, you are going to find the pickings get a little sparse as the season progresses.

When shopping for bulbs, of course color is important, but I would also suggest you consider bloom time. There are early bloomers like hyacinth, crocus, and some early tulips. Next, we have the mid-bloomers like tulips and daffodils, and then there are the later bloomers like bluebells, allium, and some late blooming tulips. Bloom time will be listed on the package or the description. If you plant bulbs with a variety of blooms times, you will extend the amount of time you have flowers.

When deciding where to plant your bulbs, they are going to do best in well-drained soil. You can imagine bulbs might tend to rot if planted in soil that stays wet a lot of the time. If you have soil with a high clay content, you might want to add some compost or composted manure to the soil. Typically, you don’t have to worry a lot about how much sun they get because they will bloom before the leaves come out in the spring. But they do need to be in a location that gets sun.

Phosphorus is one of the more important nutrients for bulbs so if you haven’t done a soil test to find out your phosphorus levels, you can add a little bonemeal when planting. Bonemeal is about 12% phosphorus so it will give them that boost they need. In the spring when you begin to see the leaves popping up, you can give them a little 10-10-10 fertilizer. However, there’s no need to fertilize after they start blooming.

The way you plant your bulbs makes a difference and you plant based on the size of the bulb. Basically, the bigger the bulb, the deeper they get planted.

When planting bulbs you want to put them in the ground at a depth of about 2 to 3 times as deep as the bulb is tall. So, if it is a larger bulb that is 2 inches tall, you are going to want to plant it 4 to 6 inches deep. If it is a smaller bulb that is only an inch tall, you will want to plant it 2 to 3 inches deep. Just dig a little hole, place it in the hole large-end-down, and then cover it up with soil.

Some people have trouble with gophers eating their bulbs. To protect against that, you can dig a trough, lay chicken wire in the bottom of the trough, place the bulbs on the wire, put some dirt on top, cover with chicken wire, and then cover completely to soil level.

We typically recommend covering the ground in your garden with mulch. However, you won’t want to cover the early bloomers with mulch. Mulch will keep the soil cooler which will also delay blooming since it’s the warmer temperature in the spring that tell the bulbs it’s time to bloom. For the mid to late bloomers, mulch is fine.

In the spring after your bulbs have bloomed, resist the urge to cut down the greenery because those leaves are helping to store energy for next year’s blooms. Some people like to dig up their bulbs at the end of the season and store them in a cool dark place till next year. Either way, bulbs are a pretty easy way to add spring color to your landscape. Good luck!

You can get answers to all your gardening questions by calling the Tulsa Master Gardeners Help Line at 918-746-3701, dropping by our Diagnostic Center at 4116 E. 15th Street, or by emailing us at mg@tulsamastergardeners.org. Photo: Tom Ingram