Fall bulbs are unlikely to produce when planted in spring

Q. I just remembered I have stored bulbs. Is there anything I should do?

A. Yes, hope for an Ice Age. Unless you mean light bulbs, which can be placed in sockets anytime, spring flowering bulbs are meant for fall planting.

The bulbs need a cold, dormant period to form roots and stems that will support the eventual blooms. This is why spring flowering bulbs, corms and tubers are planted in late September through early November in our area. Gardeners in Southern states without the prolonged cold weather we have must either purchase precooled bulbs, or hold them in refrigerated storage to induce the root growth necessary.

In September, the ground has cooled and the bulbs will not sprout too quickly, so that's around the earliest they can be planted. Absent the onset of an early and hard winter, November planting gives you the opportunity to get your fall bulbs in, but they should be mulched with straw, shredded leaves or similar organic material.

Having missed the preferred time slot, a few options may yield some gardening success. In fact, given the cold spring we've had so far, you may be able to get them in, and have blooms, this year, but it is not likely.

Before any attempt to plant the bulbs on hand, inspect them for signs of rot and mold. Discard any showing powdery, gray mold or if they are soft and squishy. Any still firm and full, not wizened and dry, and were stored in a cool location, e.g., an exterior basement wall or a heated garage that didn't freeze, may bloom. You now have two options.

For a small amount of bulbs, you may pot them up, or simply place them in paper bags for six to eight weeks in your refrigerator. Once the dormant period growth is established, take them out and display, or plant them as you would in fall. With a large amount of bulbs, plant them outside when the ground is tillable without compacting it. You have nothing to lose. The bulbs will not keep until fall.

With luck, you will get blooms, although they may be stunted. Daffodils, crocus, scillia are more forgiving than tulips. You may only have foliage this year, but if the bulbs are sited where they receive six to eight hours of sun, and are not in soil that retains too much moisture, the foliage produced this year should lead to better blooms next year.

Tulips, being of Mediterranean descent, prefer a similar summer climate and if they don't bloom this year, will unlikely produce any show of substance next year. Many gardeners in our area treat tulips as annuals and replace them for the best displays. Good luck.

­- Matt Steichmann

• Provided by Master Gardeners through the Master Gardener Answer Desk, Friendship Park Conservatory, Des Plaines, and University of Illinois Extension, North Cook Branch Office, Arlington Heights. Call (847) 298-3502 on Wednesdays or email northcookmg@gmail.com. Visit web.extension.illinois.edu/mg.