Crocus
By Begoniafan
Lanarkshire,Scotland, United Kingdom
Have any members ever planted bulbs the wrong way up?
-If so- Did they still grow??
I just planted crocus for the first time and thought afterwards...Did I put them the right way up?
- 3 Sep, 2009
Featured on:
crocuses
spring bulbs
Answers
"So long as the tufty bit was down you should be ok."
Oh NO!- What now????
3 Sep, 2009
dont worry, nature will sort them out. the roots will still go down and shoot up and some bulbs will even turn themselves round given time. they may take a week or two longer to flower but they will grow.
3 Sep, 2009
Some exotic bulbs are planted on their sides to avoid waterlogging the tip of the bulb. The plant knows which way is up ( or down). Didn't you ever do the bean experiment in school?
3 Sep, 2009
Some bulbs will be weakened by planting upside down as they have more work to do.
3 Sep, 2009
We have planted many spring bulbs upside down. At one time we planted Crocus's, every other one upside down, a large area with 5000 corms. It made very little difference in flowering. Our main enemy was squirrels.
3 Sep, 2009
Unless you fancy going out and digging them all up and starting again, I wouldn't worry too much. Hopefully you don't have grey squirrels where you live - here in London, they dig up all the crocus bulbs and eat them as fast as we plant them, upside down or not....
3 Sep, 2009
I once had a stretch of grass I wanted to underplant with crocus and daffs, iris etc....but I ran out of time before the top soil arrived!! I went out and scattered all the bulbs very roughly over the whole area - literally as the load of earth was dumped on top .....result...a wonderful patchwork of colour in due course. Nature will sort it out....you wait!
3 Sep, 2009
Funny how it is Squirrels that eat them in some places, here we lose crocus to mice, planted the right way up or not! (The corms, not the mice!).
3 Sep, 2009
Planted all my anemone de caen upside down and they still produced fantastic flowers.
3 Sep, 2009
General rule of thumb: If you don't know which way up a bulb should be, and you can't find out from anyone else, then you should just plant it on its side. Its a reasonable compromise. With some bulbs it is indeed far from clear which bit is the top and which is the bottom, even with the most careful scrutiny. ... I've digressed from your question.
4 Sep, 2009
I really must thank all of you for responding so positively!
May I just add that I'm fairly sure I have defeated the dreaded grey squirrels by covering bare compost with a pea gravel....I don't think they like getting this under their little nails!
I hasten to add- most of my plants are in containers and gravel may not be practical in many gardens....
4 Sep, 2009
I will probably wish I hadnt asked this Usernut but why did you plant all your anemone de caen upside down? as I've just got some.
4 Sep, 2009
well I looked at them before planting them and using my best knowledge, judged that one side was the top and one the bottom, them planted them.
I decided to move some and notice that the roots were growing from the "top".
some of the others had already started growing so I left them upside down and their still producing great flowers now.
5 Sep, 2009
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So long as the tufty bit was down you should be ok. I once left some daffodil bulbs I had been given in a carrier bag which fell down between the hedge and a wall - I forgot about them until the flowers popped up !!
3 Sep, 2009