Preparing your soil for planting is a crucial step that cannot be skipped. Bulbs and corms are prone to rotting and disease and require just a bit more care than plants grown from seeds.
It's good practice to prepare your planting space in the fall even if you wait to plant until the spring.
Here are 3 easy steps that you can do now and be ready to plant:
Step 1: Clear old plant debris and check for any disease. If you are flipping a bed or using an old container make sure to check that your old plants didn’t have any diseases that could be carried over to your bulbs. If you notice anything unusual remove all the soil and wash the container with a diluted bleach solution. Then replace the soil with new material.
Step 2: Add quality compost! Nothing is better for your soil and plants than a good dose of compost. Compost helps with drainage, moisture retention and it feeds the plants.
Step 3: If you are preparing a bed for spring to plant your anemone or ranunculus corms, add a layer of mulch on top of the prepared bed. This will help keep any weeds down that might want to grow in the winter.
*Bonus: you may choose to add an organic bulb fertilizer to your tulip and daffodil beds.
Happy Growing!