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Since some of your favorite garden and indoor plants are grown from bulbs , you by nature want to store them for the wintertime so you may plant them again in the following yr ’s outflow . However , storing medulla oblongata can be a little knavish . Some bulbs are hardy and can stand firm freeze , but others are tender and require extra upkeep .
There ’s aunique agency to store bulbsfor the wintertime so you may use them again next year . Below is a founder - favorable tutorial explain the different types of bulb , their hardiness , and the methods of storage , as well as some extra selective information to assist you through the cognitive operation .
What are Bulbs?
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In their essence , bulbs are the plant , blot out in an onion - shaped casing , which is its radical . They flower for a short time , absorb all energy through their leave , store it in their source , and then hide back in the case until the undermentioned class . There are two types of bulbs - stalwart and tender .
Hardy Bulbs
audacious bulbs like tulips , iris , hyacinth , anddaffodils typically blossom in springand are some of the earliest flower of the year . They can get through the winter just fine . Cold temperatures trip a biochemical process that allows these hardy bulbs to bloom again in spring . nerveless temperatures break down the medulla oblongata ’s starch and saccharide depot and convince them into glucose , the chief energy it needs to grow tooth root and novel shoots .
Tender Bulbs
Tender bulbs like dahlias , elephant ears , and tuberous begonia are fragile and usually can not survive the wintertime without extra charge and attention . However , since caring for them is tedious , most gardeners annul the hassle and treat them as yearbook rather .
Before storing bulbs for the winter , you ’ll need some essential tools . So keep these thing quick before you get started .
How to Store Tender Bulbs for the Winter
Here ’s the correct fashion to set up and store cutter bulbs for the wintertime . Remember , bulbs are fragile , so do by them with care ! Also , please wear your gardening glove before following this tutorial .
1. Dig Them Out
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front for bulbs whose leaves have withered , or look until your favorite bulb ’s leaves have withered before digging them out . When you spot the idealistic bulb , use a digging ramification to loosen the ground around them and a mitt trowel todig them up gently and carefully . The idea is to keep the bulbs safe from any equipment casualty .
Pro - Tip : cull only big and healthy electric light , as that reduces the jeopardy of fungus damage . While average - sized electric-light bulb will also survive entrepot , small bulbs may shrivel .

2. Clean Them
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After digging them up , localize them on a ironical surface and gently off the grime from the electric-light bulb . If you want , you’re able to utilise a toothpick to come up out soil stuck on the outer layer of the bulbs . Remember to be as gentle as possible ; you do n’t want the toothpick to thrust through the incandescent lamp or grate out superfluous skin .
After that , softly dispatch the foliage from the top , but do n’t lave the tubers with water , as moisture can make waste during the winter . If you spot any damaged or dirt ball - overrun electric light , do n’t store them with healthy ones . Instead , add them to your compost pile or discard them .

3. Dry Them
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After removing soil and top leaf , dry out the bulbs before memory . To do this , rest a few erstwhile newspaper on the floor of a dark and teetotal room with a temperature of 60 - 70 arcdegree Fahrenheit . Spread the bulbs on the newspaper and give them to air dry for two to three days . To find out if the bulbs are dry enough for warehousing , slightly trim the stem with keen scissors . If it ’s still moist on the interior , leave them to air dry for a brace more 24-hour interval .
Pro - top : When checking for moisture in the radical , assure you depart at least two inches of the bow ; otherwise , the lightbulb will start rooting .

4. Store Them
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After the bulbs are dry , they ’re quick for storage . Fill your idealistic reposition corner with sand , sawdust , peat , or wood chip , and then put the dry bulbs in spite of appearance . Do n’t cover the box with a lid , as that could collect moisture inside during winter .
Do n’t set the bulb stuffy to each other inside the box . This is to downplay damage to other bulb if one of them starts rotting . After placing your bulbs inside the boxwood , keep the loge away from direct or indirect sunlight at a temperature of 35 - 45 arcdegree Fahrenheit .

Pro - Tip : If you ca n’t find a good box seat to store your electric light , you could habituate paper or meshing bags for warehousing . This will promote right air circulation and prevent rotting .
How to Store Hardy Bulbs for the Winter
Storing hardy bulbs during the wintertime is optional because they can withstand cold temperatures and survive underground . Once their leaves start going brown and juiceless , snip them but leave the incandescent lamp buried late in the ground . They will resprout on their own the following season .
However , if you are worried that winter can damage your bulbs or that the planting surface area is overcrowded , you may dig them up and store them the same way of life you stack away tender bulbs .
Most Popular Bulbs and the Winter Care for Them
1. Elephant’s Ear
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you could dig these bulbs out of the ground before the Robert Frost hits and store them like you store tender bulbs . Then , if you ’d rathergrow them indoors , dig them up from the ground andplant them in a potthat you’re able to place indoors .
2. Canna
While most hardy bulbs can withstand freeze temperatures , the canna ’s stem will become mush . To debar this , take it out beforehand and permit the roots dry for a few days . After they ’re dry , wrap them in an old newspaper layered in peat moss , wood chips , sand , or sawdust and salt away them at 45 - 50 degrees Fahrenheit .
3. Dahlia
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likewise to the canna , the dahlia can not withstand hard Robert Frost . To forbid damage , dig out them up beforehand , but be very gentle because their roots are fragile and bruise easy , which can lead to disease . Let the bulbs dry for up to a mean solar day before storing them . Then , delay on them every month , and if they ’ve become exsiccate , mist them softly .
List of Hardy and Tender Bulbs
Here ’s a handy list to help oneself you identify fond and hardy bulbs . Bookmark this pageboy for future reference !
Name
character

hands holding daffodil bulbs before planting in the ground
Madonna lily
Hardy
Resurrection lily

Onion
Windflower
Quamash

GIory - of - the - snow
Crocus
Winter Aconite

Fritillaria
Giant Snowdrop
Garden Hyacinth

Spring Starflower
Iris
Plectrophenax nivalis

Grape Hyacinth
Daffodil ( minuscule )
Daffodil ( bombastic )

Ornithogalum
pillage Squill
sea onion

Tulip
Canna
Tender
Elephant ’s Ear
Dahlia pinnata
Gladiolus
Lily
Tuberose
Calla lily
Begonia
Purple Allium
Grecian Anemone
Freesia
Caladium
Oxalis
Winter is Coming
Many of our best-loved perennials grow from bulbs . However , not all bulb are stalwart enough to resist cold winter temperature . This is why it ’s crucial to put in them by following the steps above . This way , you ’ll be capable tore - plant them next year .
Hopefully , this clause was helpful to you in your electric-light bulb - storing adventure . leave alone your experience , thoughts , and questions in the scuttlebutt section , and partake in the article if you like it .
Happy gardening !