Can Spring Bulbs be planted in January?
It’s a well known fact that gardeners in my area (Zone 7), typically plant spring bulbs during the fall. Last year, I missed that fall deadline due to the fact that we had just moved into our new home in December. That didn’t stop me from buying all of the discounted bulbs leftover at Wal-Mart, but it did leave me wondering,
“Is it too late to plant bulbs?”
Pride Tulip Mix 2020
You’ll never know until you try!
Most spring bulbs will need a prolonged period of cold temperatures to bloom properly.
A recommended 12-16 weeks, at temperatures between 35℉ - 40℉ (depending on the plant) is ideal.
Last year, I decided to take my chances planting bulbs in January.
You can imagine how thrilled I was at the sight of foliage just 13 weeks after planting!
I’m not going to lie, I was a little surprised at how many of the bulbs actually came up!
After thinking it over, I believe there was one key factor that contributed to last years surprising success.
Pre-Chilling
*Pre-Chilling- Mimicking the cold temperatures needed during dormancy, by placing bulbs or seeds in the refrigerator for a designated period of time.
A method generally used in Zone 8 and warmer.
As I mentioned before I bought these bulbs on sale from Wal-Mart. They had been stored outside in the cool temperatures, rather than inside the store.
Here in zone 7, that means they had been naturally “chilling” in our cold climate since November, almost 10 weeks, before I brought them home for planting.
January 2020
Zone 7A
It doesn’t hurt to live in a climate that will pick up my slack.
We have pretty cold winters here, which means even after I planted these bulbs, they still received almost 8 more weeks of cold temperatures before the weather turned.
If you are not blessed (and sometimes cursed) with some chilly winter months, you’ll have to do a much better job at planning than I did.
Gladiator Alliums
LONG STORY SHORT…
Yes, I believe you can still plant bulbs in January.
My new motto is,
“If the ground isn’t frozen, then I can still plant!”
Spring Bloom Tour 2020
It was so incredible to see all of the bulbs, that would have otherwise been wasted, blooming so beautifully in the spring. I put together this Spring Bloom Tour to always remember, It doesn’t hurt to give it a try!
Keep Sparkling!
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