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what exactly should I add to old grow bag compost for bulb planting

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Posts

  • Jac19Jac19 Posts: 496
    I love this video.  Consider adding some leaf mould. And it is a great idea to add a layer of pure grit at the top to prevent the compost splashing into the petals in the rain and dirtying them. This will also prevent squirrels from digging them up as grit is sharp on their paws.

    https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-plant-a-multi-layered-pot-of-bulbs/

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    As @Lizzie27 says - tulips need sharp drainage, so I'd never put them in with daffs/narcissus. Better to keep them separate. Many still won't reliably return year after year because we don't have the best climate in the UK for growing them well.  Most daffs/narcs prefer some moisture, and some need quite a bit to do their best, so it's better to keep them separate and just group pots together to get the effect you want.

    I also dislike the lasagne thing - it rarely looks good because it's rarely done well IMO. Too many different bulbs normally, and you end up with loads of foliage and hardly any flower. I always think they need done with very big containers to get the impact, and  then only using two, or three at most, types of bulb. 
    I'm not sure what bulb start is @RoddersUK, but I'm assuming it's a feed of some kind? If so, just another marketing ploy I expect  ;)
    Most healthy, mature bulbs just need something to grow in. Extra food isn't needed  :)
    Tulips can be planted now if going in pots with new compost as it's commercially treated so there should be no risk of virus. It's in the ground that matters more if you're in a warm area. We don't have to worry here with having cooler ground for planting - it's fine now  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • KT53KT53 Posts: 9,016
    RoddersUK said:
    What 'bulb start' supposed to do, if all the energy is already in the bulb?

    Get people to buy products which aren't actually necessary?
  • Thanks @Lizzie27 and @Fairygirl. Will try separate pots, the bulbs were only £1.29 a pack from Lidl so not the end of the world if it doesn't work.  Finally got to the GC yesterday to pick up my free back of tulip bulbs only to find the offer finished last week so bought some new pots and 3 sad looking herbs from the search and rescue table for 10p each instead😁😁
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    @Angelicant - someone had a mixed bag of tulips and daffs recently on the forum, and posted photos because they were unsure which was which. If you're unsure, I'll see if I can find the thread, or you can post pix here on this one  :)

    10p bargains sound good  ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    It is reassuring to hear that other people have found that the bulb layering / lasagne method isn't quite what it's cracked up to be - thought it was just me being useless!
    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I've never rated it @Topbird. Much better to have 3 pots with a single type of bulb in it, and group them together, than try to shoe horn those three types  into a 12 or 15 inch pot, which is what often happens.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Lizzie27Lizzie27 Posts: 12,494
    I've just been rather stupid and absentmindedly mixed MPC with Hort.Sand instead of Hort. Grit for my bulbs in pots - thought it was rather fine! The bulbs will just have to sink or swim. Iris Reticulata ' Harmony.


    North East Somerset - Clay soil over limestone
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    They'll be fine @Lizzie27  :)
    Harmony is very nice. I had it years ago. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    I think grape hyacinths get their leaves now but don’t flower until next Spring,  that’s what mine do, the green is well up now.
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

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