By Shell65
United Kingdom
how can i protect spring / summer bulbs that have grown too early?
- 13 Nov, 2011
Answers
What do you need to protect them from ? Spring bulbs tend to be pretty hardy and don't need protecting.
13 Nov, 2011
Andy if there noses are already above the ground and we get a severe frost it could nip them off... doesn't usually happen but if someone is concerned it is easy enough to give them an extra cover.
13 Nov, 2011
They will also become food for slugs and snails, use whatever you want to to protect them i.e. grit, soot or ashes.
13 Nov, 2011
Thought the slugs were hibernating by now...
13 Nov, 2011
Still plenty of slugs and snails about in this mild weather, but never found them to eat daffodil/narcissi bulb shoots - tulips sometimes seem to have been attacked. Some bulbs every year come up early, especially when planted early in August/September and the weather continues mild. Suggest any cold weather will stop the growth, but they will continue to flower and grow in the spring. I wouldn't worry about additional protection.
13 Nov, 2011
Depends where you live in the country whether the slugs and snails are still active, ours have just about all gone into hibernation, which can be yucky when you cut into a cabbage!
13 Nov, 2011
As you say MG depends where you live, we are infested with slugs here and slug and snail eggs everywhere. Unless it is very, very cold they are active particularly in the underground leaves of bulbs. In 1963 it was found slugs could be frozen in solid ice for 6 weeks and still live.
14 Nov, 2011
Good grief! Hardly little souls...
14 Nov, 2011
Cover with another layer or compost or mulch. Remember next year to bury 3 times the depth of the bulb. Lots of bulbs have been growing away as the weather is mild.
13 Nov, 2011