Bulb chat

[sanzfrancisco]

Hello all,
A few days ago I finished planting daffodil and tulips bulbs. I think I did a pretty good job; this is only my second year doing so.
San Francisco has always had strange weather, no seasons, fog, unreliable rain. (Drought in California, you know.)
Anyway, yesterday it started raining...really raining. It's still raining. They're calling it an atmospheric river.
My question: is all this rain going to rot the bulbs??

 

[Marck]

Rain is unlikely to cause rot unless the plant conditions are exceptionally saturated. Narcissus and Tulipa do well even in clay soils.
What kind of Tulipa did you plant? Were they pre-chilled?

 

[Esther Knapicius]

Noted your zone. I always wondered how bulb will do in a zone like yours. And no the rain won't rot them.

 

[Marck]

Low-elevation, coastal California's mild, mediterranean-type climate allows for an exceptionally wide variety of geophytes ('bulbs') to be successfully grown. However, some geophytes from colder climates do require vernalization (chilling hours) in order to insure successful bloom. This limits their adaptability in mild-winter climates unless additional pre-chilling steps are taken. Eremurus and some Tulipa are two examples of such plants.

To be clear, the subterranean or surface stem structures produced by various geophytes include corms, tubers, thickened rhizomes, and true bulbs, as well as as actual thickened storage roots.

 

[sanzfrancisco]

Rain is unlikely to cause rot unless the plant conditions are exceptionally saturated. Narcissus and Tulipa do well even in clay soils.
What kind of Tulipa did you plant? Were they pre-chilled?

Just a variety of regular bulbs. And yes, they were pre-chilled.
Thanks for your reply,
janice

 

[sanzfrancisco]

Noted your zone. I always wondered how bulb will do in a zone like yours. And no the rain won't rot them.

Thanks a bunch. I'm really happy to know this. I grew some beautiful dahlias last year, planted in April.
janice

 

[Esther Knapicius]

Thanks a bunch. I'm really happy to know this. I grew some beautiful dahlias last year, planted in April.
janice

Dahlias are a different animal, in your zone you can leave them in the ground .

 

[sanzfrancisco]

Dahlias are a different animal, in your zone you can leave them in the ground .

Yes, thanks.