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I planted my bulbs in early November and now with the warm weather some of them are sprouting up! What should I do? Will they grow in the spring? Gary

Answer

I planted my bulbs in early November and now with the warm weather some of them are sprouting up! What should I do? Will they grow in the spring? Gary Don't be concerned, the bulbs will grow in the spring. As you have noticed, your bulbs are reacting to the warm weather this fall. The correct time to plant bulbs is when the night time temperatures are consistently in the 40s. Up until mid-November this year, the temperatures have been too warm and pre-mature sprouting will probably occur. Pre-mature sprouting can also occur if you plant bulbs too shallow. Most bulbs like to be planted at a depth of 3 times their longest dimension. So, if you have a bulb that is 1" long, it should be planted at a depth of three inches. You often see pre-mature sprouting of bulbs during unseasonable warm periods during the winter and even then, the plants will be fine. The weather should be getting cold enough now to deter your plants from growing any further. The worst that will happen is the tips of the stems or leaves might be misshapen in the spring, but they will grow. There will not be any long term problems; your bulbs will be just fine in future years. I should also mention, if your bulbs are grape hyacinth, it's normal for them to put up their leaves in the fall and bloom in the spring. Thank you for your question.

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About Linda Lillie

Linda K. Lillie is the President of Sprigs & Twigs, Inc, the premier landscape design and maintenance, tree care, lawn care, stonework, and carpentry service provider in southeastern Connecticut since 1997. She is a graduate of Connecticut College in Botany, a Connecticut Master Gardener and a national award winning landscape designer for her landscape design and landscape installation work.

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