Sunday, May 16, 2010

Can you cover daffodils and tulip leaves that are laying on the ground and turning brown with mulch?

The longer you can leave them uncovered the better. Any sunlight the leaves can get while they are still alive promotes healthy bulbs below the surface. This energy will be stored in the bulbs for next season, ensuring even bigger and better plants and blooms. So yes, the longer you can leave them uncovered, the better. But if there is not a lot of green left and they're creating an eyesore, I'd say go for it and cover them with mulch. Bulbs are pretty resilient things.

Can you cover daffodils and tulip leaves that are laying on the ground and turning brown with mulch?
Once daffodil %26amp; tulip leaves die back (about 6 weeks after flowering) you can remove them. If you notice yellow streaks on the leaves it can indicate a virus. Then it would not be a good idea to cover them with mulch. So if they are clear of virus, go ahead and cover them up. By the way if they have virus, it is better to disgard the bulbs, to stop it spreading. Initially after flowering the leaves are needed to feed the bulb to allow it to bloom next year. You just need to remove the flower head, the stem will also feed the bulb. Good luck
Reply:Once the leaves are brown it is OK to cover them with mulch, but don't do it before they turn brown.





BUT...tulips greatly benefit from being baked in the soil by the summer sun, and covering them with mulch may make the soil too cool and damp. It won't affect the daffodils, however. They thrive in cooler, damper environments.
Reply:Yep, and if you don't put plastic over them, they will come up through the mulch next spring and bloom again.


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