Let it bloom once and then get rid of it? When it comes to flower bulbs, throwing them away is pure waste. Unfortunately for them and for us. Because the potential is there to sprout and bloom magnificently every year. Give them this chance.
Can you reuse flower bulbs?
Flower bulbs can be reused to save money and protect the environment. Allow the foliage to wither, fertilize the plants, dig up the bulbs and store them in a cool, dry place before replanting.
Plan after flowering
After flowering is before flowering. Because as soon as the flowers wilt, it's high time to think about the coming gardening season. Should onion plants bloom again? And if so, where should the “new” flower bulbs come from?
Of course you can buy and plant new flower bulbs commercially in autumn or spring. But old onions can also be reused. That saves a lot of money. The vast majority of varieties offer consistent flowering performance over the years.
Recharge your batteries
If you have decided to reuse them, the onions should recharge as much energy and collect nutrients as possible before winter. You can support them:
- leave all the leaves on until they have withered
- in the meantime its nutrients are stored in the onion
- prevent energy-consuming seed formation
- cut off wilted flowers as soon as possible
- However, leave the stems until they dry out
Tip
Onion plants that you want to reuse the following year should be fertilized from spring until flowering to replenish nutrient consumption.
Dig up flower bulbs
Flower bulbs that bloom in summer, such as begonias and dahlias, are not native to us and can therefore tolerate small frosts. If you leave them outside, they become soggy and rotten. To reuse them, you need to dig them up in the fall.
Spring bloomers are hardy and can be left outside. Their reuse is automatic, so to speak. But they can also be dug up if, for example, they are threatened by damage from voles, or if they are to bloom in other places next year.
Flower bulbs that are in pots can be overwintered in the cellar together with the pot and soil. Alternatively, you can also plant spring bloomers outside. But then the pot must be covered with protective fleece.
Store flower bulbs
Unearthed flower bulbs must first be freed from any remaining soil and allowed to dry. They are then stored in a cool, dark and dry place. Store them in airy nets or wooden boxes.
When which flower bulb is replanted depends on the variety. Frost-sensitive summer bloomers, for example, are only allowed outside after the Ice Saints. However, they are allowed to leave their winter quarters and roam around the house weeks in advance.
Tip
Sort out the damaged onions before storage so that the rot does not spread to he althy onions.
