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Bulbs to plant

aklmcmillan96aklmcmillan96 Posts: 4
in Problem solving
hi I am a new to gardening and would welcome some advice I have 100 dahlia bulbs 100 oriental bulbs 100 gladiolus corms that I was wanting to plant in newly acquired allotment I need to prepare beds ground will no be ready for another 2/3 weeks can I still plant the bulbs if not can they be stored until next year and if I can store them what is the best way to store 
Many thanks 
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Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Central Norfolk UKPosts: 82,290
    Oh how sad ☹️ 

    They should all have been planted much earlier in the year ... they will not keep until next year ... they are not like seeds which will remain viable for several (sometimes many) years.

    Corms, bulbs and tubers are just a plant’s way of storing energy over the winter until it is ready to grow again the following spring.  They will not store ... they will rot. 

    Im sorry to give you bad news. 

    Please ask ask as many questions as you like on here ... we will try to give you what help we can with your allotment 😊 
    “I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh







  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge South LondonPosts: 2,308
    Welcome to the forum. You're clearly starting with gusto having 300 of the blighters in your hands! You can store them for a few months as these are normally planted in the Spring (presuming you mean oriental lilies). Do they have any written advice with them? To store them you have to provide darkness, air flow and a frost free environment. A garage or a basement are ideal places to get these conditions...and keep checking periodically for any mould. 
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • aklmcmillan96aklmcmillan96 Posts: 4
    Thank you for your help that is a bit more gardening knowledge gained 
    many thanks 
  • JacquimcmahonJacquimcmahon Paris FrancePosts: 907
    Hi aklmcmillan if you can keep them dark and dry , and have the space you may be able to use them next year. I forgot several bags a couple of years ago and some of them did come when I planted them the following year. I would hedge my bets and also buy some new as there is no guarantee as dove says generally bulbs should be planted soon after purchase but nature can still surprise us sometimes.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Central Norfolk UKPosts: 82,290
    Oh @amancalledgeorge ... are you presuming they’re fresh from this year?  How could the dahlia tuners be this year’s... they should be in flower now ... I’m presuming they’re last year’s. 

    @aklmcmillan96 ... to clarify, when did you buy these?
    “I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh







  • aklmcmillan96aklmcmillan96 Posts: 4
    Thank you 
    I could try that nothing to lose and if they do grow a bonus 
  • ObelixxObelixx Vendée, Western FrancePosts: 28,587
    Get some shallow cardboard boxes from the local SM or greengrocers and fill with compost.  Put the dahlias in those and water them to let them start growing tho, if they've not got shoots on by now, they're probably already goners.

    Gladioli and lilies need to go into pots of compost  with twice their own height of compost above them and then a good drink.  

    Gladioli and dahlias are not reliably hardy in UK winters so, even if you get them growing weel, as soon as the frosts arrive you need to be able to lift and store them somewhere dry and frost free.  If you can't do that you need to grow them in raised beds with plenty of grit added to improve drainage so they don't rot and space above the soil to lay on thick layers of protective mulch every autumn to stop the corms and tubers freezing over winter.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • aklmcmillan96aklmcmillan96 Posts: 4
    Thank you for all  your comments through lack of knowledge I purchased these at the wrong time of year lesson learned need to research and plan in future 
  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge South LondonPosts: 2,308
    True @Dovefromabove old stock from somewhere...but hopefully they should survive if not dried out. 
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • ObelixxObelixx Vendée, Western FrancePosts: 28,587
    Try anyway.  Even if you just get foliage that will be enough to provide energy to the bulbs, corms and tubers to prduce something next year.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
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