How to Plant Lily & Gladiolus Bulbs in 4-inch or 10 cm Deep Holes

Many gardeners refer to any underground structure that stores food for the next year's plants as "bulbs," but this is not always the case. True bulbs, such as lily bulbs, consist of layers of scaly, modified leaves held together by a tough stem called the basal plate. Other plants, such as the gladiolus, store their food in a corm, a swollen stem that forms a bulb-like structure. The procedure for planting either corms or bulbs is basically the same.

Garden tiller
Spade
Compost
Well-rotted manure
Fertilizer, 10-10-10
Bone meal

Instructions

- 1
  Prepare the soil in a sunny location by digging to a depth of 8 to 12 inches. Add a 2- to 3-inch layer of well-rotted manure or compost to the area and work it into the soil. Organic matter improves both aeration and drainage and provides slow-release nutrients for plants.
- 2
  Mix 5 tbsp. of 10-10-10 fertilizer, or bulb food, plus 2 cups of bone meal into the soil for each 10 square feet of area. Ron Cornwell, University of Illinois Extension Educator, recommends two to three applications of 10-10-10 fertilizer during the growing season for summer- and fall-blooming bulbs. He suggests dividing 7 tbsp. of the fertilizer per 10 square feet over the two to three applications.
- 3
  Dig a planting hole to the depth of 4 inches, or 10 cm. Recommended planting depths refer to the distance from the bottom of the bulb to the surface of the soil.
- 4
  Position the bulb or corm in the soil with the flat side down and the rounded or pointed end pointing upward. Tiny white or yellowish roots may already be present at the bottom of the bulb.
- 5
  Cover the bulb with soil and firm the soil down with your hands to secure the bulb and remove air pockets.
- 6
  Water thoroughly to moisten the soil to a depth of 6 inches. Keep soil moist until new growth appears.

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