Can I Add Bone Meal to the Ground Around My Tulips, Daffodils & Hyacinths?

Fertilization Needs

• Fertilizers supplement plants with the macro-nutrients nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (N-P-K), as well as traces of necessary micro-nutrients. While healthy plants require all of these macro-nutrients, perennial flowers that grow from bulbs require higher phosphorous levels to promote root growth and continue developing the health of the bulb. Phosphorous also is a key factor in the formation of cells and seeds, which is important for blooms, and disease resistance. Deficiencies in phosphorous will result in stunted plants, with discoloration including dark green leaves and eventually red stems and leaves.

Bone Meal

• One of the most common phosphorous-rich soil amendments is bone meal, which is ground animal bone derived from slaughterhouse waste. Animal bone has been used throughout history to aid in crop growing, and many accounts have told of Native Americans planting whole fish with their crops, which we now know is a fine source of nitrogen as well as phosphorous. Bone meal is a slow-release form of phosphorous, meaning it won't show immediate results, but will continue to feed the soil long after it is applied.

'Total Phosphorous' versus 'Available Phosphorous'

• Phosphorous is not a naturally available nutrient for plant uptake. It requires acidic conditions to dissolve particles, creating available nutrients. Sources of phosphorous differ in their level of measured 'available phosphorous'. Since bulbs should have neutral to slightly acidic soil, it is best to choose a fertilizer that has a high 'available' phosphorous content because the soil acidity will not be enough to efficiently break it down.

Application

• Phosphorous travels slowly through soil, so mix bone meal into the soil below new bulbs when planting. A balanced fertilizer, say, 10-10-10 (N-P-K), applied twice per year, with bone meal as supplemental phosphorous, should be sufficient fertilization. Once during autumn, apply the complete fertilizer at the recommended rate, along with bone meal at a rate of 1 cup per 5-square-foot area. Repeat this application in the spring when new growth emerges, but before the flowering cycle begins.