Viewing post #391529 by ARUBA1334

Julia I am curious if you cover the bulbs with anything over winter ? I have found that in my climate the plants do a lot better with some sort of winter protection from the freeze thaw cycles we go through here. I used to mulch all of mine and then remove it in the spring before they started growing but as my beds grew that became not practical anymore so the past few years,I have used a light covering of compost over everything and then I use my leaf blower to remove it in the spring when its time to fertilize this method has worked great for me, the compost is great for the plants and I don't have to worry about raking it. I too have struggled with Kitty Kay either it does not grow well or it has rotted not sure why I am struggling with that one,I saw thousands of bulbs of it in bloom and doing well in Oregon but like Kent said maybe it is just my region . Bacterial soft rot has a real distinctive smell to it when you have it you will know it right away because it stinks, keep a eye on everything in that area i have had it spread quickly you may want to treat for it. I have noticed a few of mine have had a weird look to them as well when I touch the bulb it has a sponge feel to it and completely pulls out of the ground the look is similar to soft rot but different it may very well be some plants that were left over with scorch from last year not quite sure what it is yet as I have not ever seen anything like it it but with all the non stop rain we have having I am certainly keeping a eye out for anything out of the ordinary.