Hole in Center of Bulb

A large hole in the center of your bulb is simply where last year's stem was attached. Planting bulbs on their side to keep the center spot where the old flowering stem had been from “filling up with water” only works for one season, because next year this same bulb will have pulled itself upright and there will be a new "center hole", and the practice will not correct already poorly drained soil. Carefully making a mound of soil at the bottom of the hole to "spread out the roots" is another questionable amount of work. On the home farm we do not use a mechanical planter for small lots of bulbs, but rather simply open a furrow with the tractor, then place two bulbs side by side with a couple of inches of space between them every 6 to 8 inches apart, depending on bulb size. New workers would fuss and set each one carefully upright but when the tractor went back over the row to cover the bulbs with another attachment, soil thrown over the top would push the bulbs onto their sides and even upside down – much to the distress of the person who had just carefully placed them in the row.

Related Blog Post: Lily Bulbs Planted Upside Down