digging up bulbs

[Bon]

can I dig up my bulbs now that I have in containers. Some are way to heavy for me to lift.

[Petee]

Bulbs?  If you mean spring blooming bulbs, just move them right into where you want them to bloom next year.  Try to not distrub the soil that the bulbs are in, and give the planting hole a good dose of bone meal.  If you have bulb loving varmints, you may want to add some human hair or diatomaceous earth to the soil also.

[lavender]

I suspect you mean non-hardy things like cannas or gladiolus.  If so yes get them out of the containers and into a cool area to store for the winter.

[QuickDraw]

What about the bulbs for dahlias? I dug mine out of the pots and put them in a paper bag. Should I have planted them for next year? And when I do plant them, do I plant one bulb per hole and how far apart? This bulb thing is all new to me!

[lavender]

Dahlias aren't hardy so you did the right thing by bringing them in. In the spring after all danger of frost and when the soil has warmed up, put each tuber in the ground about 5-6 inches deep with the eyes pointed up. You can dig deeper and fill the bottom of the hole with some good compost and add a handful of bone meal. Make sure the ground is not soaking wet as dahlias are prone to rotting. A foot apart sounds good to me for average size dahlias. You can go closer for smaller varieties and up to 2 feet for the really big ones.

[Petee]

In the spring when it is about time to plant the Dahlias you should see some sprouts, kind of like potatoes.  If you want to divide them, then is the time.  Use a sharp knife and divide them so each fat root has a sprout.  Let the cuts dry for a day and then plant them as usual.