Unfortunately, this won't guarantee you a winter bloom. Maybe consider cutting the spike just before flowering and letting it flower in a vase. At least you'll get to enjoy the flower. Most of my bulbs flower naturally in late winter/early spring, but then I have a few that flower to the beat of a different drummer :)

Thanks, jstropic. I'm not actually concerned that I won't get winter bloom. All my bulbs, except for the babies that I'm trying to "grow up," seem to have at least two blooming stems. It's just that, well, I want really fat bulbs this year.

Three bulbs in the collection were sending spikes last week, and I did go cut them all off. They and all the rest as well are shooting good foliage that looks fat and sassy, even more robust than what emerged in late winter. I used a continual-feed program all winter until it was time to put them outside, then top dressed with Osmocote and occasionally still give them a shot of liquid fertilizer. I have hopes that all that green will bulk the bulbs up to an even bigger size by September. For some of the smaller bulbs, I recorded diameter measurements when repotting last Nov/Dec. I now wish I had done that for all of them, just to see what difference the careful attention to fertilizer makes.

You're so right: some *do* have their own minds! But I hope to direct some of their "thoughts," hah.

You'll have to let us know what your study shows. Keeping a record to compare individual bulb growth should be helpful as it isn't always possible to compare bulb sizes of different cultivars/species. Some of my bulbs are 'beasts' with huge bulbs and leaves, while others are more dainty. But keeping track of the % increase of indivdual bulbs should give some intersting information. Looking forward to your findings. Jody

Thanks, Jody, it will be another year and some before I can document. But for sure I know that some of these bulbs that I'm trying to bulk up were bigger when I got them. So something in what I've done or supplied has caused them to shrink. I may or may not be able to turn that around, but I'm trying! :)

It seems to me too that some bulbs just "want" to be beasts. I was given some red ones last fall, as a trio meant to be grown in water (oh my heart hurt for them). One never even put out a bloom that was worth anything, and I cut it off. I put them all in a community pot as soon as the flower display was done and I cannot believe how fast they're getting fat. I did put actual bone meal in that potting mix. That could be key? Because I haven't added it to most other pots.

I'll see what I have to share later this year and then next. Thanks so much for all your help.

Joan