A few years ago I decided to plant a lot of daffodil bulbs in a wooded area of my back yard. In all I had purchased over 1000 bulbs before I realized what I had gotten myself into. I did a little research in bulb planting techniques and found that I could buy an auger for my drill to make the job easier. This definitely seemed like the way I wanted to go. I purchased two augers. One slightly larger than the other but both big enough to plant daffodil bulbs. If you are just going to buy one auger, I would suggest buying the larger one.
What is Bulb Auger: A bulb auger is an attachment for an electric drill. I have two of them. One is 2.5″ wide and the other 3″ wide. Both are about 24″ long from end to end, and will dig a hole up to 8″ deep in a few seconds. If you click on the picture included with this article, you can see my two augers. I have had these for years and they have planted well over 1000 bulbs. Click here to read my review of the bulb augers that I used.
Things you will need before starting: An Electric Drill, Heavy Duty Extension Cord Long enough to reach work site, Flower Bulbs, Garden Soil, bulb fertilizer, and Auger.
Before you dig: Make sure that there is nothing under the ground that you could break by drilling with your auger. Some things you might have to watch out for would be buried Cable TV wires, Dog Electric Fence wires, and Sprinkler System. Most areas have a number that you can call to have someone come out and mark areas where utilities are under the ground. If you are planting in an area where there are utilities under ground it would be best to hand dig those holes so that you do not damage anything. One thing I learned is that it is a lot easier to dig when the ground is moist. If it has not rained in the last week I would suggest watering the ground where you want to dig the day before you plan on planting. Water deeply so that the ground is wet more than just on the surface. Before you start your project read the directions on the package of bulbs to find out how deeply to plant your bulbs and how far apart.
How to use the Bulb Auger with your Drill: I would suggest using an Electric Drill to plant your bulbs. I tried to use my rechargeable drill and it did not have enough power to do the job. You will probably need an extension cord so make sure you have one long enough before starting your project. Also make sure you are using a heavy duty extension cord designed for outdoor use. Attach the Bulb Auger to your drill the same way you would a drill bit. Make sure it is tightly secured. place the tip of the drill bit on the ground where you want your first hole. Make sure it is straight up and down from the ground and then drill in short bursts until you have reached the right depth. I use short bursts for two reasons. The first is that I do not want to burn up my drill, and the second is so that if I hit a rock or something, it will not ruin my Auger.
As you dig, the auger will remove the soil and leave it in a ridge around the hole. If you are planting bulbs in a large area as I did my daffodils, I found it worked best to dig a row of holes and then place the bulbs before starting my next row. After your hole is the desired depth simply place your bulb in the hole with the pointy tip of the bulb facing up. Then throw a handful of fresh garden soil and some bulb fertilizer in the hole and cover with the soil that you dug up. What I do is mix my bulb fertilizer in with the fresh garden soil in a large bucket. It is easier to drag one bucket around instead of a bag of garden soil and the package of fertilizer. When you have all your bulbs in the ground and covered, water them deeply. It is important to water the bulbs even if you are doing fall planting for spring, because they will do a lot of growing under the ground in the fall to prepare for a beautiful show in the spring.
Helpful tips and Troubleshooting:
1. When you are digging your holes make sure to keep the cord away from the area where you are drilling so that you do not cut your extension cord.
2. Check often to make sure that your drill bit is still fastened tightly to your drill. The vibration and force of drilling can loosen the drill bit easily. A loose drill bit will strip the end of the bit as the drill turns and the bit does not.
3. If the end of the drill bit does get worn down rather than buying a new one, just cut the worn area off with a saw that will cut through metal, or if it is severely worn down, you may be able to just snap it off.
4. If your drill gets really hot, take a break until it cools down.
reposted on PostAnyArticle Oct 18, 2013