Only some crocus' bloomed?

[callmeJen]

This has me stumped.

I planted 75 bulbs from a big bag in the fall. 60 or so in my backyard and the rest out front. Right when I would have expected them to come up, the bulbs out front had leaves and a week or so later they all bloomed. The bulbs out back only had one bloom. I have a bunch of greenery, but none of the rest of them show any signs of blooming.

I planted them all in the recommended depth, and did everything exactly out front and in the back.

Is there any logical reason as to why 90% didn't bloom?
I'm in Calgary, Alberta

[rainbowgardener]

Is there a difference in sun levels between front yard and back yard? Crocus needs full sun to bloom. If your back yard is shadier, that would likely be the cause.

[callmeJen]

If anything, there is more sun in the backyard.

[Lemondrop]

Hi, callmejen. The same thing happened to my crocuses this spring. I planted 45 in the same spot and about a month ago the leaves came up and looked pretty healthy. I was very excited to see the flowers bloom! Unfortunately my excitement was short-lived as only about 5 flowers bloomed. Quite disappointing but at least next time I'll know to find a sunnier spot to plant them in.

[nltaff]

Hi callmeJen, My first thought was critters got the bulbs, but you say the leaves came up and look healthy. Maybe the bulbs were immature, or didn't get enough nutrients during the fall and winter. If you have healthy greens, I wouldn't give up on them. You might feed the greens with bone meal and compost/balanced organic fertilizer until the green leaves yellow and die off with the late spring, summer heat. Keep your fingers crossed for a nice bloom next year.

[AnnaIkona]

I agree with nltaff. If some bulbs grew and others didn't it is probably not a soil, sun or watering problem. I think something ate them from underneath.