Expert: Laura Walker - 1/10/2005

Question
Hi. Thanks for volunteering! Can you please advise on Pine Cone Ginger bulbs? I planted them last summer and didn't poison the grass around them first. They are so hardy i thought they would eat the St. Augustine grass (north Fl). They are just dead stalks now since the freeze, but I know they will come back 2 fold in about 2 months! My question is, while they're dormant under the soil, can I spray weed killer in the grass that's there where they will come up without hurting the bulbs? Please let me know what you think- it's time for cleaning and getting ready for our Spring plantings!
Thanks,
Lisa
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Answer
Lisa,
Somehow this did not go to my email box,because my computer was down for a while.Nor did I receive anything from ALL Experts staff.Sorry.
Anyway,that particular bulb does not sound familiar to me.Could it be called something else?Doesn't matter though,all bulbs in general are still pertinent to your question.
I would not recommend you killing the grass on top of the bulbs,especially if they are shallowly planted.I don't know how deep they are,but if you get a soaking long rain after spraying,it could damage the bulbs as it seeps into the ground.However,the grass you have is a tuff tight rooted grass and hard to kill so if you have a really warm day with no chance of rain I would go ahead and do it providing the bulbs are at least 6 to 7 inches below the soil level.If they are more shallow,I would just dig them up first and plant them somewhere else or store them in a cool dry place until the grass is dead if you really like them and would be greatly disappointed if they died.
Hope this is helpful to you.Sorry about the delay in the answer.