VOA慢速英语:Grow It Yourself: Turning Bulbs Into Beautiful Blooms

Bulbs are underground plant stems. They provide food for a shoot. Some bulbs produce flowers year after year. Gardening experts say tulips, daffodils and other bulbs are not very difficult to grow.
球茎是地下植物的茎，它们为幼芽提供养分。一些球茎植物每年都会开花。园艺专家表示，郁金香、水仙花和其他球茎植物并不难种植。

Bulbs do well in climates with a cold season. They are placed in the ground about the time of the first frost. But, with the right preparation, they can also grow well in places where the ground never freezes.
球茎植物适合在寒冷气候下种植，他们在初霜之时被种到地里。但是,在做了充分的准备后，它们也能在土壤从不冻结的地方生长得很好。

Mike Lizotte of American Meadows, an online store, says before you start, you need know whether to plant tender bulbs or hardy bulbs. If you live in a cold area, a tender bulb will need special care when the growing season is over.
一家名为“美国牧场”网店的迈克．利佐特（Mike Lizotte）表示，在你开始种植之前，你需要了解是种植耐寒还是不耐寒的球茎植物。如果你居住在寒冷地区，不耐寒的球茎植物在生长季节过后需要特别照料。

MIKE LIZOTTE: "If you want that bulb to survive or come back, you would need to literally dig it out of the ground and bring it inside to a warm area because it just -- it will not survive, or it would get killed by the cold temperatures."
利佐特：“如果你希望它能够存活下来，你需要将它完整地从地里挖出来，带到温暖的地方。因为它在寒冷的气候可能会死亡。”

But Mike Lizotte says a hardy bulb can stay in the ground all year.
但利佐特称，耐寒球茎植物可以全年种在地里。

MIKE LIZOTTE: "A hardy bulb is one that prefers cold temperatures. So therefore it can be left in the ground, such as a daffodil or tulip."
利佐特：“耐寒球茎植物更喜欢寒冷，因此它能留在地里，比如水仙花或郁金香。”

Sandra Mason from the University of Illinois Extension service has some suggestions to get a good start on planting bulbs. First, the most important thing is to choose a place with soil that drains well.
伊力诺伊推广大学的桑德拉．梅森（Sandra Mason）对如何怎样开始种植球茎植物有一些建议。首先，最重要的是选择一个容易排水的地方。

SANDRA MASON: "How wet the soil is, that ends up being a big issue. For certain areas, if you have a lot of clay in your soil, you may find that bulbs do not last a long time for you, as in just a couple years. Or you may find they just do not do very well at all, and they actually rot in the soil."
梅森：“土壤湿润程度最终会成一个大问题。对某些特定地区来说，如果土壤中有许多粘土，你会发现球茎植物活不了太久，最多几年时间。或者你会发现它们一直长得不太好，实际上它们在土壤中已经腐烂。”

Sandra Mason suggests planting most big bulbs like tulips or daffodils about fifteen to twenty centimeters deep. Smaller bulbs can be planted about seven to ten centimeters deep. She says she enjoys planting smaller ones like snowdrop bulbs.
梅森建议将大部分像郁金香和水仙花这类比较大的球茎植物 ,种入大约15到20厘米深。较小的球茎植物种入大约7到10厘米深。她表示自己喜欢种植雪莲等较小的球茎植物。

SANDRA MASON: "I love planting those because you do not need to dig a very deep hole. We like those!"
梅森：“我喜欢种较小的球茎植物，因为种植时不需要挖很深的洞。我们喜欢那种！”

Bulbs should be planted with their pointed end up, toward the surface. But some bulbs do not seem to have a pointy end. In that case, Ms. Mason says, look for an "eye" that might have a stem. But don't worry if you cannot find one.
球茎植物应该尖头朝上种下去。但有些球茎似乎没有尖头。梅森表示，这种情况下，寻找可能有茎的“眼”。但如果找不到也不用担心。

SANDRA MASON: "The good news is, the bulbs will figure it out."
梅森：“好消息是，球茎植物自己会找出来。”

Do not use fertilizer for the first year. After that, if you do fertilize the bulbs, do not mix the fertilizer in the planting hole. It could burn the roots.
第一年不要施肥。之后，如果给球茎施肥，不要在种植的洞中混入化肥，否则根茎会被烧坏。

There is a trick people can use to grow bulbs in places where the ground never freezes. Keep the bulbs cold in a refrigerator for about three months, then take them out and let them get used to the warmth. Now the bulbs will be ready to develop normally, colorful blooms and all.
人们在土壤从不冻结的地方种植球茎植物有一个小窍门。就是将球茎放入冰箱中冷藏三个月左右，然后取出来，让它适应温暖的气候。现在，这些球茎植物就可以开出正常,色彩鲜艳的花朵等等。