Discard any wounded or diseased bulbs. Cut off the foliage close to the bulb, and shake off any loose soil. Dry the bulbs in a well-ventilated area out of direct sunlight for about a week. Carefully brush off any soil. To protect the bulbs from storage rots, dust them with a fungicide containing captan .
Bulbs are live plants and continue to breathe.
Store them in shallow trays or plastic buckets, and cover the bulbs with dry sand, peat moss, perlite, or vermiculite. Store until the proper planting time for your plant. In mild-winter areas where the bulbs' chilling requirements are not satisfied, purchase precooled bulbs, or precool them yourself. To do this, place the uncovered bulbs in a shallow pan. Store in the refrigerator or any area where the temperature remains just above freezing for 6 weeks.