September is the time to buy up bulbs and put them in the refrigerator. Not for eating, but for planting! Bulbs set into cold storage can be pulled out and planted to sprout and bloom (called forcing or coaxing) just in time to be holiday gifts or beautiful additions to household decor.
How to Force Bulbs to Flower Indoors - The Basics
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Bulbs planted outdoors have a planting depth pertaining to their size and type of bulb. For indoor forcing, however, whether planted in soil or in gravel, all types and size of bulbs are planted just the same.
- Plant bulbs so that 1/3 of the bulb is exposed to open air.
- Crowd forced bulbs together for a lush appearance
- Stick to one variety of bulb per container, be sure to use bulbs that have similar cold storage and bloom times within one pot.
- Be sure to use a planter that has a hole in the bottom of it for drainage.
- Place a pebble over the hole - but do not completely cover the hole.
- Add the indoor potting soil and bulbs.
- Mix a teaspoon of 5-10-5 fertilizer (for house plants) into the soil if you plan to transfer bulbs outside into the garden
- Cover with soil as necessary to fill the pot bulb up to 2/3 of its height.
- Place potted bulbs into cold storage after planting.
- After 10 weeks in the cold, move potted bulbs out of cold storage and onto a sunny window sill or another bright, warm spot until sprouts have grown several inches above the bulb.
All forced bulbs can be moved, once the stalks are growing, to just about any location in the house.
For a more dramatic appearance, plant bulbs in glass containers filled with white rocks (available wherever aquariums are sold), glass gems, or glass marbles. Crocus, hyacinth, and paperwhites grow very well this way.
Fill glass containers with water until the water level is just above the middle of the bulb where roots begin (almost 2/3 of the bulb's height). Leave the top 1/3 of the bulb exposed to open air. Daffodils and Tulips do not grow well this way, use soil instead.
Coaxing Bulbs to Bloom Just in Time for the Holidays
Check the dates on the chart below to schedule cold storage and planting dates into your busy, holiday season. Standard timing for Tulips, Hyacinths, Crocus, and Daffodils is 10 weeks cold storage and 3 to 4 weeks growth until bloom.
**Amaryllis and Paperwhites do not require cold storage (see charts below). Amaryllis blossom 6 to 8 weeks after planting, and Paperwhites bloom 3 to 5 weeks from the date of planting. These are a good choice not only because they are eye-catching, but because they do not require as much preparation time. These bulbs do not transfer well to the garden, however, and must be thrown away after blooms die.
Cold Storage - Bulb Forcing Basics
The 10 weeks of cold storage required to force bulbs can be done in two different ways. Planted bulbs in pots can be placed in a dark, dry area - a basement, shed, or the garage - to be kept cold as if they were in the ground (ideal temperatures from 38-45ºF). They can also be kept in a tin in their own crisper drawer inside the refrigerator (38-42º Fahrenheit) - unplanted of course - until the ten week cold phase is complete. The chilled bulbs can be taken out and planted according to planting directions above. Just be sure not to share that same crisper drawer with apples or other produce as these give off a gas prohibiting bulbs from blooming later on and can actually cause them to decay. This is not a good option for homes with young children, since some bulb varieties are poisonous.
Decorate Planters to Give as a Gift or in a Gift Kit
Forced bulbs make a wonderful gift! They can be given in plain, clay pots that are painted with acrylics or tempura paints. This is a great chore that children will enjoy for grandparents on their gift list. Bows and lovely ribbons can be added as a simple, but elegant, flower pot decoration.
Another fun way to share the gift of indoor forced bulb flowers is to create kits with:
- Bulbs that you have already put through a cold phase
- A bag of indoor potting soil measured to the proper amount, glass marbles, gems or aquarium rocks and
- A decorative pot or glass container
- A small trowel is a nice addition to the kit.
- Don't forget a list of simple instructions and an insistence that the bulb be planted right away.
- Be sure to deliver the gifts early for holiday blossoms, so that the bulbs do not sit around unplanted.
- Keep bulbs in the refrigerator until it is time to give the gift kit.**
Tulip, Hyacinth, Narcissus, Crocus, and Daffodil bulbs that had added fertilizer can be transferred outside into the garden after blooms have faded. Cut stalks to an inch above the bulb. Keep them cool, dry, and in the dark until time to plant them outdoors in the fall. They will bloom again the following spring. The forcing process is very exhausting for bulbs. This way, they actually have a few months to 'rest up' before the next bloom time arrives.
For information on planting bulbs in the garden read:
Autumn is the Time for Planting Bulbs in the Garden
Rare and Indigenous Bulbs Varieties: Where to Find and Reasons to Plant Rare and Exotic Bulbs
Happy Blooming!
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