Re: Forcing bulbs

Hi Susan,
I've done hyacinths and lilies of the valley in water as well as the
paperwhite narcissus. (yeah, lilies of the valley aren't bulbs, but....) 
I've only used hyacinths I've bought that are specifically for forcing in
a hyacinth glass (I think they are prechilled, but I'm not sure.)  At any
rate they seem to need less cold for root development than the ones I've
forced in soil, but you do need a cool dark place until the leaves are up
and the flower stalk starts to color. Then you can move them to a very
cool, sunny window for flowering. Doubtless you can use them on gravel
also-- the big thing with bulbs in water is that you don't want the water
actually touching the bulb, only the roots, or they'll rot-- keep the
bulb on top of the gravel and the water level just below the bottom of
the bulb.

I've heard that lilies of the valley can also be bought prechilled (don't
know where) but if you have a stand in your garden it's a lot cheaper and
very easy to dig your own. Last week I dug my winter's supply, choosing
only the biggest pips because the smaller ones won't flower. I put them
in a ziplock bag in the fridge for 12 weeks. Any time after that you can
pull a handfull out of the bag, put them in soil or on gravel with water
(again don't drown them) and put in a closet or a fairly warm room with a
paper bag over them to keep them dark. Remove the bag and put in sunny
window when the leaves are well up. They bloom about 3 weeks after you
start them. After flowering yuo can either throw them out or grow them on
and plant in the garden in spring. It will be a couple of years before
they flower again.

		Hope this helps--
		Mary 
		MO zone 6

>> 
> I have experimented somewhat with forcing bulbs.  Can anyone tell me 
> which
> bulbs can take the SOILESS method -- on the gravel.  Narcissus only 
> or other
> bulbs as well?  
> 
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@mallorn.com with the
> message text UNSUBSCRIBE PERENNIALS

___________________________________________________________________
Get the Internet just the way you want it.
Free software, free e-mail, and free Internet access for a month!
Try Juno Web: http://dl.www.juno.com/dynoget/tagj.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@mallorn.com with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE PERENNIALS
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index