Re: Forcing bulbs
- To: perennials@mallorn.com
- Subject: Re: Forcing bulbs
- From: M* R* W*
- Date: Fri, 5 Nov 1999 13:58:30 -0600
It would be a treat to see your windowsills this winter! Hope you can
hold off the rain for a while. Send it our way!
Mary
> Mary, thank you so much -- and all of you who responded. I am armed
> and
> ready to go this weekend. Unfortunately, the weather isn't supposed
> to
> cooperate. Not for the next 9 months at least ;-)
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Mary R Wills [m*@juno.com]
> > Sent: Thursday, November 04, 1999 7:06 PM
> > To: perennials@mallorn.com
> > Subject: 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?
> > >
> > >
> >
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