Forcing Bulbs

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Here’s some great information from Kathleen McCarthy and Easy to Grow Bulbs.com

Forcing Bulbs Forcing bulbs is simply tricking them into believing that it is spring and time to bloom. In this way, fragrant and colorful flowers may be enjoyed indoors throughout the fall and winter. Brilliant blooms lend grace and vibrancy to Holiday décor and bring sunshine to the greyest of days.

Selecting Your Bulbs Many bulbs can be forced into bloom but the easiest are those that have been fully conditioned to do so bythe grower and vendor. Just plant them, add light and water and enjoy the show. Fragrant paperwhites, extravagant amaryllis and long-lived oxalis are examples of pre-conditioned bulbs that are perfect for growing in your home. Whatever types you choose to force, it is important to get the largest bulbs possible for that variety. Bigger bulbs yield larger, longer lasting flowers and more of them than do smaller bulbs of the same variety.

Paperwhites Paperwhites form many starry, fragrant white flowers atop multiple stems. These popular beauties can be grown in a wide variety of containers – pots, goblets, baskets, boxes, vases, tea pots, etc – have fun with this! Just be sure the container is or can be made water-tight, and that it is at least 3 inches deeper than where the bottom of the bulb(s) will rest, to provide ample room for the vigorous network of roots that will develop. Good quality potting soil is a fine choice if you are planting in an opaque container. Paperwhites don’t mind crowding, so tuck them into the soil as closely as you like, with the broad ends down and the pointed tips of the bulbs above the soil line. Place in a well lit spot and water lightly, remember there is no drainage and bulbs don’t like to be in wet soil. For a finished appearance, tuck natural moss around and between the bulbs and over the soil.

If your chosen container is glass, you may enjoy the sight of the roots developing in the water as foliage emerges above. Use pebbles, marbles, pottery shards, beads or sea shells to fill the bottom of the container to at least 3 inches, then nestle the wide end of the bulbs into this surface with the pointed tips facing upward. For added stability fill in with the pebbles (etc) halfway up the sides of the bulbs. Add water until it just barely touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place in a well lit spot and add water as necessary as your plants grow. You will have flowers and fragrance in a few short weeks.

• Enjoy paperwhites, but find the fragrance too strong? Follow this link to see the paperwhite varieties available with a much lighter fragrance.
• Tired of paperwhites flopping over just as they are ready to bloom? Click here to learn why paperwhites flop and how to stop it.  This really works!

Amaryllis Amaryllis are real show-stoppers with different flower forms available in rich solids and bi-color shades of red, pink, burgundy, mauve, coral, salmon, white and sea-foam green. Some amaryllis have flowers 10 inches across, others are smaller with a distinctly exotic appearance, while still others, the “doubles”, unfold layer after layer of overlapping petals. All should produce 2-3 stems of 4-6 flowers per stem when you start with great quality bulbs.

Like paperwhites, amaryllis can be grown in a wide variety of containers using either potting soil or water and pebbles. However, good quality amaryllis can provide many blooms indoors year after year but only if they are grown in soil and properly cared for after they flower. Bulbs grown in just water will be beautiful, but should be discarded when the blooms are finished. Again, provide a minimum of 3 inches room for the roots, and plant with the wide, rounded end down in the soil. Allow the top inch “neck” of the bulb to be exposed above the soil. Place in a well lit spot and water lightly as the bulbs do not like wet soil. For a finished appearance, tuck natural moss around the bulb and over the soil. Big, bold blooms appear in 1-3 months, depending upon the variety you select. To encourage your amaryllis plants to rebloom in subsequent seasons, continue to provide light and water for the long, evergreen foliage that follows the flowers. Here’s a linkto additional tips for getting amaryllis to rebloom.

Oxalis Cheery plants with shamrock-like foliage, oxalis make very long-lived house plants. O. Regnelli (green leaved with white flowers) and O. Triangularis (deep purple foliage with magenta veining and whisper-pink flowers) grow beautifully indoors for many years. These bulbs should always be planted in good quality potting soil, not pebbles, which provide no nutrients. Tuck them about 1 inch deep with at least 2 inches of soil beneath them. Any way up is right side up with oxalis bulbs; they’ll figure things out. Place in a well lit spot and water lightly as the bulbs do not like wet soil. Green or purple shamrocks will develop in a few weeks, soon to be joined by dainty flowers.

Having growing, blooming plants in your home is a joy, and easy to achieve by forcing bulbs. Have fun, be creative; and regardless of the weather outside, enjoy a breath of spring!

For more information, visit www.EasytoGrowBulbs.com

Kathleen’s Tips:

~ For classic paperwhites with a less potent fragrance, select Inball. For some reason, I find the pale yellow petals and prominent golden cups of Wintersun perfect for both Thanksgiving feasts, and as a breath of spring in the long, grey days of January and February. Plant paperwhites at 2-3 week intervals to enjoy months of flowers and fragrance!

~ Amaryllis can and should be enjoyed for many years! The easiest and surest way to have your bulbs bloom every year is to give up trying to make them do so at a specific time of year. Simply provide sunlight and water as long as the plants have green, growing foliage. If/when the leaves die back and the bulbs go dormant (they may or may not – no stress either way) allow their soil to dry out completely. Begin watering them again when you see new green growth. This way you can completely skip the fuss of cutting foliage, storing the bulbs in the dark, counting weeks, forgetting them, remembering them, etc. Instead – enjoy the fabulous flowers when they appear! This way they will – every year – when the bulbs decide it’s best! How fun!

~ I love the effect of combining different bulbs and plants. One of my favorites – especially for the Holidays – is to plant oxalis (Regnelli or Triangularis) with amaryllis. The cheery shamrocks leaf out quickly, providing color and small flowers while the amaryllis is still in the developing stage. Then, when the big showy amaryllis blooms open, the oxalis is a wonderful, softening background. Once the big flowers of the amaryllis are finished, the shamrocks continue to be lush house plants, flowering off and on throughout the year. The green leaves and white flowers of Regnelli are a perfect compliment to any amaryllis. For a bit more drama, try purple Triangularis with white or pale blooming varieties. Follow this link for a few examples of amaryllis combined with oxalis.

~ Most important – Have fun! ?