Huis FKCH_E

Planting
time
Number
of cold
weeks
at 9°C
First
owering
begins on
Prepared
15-09/15-12
10-12
15-12
Unprepared
15-10/01-12
11-13
15-01
Forcing
ower bulbs
INDOORS
Hyacinthus
Tulipa
‘Blenda’
01-10/01-12
14-15
15-01
‘Showwinner ’
01-10/01-12
13-14
25-01
‘Prominence’
01-10/01-12
14-15
15-01
‘Yellow Present’
01-10/01-12
15-17
15-02
‘Arma’
01-10/01-12
15-17
15-02
‘Prinses Irene’
01-10/01-12
15-17
15-02
‘Tête-à-Tête’
01-10/01-12
12-13
15-02
‘February Gold’
01-10/01-12
12-13
15-01
‘Carlton’
01-10/01-12
14-15
01-02
Crocus
01-10/01-11
14-15
01-02
Iris reticulata
01-10/01-11
12-13
05-01
Muscari armeniacum
01-10/01-11
14-15
01-02
Narcissus
Special bulb varieties
These are just a few of the bulbs you can use for
home forcing.
For more information about flower bulbs
planting tips and nice ideas:
www.bulbsonline.org.
,
FKCH-E
Huis UK.indd 1
pure pleasure
tips for planting fl
ower bulbs
inside your home
14-05-2009 09:10:51
Flower bulbs provide colour not only in gardens but also
indoors. Here are two ways to be able to enjoy owering
bulbs inside before the world outside starts blooming.
METHOD 1: Home forcing
This method involves chilling the ower bulbs yourself to get them to
produce owers earlier. A nice hobby for people who like to stimulate
their green ngers. Home forcing lets you have a bit of springtime
indoors as early as Christmas. Indoors, ower bulbs can be planted
in a wide array of pots and containers, even in glass vases. The only
important thing is that the bulb has to have enough room to produce
roots. (Most ower bulbs need at least ten centimetres of soil in order
to root.) The only other essential point is that the pot has to allow
excess water to drain away from the bulbs. So put some stones at
the bottom of the pot. Potting soil is ne for ower bulbs. For good
results, it is important for the ower bulbs to receive a suf ciently
long cold period (see schedule) at a temperature around 9°C (50°F).
And, although not absolutely necessary, a dark room would be
preferable. If you don’t have such a room, you could chill the pots
temporarily outside in the garden or on the patio (and check to make
sure that the potting soil does not become too wet). The schedule
indicates how long you need to chill the bulbs and when you can
expect them to bloom.
You could start planting as early as the beginning of September and
continue planting until December. The earlier you plant, the earlier
the bulbs will bloom. If you decrease the number of cold weeks, the
stems will be too short and the owers will not develop properly.
Chilling too long results in extremely long stems. After the cold
period, you can bring the pots into a warm room indoors. Here, the
bulbs will produce owers within two to three weeks.
Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) and Paperwhites (Tazetta narcissus),
however, can be placed in a warm environment immediately after
planting. These bulbs require no cold period.
Huis UK.indd 2
Home forcing step by step
1. Select a pot that is not too small. A large pot can hold several bulbs,
so the effect produced will be even prettier. Put some stones or
potsherds in the bottom of the pot so that excess water can escape
easily through the hole at the bottom of the pot.
2. Fill the pot halfway with potting soil. Press down somewhat rmly.
Then press the bulbs into the soil. They can be arranged to almost
touch each other. When planting tulips, the nished effect will be
prettier if you plant the at side of the bulb facing toward the centre
of the pot.
3. Continue lling the pot with potting soil until it covers the tops of the
bulbs. Then water the bulbs to encourage rooting.
4. Provide the ower bulbs with the required number of cold weeks at
around 9°C. As soon as the ower bulb emerges from the bulb, the
pot may be brought indoors.
Help from the grower
METHOD 2:
During the winter months, there is
a second and easier way to make
sure that you have owering
bulbs indoors. Buy pots of bulbs
that have already been given
their cold period at the grower’s
facility. Some of these bulbs will
already be blooming in the shop
and will ower for around seven
to ten days indoors before they
fade. If you buy pots displaying
only greenish-yellow shoots, you can enjoy your purchase much
longer. After all, it’s fun to watch this natural process unfolding right
before your eyes!
Also nice for outside
These pots can also be placed on your balcony, patio or garden
table. Outside, they will take longer to bloom, but this also means
enjoying them even longer. Try this out with daffodils, grape
hyacinths or tulips.
Tips
1. It is better to leave these ower bulbs in their original pots to
avoid damaging their roots during transplanting. Instead, look for
a nice outer pot or basket to serve as a more attractive container
for the original pot. You might also consider topping the potting
soil with moss or other decorative material to conceal the top of
the plastic pot from view. If the plastic pot has to be removed,
squeeze the sides of the pot a few times and then tap the bottom
carefully so that the bulbs come out soil and all.
2. Bulbs in pots should be watered regularly but not be given too
much water all at once.
3. Plant an uneven number of bulbs in a pot or shallow container.
This always results in a more attractive look. If you plant bulbs
that produce owers of the same colour in each pot, you can later
move the pots around to create different colour effects.
14-05-2009 09:11:06