Earlier this month, while cruising around Everyday Woman’s site, I read this post in which Ruth, the Everyday Woman (and mom to my longtime friend Abbie of Farmer’s Daughter), suggested forcing bulbs indoors in order to splurge for a bit of green and color while we are still in winter. Since I had a few bulbs still waiting to be planted (I honestly did not know what I would do with them because they had been sitting in my refrigerator since November), I decided to make an experiment of them and see whether they might shoot up in a glass of water.
When I placed the bulbs in water, they had already developed a root system, which I imagine happened while they were in my refrigerator these past 3 months. I then put the glasses of water and bulbs into a dark room and changed the water daily. A week and a half later, my bulbs are growing away! Below is what they currently look like.
At this point, I would like to transfer the bulbs into a pot of soil, though I have read that forced bulbs should be planted close together, though not touching each other or the sides of the pot, and in shallow dirt or stones. I read several pages about forcing bulbs, which I share below, but I am thirsty for firsthand experience from other gardeners who have successfully forced bulbs. Any words of wisdom for this mamma with a green thumb . . . and who I might add is green behind her ears, at least so far as gardening is concerned? I appreciate your wisdom.
Oh yes, and as promised, a few resources on forcing bulbs:
“Forcing Bulbs” from Berkely Horticultural Nursery
“Forcing Bulbs” from Ed Hume Seeds
“Forcing Bulbs for Indoor Beauty in Winter” from the University of Minnesota Extension
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Cool! I have some lily bulbs from my grandmother that I never got into the ground. Maybe I’ll try forcing them.
Do you know if you can plant them outside for the future after you force them? Or are they pretty much done then?
Oh, and I’m trying to force forsythia branches now. Once the buds develop, you can pick the branches, put them in water and they’ll open.
Abbie, I am not certain but I read, at one of the sources listed in this post, that once the bulbs bloom, you should place the bulbs aside until next season when you can either plant or force them again. However, if the weather is warm enough outside, I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to plant them in shallow dirt. Honestly, though, I was hoping another gardener with experience with forcing bulbs might be able to give greater insight to this practice.
Second, how do you force forsythia branches before placing them in water? Is there another technique besides placing a branch or bulb in water that causes the buds to open?
Jessica,
Looks like you’ve got a great start with your bulbs! I never did transfer mine to soil, just left them in water as they blossomed to beautiful flowers in a couple of weeks!
I do want to check to see if I can still plant the bulbs in the ground, after they have gone dormant again. I’m leaving the “Science” on this one to you and Abbie!
Forsythia is really easy… just cut the branches and put them in water. I’ve tried it with other flowering trees/shrubs, like peach and apple blossoms, but forsythia works best for me. I wrote a post about it last spring: http://farmersdaughterct.wordpress.com/2008/03/26/early-bloomer/
Ruth, I was hoping to leave the science aspect of forcing bulbs to Abbie, being that she’s the biologist. So, Abbie, any thoughts?
Also, thanks for the linkage to your post on early blooming. I just check it out and left a comment. I will definitely give it a whirl sometime next week or the first week of March.
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