Forcing Bulbs Indoors – The Easiest Way to get Color and Fragrance in Midwinter
Don’t spend the cold winter season mourning the loss of your garden – get your growing fix by forcing bulbs indoors! There is nothing better than a pot of brightly colored flowers in the middle of winter. Forcing bulbs to bloom indoors is the easiest way to get color and fragrance in midwinter.
Easy Forcing Bulbs
Many traditional garden bulbs can be grown indoors in winter, including crocuses, hyacinths, and miniature daffodils, which are all quite easy to force indoors. With the holidays quickly approaching, the stunning amaryllis is a large, lily-like flower that is perhaps the easiest of all flower bulbs to bring to bloom. Tulips and full-sized daffodils can be a bit more challenging, but their beauty is more than worth the challenge.
All of these bulbs require a period of chilling before they bloom. During this chilling period, the bulbs should be placed in the container being used for growing, and kept moist. The chilling period is a length of time, usually about 12-15 weeks, which most bulbs require before they can begin the blooming process. Place the pots containing the bulbs in a cold, but not freezing, location. For many, this will be the refrigerator. If you don’t have room in your fridge, you can place them in an attached garage or an unheated porch.
Amaryllis
The most commonly grown indoor bulb is the Amaryllis, which does not require a chilling period in order to grow. Amaryllis is an iconic holiday flower. The striking display of huge red flowers will impress either as a gift or as a centerpiece on your holiday table. And they don’t only come in red – they are available in white, pink, yellow, red-laced white, and more! Put simply, no other indoor flower compares with amaryllis for beauty and ease of growth. Because amaryllis does not require a chilling period, simply follow the steps below for beautiful blooms.
How to Force Bulbs Indoors
Because the flower is already fully formed inside the bulb after the previous year’s growth, many of these flowers don’t need dirt, just water and light, in order to bloom. Many bulbs can be easily grown settled into a bed of decorative marbles, gravel or stones in a waterproof dish.
Your bulbs will arrive dormant when you order from Breck’s. They can be forced out of dormancy by placing them in a well-lit area at just the right temperature, usually about 65°F. Water the bulb sparingly until it stems and leaves emerge, then gradually increase the amount of water you give it. Six weeks after its arrival, you’ll have blooms. It’s that easy!
When the blooms fade, continue regular watering and feeding to maintain the foliage, which will feed the bulb for next year’s bloom. Then, about 16-18 weeks before you want to see blooms (around Labor Day for Christmas bloom), stop watering and let the foliage die back. Six to eight weeks before you want it to bloom, remove the bulb from the soil, cut off the dead foliage, and strip off any loose scales from the bulb. Repot in a clean container with the upper two-thirds of the bulb above the soil.
Repeat steps as provided above to draw the plant out of dormancy; about six weeks later, your amaryllis will reward you with stunning blooms!
For show stopping color indoors in the winter season, nothing beats flower bulbs. Click here to see Breck’s Holiday Amaryllis, Paper White Daffodil Kits,and a huge selection of other flower bulbs!
Breck’s
Breck’s is a mail order gardening company and importer of Dutch flower bulbs. Based in Guilford, Indiana, and Hillegom, Netherlands, Breck’s was founded in 1818. Breck’s is now the largest U.S. importer of Dutch bulbs.
www.Brecks.com/Amaryllis