Bright bulbs


Written by Admin
Saturday, 16 February 2008

As the weather turns colder, here’s how to keep a vibrant, colorful display going indoors with the help of bulbs

Plant prepared bulbs

Forced bulbs are usually grown in bulb fiber, as it helps them to produce strong roots to support the flowers, Growing in bulb fiber is also good for the bulb as you can feed it after it’s bloomed, so it will flower next year, whereas a bulb grown in water will use up all its food reserves and be spent. Once planted, hyacinths and hippeastrums take eight weeks to flower-plant by late October for flowers at Christmas.

What you will need

- Bulbs

- Bulb fiber

- Gravel and decorative mulch

- Water

- Vase or pot

1. Gather your ingredients. Add a generous layer of gravel at the bottom of the container. This provides drainage and prevents rotting.

2. Full the pot with bulb fiber to within 3cm (1in) of the rim, leaving room for the bulbs themselves, as well as a final layer of decorative mulch.

3. Gently push each of the bulb fiber, ensuring they make good contact with it. Add a bit more fiber, filling almost to the rim of the pot.

4. Cover bulbs with a mulch or moss, leaving tips visible. Place in a cool, dark area until they make good root growth. Check by giving them a gentle tug. Return to light when the shoots are 5cm (2in).

Creating indoor color

Bulbs are perfect for adding a splash of color to your house, and there are loads of varieties to choose from. Scillas, snowdrops, Iris reticulate, crocuses, lily of the valley and miniature daffodils can all be coaxed in to flower earlier than normal by following a few easy steps.

Bulbs can produce quick results as everything they need is packed into a neat package. It means you can grow them in little or no soil, so you can create either a bright pot display or make an eye-catching centerpiece for a table.

For bulbs to flower early they first need to be planted in pots outdoors in October. This will give them a good head start, encouraging their roots to grow and their bulbs to swell in preparation for flowering. When planting, make sure the bulb tip is just poking above the soil.

Water them, and place them outside to give them a cold period, because, unlike specially prepared bulbs, they need the winter to make them flower. When the leaves appear you can bring them in to a light, frost-free environment, such as a porch or unheated greenhouse, but not fully indoors as the warmth will encourage them to grow leggy.

When the flower buds start to appear, it’s time to bring them into the house, and they should flower within a few days. Place them in a light, cool position, and deadhead to ensure a succession of blooms.

How to grow bulbs in water

Bulbs don’t necessarily need to be grown in soil, because they have everything they need to flower within their structure. Prepared hyacinths, hippeastrum, paperwhite narcissus and crocus can all be grown in water. This produces quick results, but the bulbs are useless at the end of the process, because they have spent all their energy flowering.

Special bulb jars or vases support the bulb just above the water, holding its roots in a chamber that creates an attractive jumble of filaments. Take your vase and fill the bottom with water. Make sure the level is just below but doesn’t touch the bottom of the bulb-if it sits in water it will rot. Place it in a cool, dark area to simulate natural conditions and trick the bulb in to thinking it’s in soil. Some growers recommend placing changing the water to keep it sweet, but neither is necessary. Keep the water topped up and within two weeks, roots should appear, while leaves and stems will follow soon after. When the top shoots is 3cm (1in) long, place it in a cool, light place and enjoy the flowers.

If you want to create a display of more than one bulb, use a large vase filled with gravel, to support the bulbs, and add water to just below their bottoms. The principles are the same as the water-grown method.

Last Updated ( Wednesday, 20 February 2008 )