{"id":7809,"date":"2010-06-16T01:47:51","date_gmt":"2010-06-16T08:47:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/?p=7809"},"modified":"2010-06-16T01:47:51","modified_gmt":"2010-06-16T08:47:51","slug":"forcing-flower-bulbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/flowers\/forcing-flower-bulbs\/","title":{"rendered":"Forcing Flower Bulbs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" title=\"Hyacinth forced bulbs by Pixel Addict creative commons\" src=\"http:\/\/farm1.static.flickr.com\/145\/384732136_cb12dfa8e3_d.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/><\/p>\n<p>A bowl of flowering bulbs can be delightful in the depths of winter and you can force them to flower as early as Christmas.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Conditions for Forcing<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Bulbs need at least 4&#8243;  of compost for root development and good drainage in the pot.<\/li>\n<li>Forced bulbs need a period in the cold at 7-9\u00c2\u00ba Centigrade.<\/li>\n<li>Dark conditions are also best<\/li>\n<li>If there is no suitable indoor space the pots can be buried outdoors in soil that is not too wet.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Timing for Forcing<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Plant the bulbs from 1st September until December. The earlier the start the earlier the flower.<\/li>\n<li>Short cooling periods equal short stumpy flowers, too long cooling will produce excessively long flower stems.<\/li>\n<li>After cooling, bring bulbs into the warmth and they will flower in 2-3 weeks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"151\" valign=\"top\"><strong>Bulb<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"133\" valign=\"top\"><strong>Planting Date<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"142\" valign=\"top\"><strong>No Weeks Chilled<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"151\" valign=\"top\">Hyacinth prepared<\/td>\n<td width=\"133\" valign=\"top\">15.09 -15.12<\/td>\n<td width=\"142\" valign=\"top\">10-12<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"151\" valign=\"top\">Hyacinth unprepared<\/td>\n<td width=\"133\" valign=\"top\">15.10 -01.12<\/td>\n<td width=\"142\" valign=\"top\">11-13<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"151\" valign=\"top\">Tulip<\/p>\n<p>Blenda, Prominence<\/p>\n<p>Arma, Yellow Present<\/td>\n<td width=\"133\" valign=\"top\">01.10-01.12<\/td>\n<td width=\"142\" valign=\"top\">14-15<\/p>\n<p>15-17<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"151\" valign=\"top\">Daffodil<\/p>\n<p>Tete-a-Tete<\/p>\n<p>Carlton<\/td>\n<td width=\"133\" valign=\"top\">01.10-01.12<\/td>\n<td width=\"142\" valign=\"top\">12-13<\/p>\n<p>14-15<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"151\" valign=\"top\">Crocus<\/td>\n<td width=\"133\" valign=\"top\">01.10-01.11<\/td>\n<td width=\"142\" valign=\"top\">14-15<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"151\" valign=\"top\">Iris Reticula<\/td>\n<td width=\"133\" valign=\"top\">01.10-01.11<\/td>\n<td width=\"142\" valign=\"top\">12-13<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"151\" valign=\"top\">Muscari<\/td>\n<td width=\"133\" valign=\"top\">01.10-01.11<\/td>\n<td width=\"142\" valign=\"top\">14-15<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Amaryllis and Paperwhite Daffodils ( Tazeta narcissi) can be put straight into a warm room and do not need the chilling process. <a href=\"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/tips\/hyacinth-growing-tips\/\">Hyacinths<\/a> can be chilled at slightly warmer temperatures than other bulbs.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong>Step by Step Guide<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Choose a pot that is not too small and &#8216;crock&#8217;\u00c2\u00a0 the bottom with stones for drainage.<\/li>\n<li>Partially fill the pot with damp soil or compost and press bulbs down onto the soil.<\/li>\n<li>Keep bulbs close together but not touching.<\/li>\n<li>Place Tulips with the flat side of the bulb towards the pot edge.<\/li>\n<li>Fill the pot until the nose of the bulbs are just covered.<\/li>\n<li>Water generously to encourage rooting.<\/li>\n<li>Cool the pots as above.<\/li>\n<li>When the flower bud is visible transfer to a warm location.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>Alternative Methods<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You can buy forced plants in individual pots around Christmas &#8211; January and make your own arrangement by combining several pots in a nice display.<\/li>\n<li>Plant your own bulbs in individual pots so you can combine them prior to bringing into the warmth.<\/li>\n<li>Put your plants on a porch as they flower. The cool air will help blooms last longer.<\/li>\n<li>Support tall varieties with rustic sticks. As you will probably throw the bulbs away a cane can pierce them if necessary.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Further Points and Tips<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Flower bulbs need water little and often.<\/li>\n<li>Mist flowers now and then when in bloom to protect them from drying out in centrally heated rooms.<\/li>\n<li>Plant odd numbers in a bowl as this looks more attractive<\/li>\n<li>Put names or labels on you pots so you know what you have planted.<\/li>\n<li>Put bulbs of one kind and colour together, you can combine pots later to get an arrangement \u00c2\u00a0 of colours for display.<\/li>\n<li>Read about growing in <a href=\"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/flowers\/tips-for-growing-in-pots\/\">pots unforced<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Try some <a href=\"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/flowers\/tips-for-growing-spring-iris-from-bulbs\/\">Iris <\/a>in pots and stagger the planting dates for continuity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A bowl of flowering bulbs can be delightful in the depths of winter and you can force them to flower as early as Christmas. Conditions for Forcing Bulbs need at least 4&#8243; of compost for root development and good drainage in the pot. Forced bulbs need a period in the cold at 7-9\u00c2\u00ba Centigrade. Dark conditions are also best If there is no suitable indoor space the pots can be buried outdoors in soil that is not too wet. Timing&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/flowers\/forcing-flower-bulbs\/\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,17,45],"tags":[24],"class_list":["post-7809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-flowers","category-gardening","category-house-greenhouse-plants","tag-bulbs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7809","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7809"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7809\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}