Al Pertuit

Forcing Bulbs Indoors

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Source(s):

  • Al Pertuit, Extension Floriculture Specialist, Clemson University.
  • Bob Polomski, Extension Consumer Horticulturist.

Making a plant flower at a predetermined time or under artificially imposed conditions is called forcing. Hardy bulbs are particularly suited for forcing indoors and offer a succession of color throughout the winter and spring months.

The most common hardy bulbs for forcing are crocuses (Crocus species), daffodils (Narcissus species), hyacinths (Hyacinthus species) and tulips (Tulipa species). Others that can easily be forced include Dutch iris (I. x hollandica) and netted iris (Iris reticulata), snowdrop (Galanthus species), grape hyacinth (Muscari species), winter aconite (Eranthis species), star-of-Bethlehem (Ornithogalum species), and Brodiaea species.

Allium, Camassia, Lilium and Scilla species are considered difficult-to-force bulbs; they require special techniques and usually greenhouse conditions (e.g., high light intensities).

Forcing hardy bulbs involves four stages:

  1. selecting appropriate bulbs;
  2. planting;
  3. cooling; and
  4. forcing into flower.

For the best results, purchase only those cultivars that are recommended for forcing, especially if a wide number of cultivars are available, as is the case with tulips, hyacinths and daffodils. Handle the bulbs with care at all times. They are living plants and should not be dropped or subjected to extremely low or high temperatures. If you cannot plant your bulbs immediately, store them in a cool place (35 to 55 °F). Bare bulbs can be stored for several weeks in the refrigerator prior to potting. Store them in a mesh bag or a paper bag with holes to permit ventilation. Vegetable or crisper drawers can be used, but avoid storing bulbs in the same drawer as ripening fruit or vegetables which give off ethylene gas which may harm the bulbs. Also, some bulbs are poisonous, so this storage method is not recommended for households with young children.

Planting

Bulbs should be potted up anytime from mid-September to December, depending on the desired date of flowering and the length of storage. In general, plant in mid-September for flowering in late December, around mid-October for flowers in February and in mid-November for March and April flowers.

The potting medium must be well-drained, retain adequate moisture and be able to anchor the bulbs. Commercial potting soil is adequate, but a better choice is a mix composed of equal volumes of potting soil, sphagnum peat moss and perlite. Since the bulbs already contain enough food for the developing flowers and roots, they do not have to be fertilized. Use clean pots that have drainage holes in the bottom. If you use clay pots, soak them overnight so they won’t draw moisture from the planting medium.

Fill each pot loosely with soil. Ideally, bulbs should be planted at the same depth as bulbs grown outdoors; however, this is often not possible with larger bulbs which need a pot that is deep enough to allow at least 1 to 2 inches of soil beneath the bulb. Tulips and daffodils may be left with the tips of the bulbs showing; smaller bulbs such as crocus, snowdrop and grape hyacinth should be covered completely. Do not press the bulbs into the soil; the soil should be loose so roots can grow through it easily. A 6-inch pot will accommodate six tulips, three hyacinths, six daffodils, or 15 crocuses. When planting tulips, face the flat side of the bulb toward the outside of the pot. Since the first (lowest) leaf produced by the flowering shoot is always produced towards the flat side of the bulb, the lowest leaves will arch over the rim and create an attractive, uniform appearance. After setting the bulbs, fill the pot with soil to within ¼- to ½-inch of the rim. Add water until it drips through the drainage hole in the bottom of the pot. Label each pot, noting the name of the cultivar, the planting date and the date to be brought indoors for forcing.

Cooling the Bulbs

All hardy bulbs must be exposed to cool temperatures between 35 and 50 °F to prepare them for subsequent leaf and flower growth. During this cool period, the plant’s roots are forming and the stem is elongating. The optimum cooling period is from 12 to 16 weeks. Although they can be cooled anywhere from 12 to 18 weeks, the stem length will suffer, becoming shorter (flowers may also abort) if the bulbs have been cooled for fewer than 14 weeks and longer if the bulbs have been cooled for more than 15 weeks. If the bulbs were held in the refrigerator for more than three weeks, subtract three weeks from the required cooling time.

Any structure that maintains temperatures between 35 and 50 °F is fine (e.g., an unheated basement, crawl space, or an old refrigerator). For areas that experience sufficiently cold temperatures during the winter months, pots can be stored outdoors in a cold frame. Locate the cold frame in a well-drained, shady location or on the north side of a building where the soil is as uniformly cool as possible. Place the pots in the coldframe and cover them with loose insulating material such as sawdust, straw, leaves, peat moss or shredded styrofoam. Close the frame early in December and open it on mild days to prevent too much heat from building up inside the frame, stimulating top growth before the roots have formed. Check the pots periodically to see that the medium is moist.

Forcing Blooms

At the forcing stage, the pots are taken out of storage at the completion of their cool period and into warmth and light, which triggers the formation of leaves and flowers. Place the pots in a cool location (60 to 65 °F) receiving indirect sunlight. When the shoots turn green, expose the pots to warmer temperatures and more light to stimulate growth and flowering. Rotate the pots regularly so that all the leaves receive an equal amount of light. Flower buds can be expected within three to four weeks. When the buds begin to show their color, move the pots into indirect sunlight to prolong the flowers. Be sure to keep the soil evenly moist throughout the forcing period. Flowers will last longer if the pots are moved into a cool room at night.

Hardy bulbs that have been forced into flower should be planted in the garden once spring arrives, or allowed to mature and go dormant in their pots and then planted in the fall. Daffodils can be transplanted into the garden in the spring. They will not flower the following year, but may the year after. Other bulbs such as tulips and hyacinths are best discarded after forcing.

Forcing Without Cooling

The paper white narcissus (N. tazetta ‘Paper White’), its yellow cultivar Soleil d’Or, and the Chinese sacred lily (N. tazetta var. orientalis) can all be forced without cooling. Successive plantings made about two weeks apart after mid-October can produce indoor flowers from Thanksgiving until late March.

Start by filling an undrained decorative bowl or dish that is at least 2 to 3 inches deep with enough pebbles, pea gravel, coarse sand or pearl chips to reach about 1 inch below the top. Add water until it is barely below the surface of the gravel. Set the bulbs on top and hold in place with enough gravel to cover the bottom quarter of each bulb. Carefully maintain that water level.

Tender Narcissus are best kept in a cool 50 to 60 °F location in low light until they are well-rooted and the shoots appear, usually in about two to three weeks. Then bring them gradually into direct sunlight and warmer temperatures. These bulbs cannot be forced again after blooming; discard them.

Amaryllis (Hippeastrum cultivars) can be forced inside in four to six weeks without cooling, and then planted outside in the spring or allowed to remain in pot culture. To program potted amaryllis for forcing, withhold water in mid-August, then start watering again about six weeks before you want them to flower.

Center Publication Number: 160

Easter Lily

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Source(s):

  • Bob Polomski, Extension Consumer Horticulturist.
  • Al Pertuit, Extension Floriculture Specialist, Clemson University.

The white, trumpet-shaped flowers of the Easter lily (Lilium longiflorum) have become the traditional time-honored symbol of beauty, hope and life during the Easter season. Potted flowering Easter lilies can be grown indoors and planted in the garden with the onset of warmer temperatures.

When purchasing a potted Easter lily, select a high quality plant. Select a well-balanced plant that looks attractive from all angles. The rich, green leaves should be dense and plentiful from the top down to soil level. Look for a lily with one or two open or partly opened flowers and three or more unopened buds. The puffy buds will open up within a few days, while the tighter ones will open over the next several days.

Be wary of Easter lilies displayed in paper, plastic or mesh sleeves. The protective sleeves are used for shipping and should have been removed upon arrival at the store. While the packaging may seem convenient, the quality of the plants will deteriorate if they are left sleeved too long. Also avoid waterlogged plants, especially if the plant looks wilted. This could be a sign of root rot.

In the home, place your Easter lily near a window that receives bright, indirect natural daylight. Avoid direct sunlight. Easter lilies prefer somewhat cooler temperatures. Ideally, the daytime temperature should be 60 to 65 °F with slightly cooler night temperatures. Avoid placing plants near drafts, and avoid exposure to excess heat or dry air from appliances, fireplaces or heating ducts.

Keep the potting medium moist. Water the plant thoroughly when the soil surface feels dry, but avoid overwatering. If the pot is wrapped in decorative foil, be careful not to let the plant sit in trapped, standing water. Remove the plant from decorative pots or covers and water until it seeps out of the pot’s drain holes. Repeat this several times. Allow the plant to drain for a few minutes before putting it back into its decorative cover.

As the flowers open and mature, remove the yellow anthers before the pollen starts to shed. This gives longer flower life and prevents the pollen from staining the white flowers. When a mature flower starts to fade and wither, cut it off to keep the plant looking attractive.

After the last flower has withered and has been cut away, the Easter lily can be planted in the garden after the danger of frost has passed. Prepare a well-drained garden bed in a sunny location amended with organic matter such as compost. Good drainage is the key for success with lilies. To ensure adequate drainage, create a raised garden bed by moving soil to the top a few inches higher than the surrounding soil level. Also, adjust the soil pH to 6.5 to 7.0.

Plant the Easter lily bulbs 6 inches deep from the base of the bulb to the top of the mulched surface, assuming at least a 2-inch layer of mulch. Plant them 4 to 6 inches apart. The hole should be wide enough so the roots can be easily spread out. Work the soil in around the roots, and water them in immediately after planting.

Lilies like their “feet in the shade and their heads in the sun.” Mulch with a 2-inch layer of compost, pine straw or shredded leaves. Mulching helps conserve moisture in between waterings, suppresses weed growth, keeps the soil cool and provides nutrients as it decays.

As the leaves and stems of the original plants begin to turn brown and die back, cut them back just above a healthy leaf on the stem. Wait until the leaves and stems have turned brown before removing them. New growth will soon emerge. It is unlikely that a second flowering will occur later in the summer. Easter lilies, which were forced to flower under controlled greenhouse conditions in March, will flower naturally in June or July the following and subsequent years and will reach a height of 3 feet or more.

In the fall, when the lily stalks have matured and turned yellow, you can cut them back to soil level. When they are completely dry, the stalks can be pulled out easily.

During the winter months, maintain a generous layer of mulch. Carefully remove the mulch in the spring to allow new shoots to come up. Fertilize with a complete fast-release fertilizer such as 8-8-8 when the new shoots emerge and monthly until flowering. Conversely, a slow-release fertilizer can be applied just once during the growing season when new shoots emerge in the spring. Apply the fertilizer to the soil around each plant about 2 inches from the stem and water it in.

Center Publication Number: 83