How to force bulbs to bloom indoors

  

Forcing bulbs is a great way to bring a little spring color into the house, while it's still winter outside. To force a bulb is to get the bulb to flower indoors ahead of its natural schedule.

Virtually all spring flowering bulbs can be forced, including crocus, daffodils, hyacinths, muscari and tulips. 

Forcing bulbs indoors is easy to do. The key part of the process to bring these bulbs to bloom indoors is to keep them in a cool (35° - 48° F) spot for 12 to 15 weeks.   The vegetable section in the refrigerator is a great spot to chill bulbs. A cool corner of the basement or garage will also work. A cold frame will do, if you mulch the bulbs heavily and keep them from freezing.

Begin by selecting quality bulbs. The larger the bulb, the bigger the bloom will be.

When it comes to containers, bulbs will grow equally well in clay, ceramic or plastic pots, as long as the pot has drainage.

Fill the container about 1/3rd full of quality potting soil. Don't use garden soil. It's too heavy.

Add Happy Frog Bulb Food or Dutch Bulb Food to your potting mix.

Place the bulbs close together, with a little space between each bulb.

Tulips should be placed with the flat side of the bulb toward the edge of the container.

This will allow the first leaves to form a nice border around the edge of the pot.

Fill in enough soil so just the tips are showing. Water the soil and place the pot in a cool (35° - 48°) spot. Spring flowering bulbs require 12 to 15 weeks in cold storage in order to bloom properly. While the bulbs are chilling, they will form roots, so it’s important to water regularly. Once the tips of the bulbs are about 2” high, remove from cold storage and place in a warmer room, with bright, indirect sunlight. Your bulbs can now be treated as any houseplant, water regularly, feed weekly and enjoy your blooms! After blooming, remove the spent flowers. Bulbs may be planted outside after blooming. For longer blooms indoors, stagger start your bulbs several weeks apart. This way, you'll have bulbs flowering at different stages through the winter.

Traditional holiday bulbs such as amaryllis and paperwhites will bloom for you without going through a chilling period. You can take these bulbs home, plant them in an attractive container, place them in a sunny window and watch them grow.

Amaryllis and paperwhites are easy to grow in water as well as potting soil.

Starting amaryllis and paperwhite  bulbs at different times will extend your blooms well into winter.   

Plant these bulbs for early Spring color

 
You’ll see them in early spring, often blooming through the snow. Brightly colored crocus flowers are a sure sign that spring is on its way. Crocus blooms are soon followed in succession by other small bulbs (called minor bulbs) including grape hyacinths and galanthus, then the major bulbs including daffodils, tulips and hyacinths. 

These are hardy bulbs, meaning they will survive our winters and bloom season after season, with just a little care. As a rule, plant bulbs two to three times their height. A two inch bulb should be buried five to six inches deep. You can vary the bloom time by the depth you plant each bulb. Shallow planted bulbs will bloom earlier; deeper bulbs will bloom later in the season. The risk with planting too shallow is the bulb may not survive the winter. Another trick to control bloom time is to add two or three inches of mulch to the bed. This will keep the ground cold and slow bloom time. All bulbs will do best when planted in well-amended soil, in a sunny spot in the garden. Once planted, bulbs will root out, and then stay dormant until the soil warms up in spring.

Adding Bone Meal or Dutch Bulb Food at planting time will improve rooting and bulb growth.

Crocus “bulbs” are technically corms. They are solid inside like a potato and they have a papery outer covering which is called a tunic. One side is flatter than the other. The flat side goes down, when you plant them.

Muscari, known as grape hyacinths, are hardy spring bloomers that produce blue or purple flowers that look like bunches of grapes, hence the common name. They will do well in sun or semi-shade and spread naturally. 

Galanthus are very early to arrive in spring, often blooming before crocus. Galanthus will do well in sun or partial shade.

Scillia Siberica will appear soon after Galanthus, with dark blue flowers. For best effect, minor bulbs should be planted in clusters, not lined out in rows.  Check on your bulbs through the winter. They should be watered every four to five weeks, along with the rest of the trees and shrubs in your landscape.