How to force bulbs -- it's easier than you think
đIt's more like tricking them -- and the treat you'll get is wintertime blooms!
Hello, friends, ghouls and gobblins!
Itâs still prime bulb-planting time here in the Northeast, but what you might not be hearing as much about is that itâs also bulb-forcing time pretty much everywhere.
Bulb forcing sounds like a lot of work, but it actually involves pulling a fast one over on those rounded underground storage systems rather than strong-arming them into anything, so itâs the perfect trickery to undertake on Halloween. The goal is to convince them into believing itâs showtime.
Spring bulbs like tulips, hyacinths and daffodils require a chilling period in order to bloom properly. Thatâs why we plant them in the ground in autumn. But they donât typically have to sit in the cold ground for the entire winter. A stint in the refrigerator will suffice.
Gardeners in warmer climates do this on the regular (or buy âpre-chilledâ bulbs for planting outdoors), and the method is the same if youâd like to pot some up for indoor âforcing.â
There are a few ways of chilling bulbs, but my go-to is to pot them up in a lightweight potting mix (some use straight-up peat moss, but peat is controversial; Iâll save that discussion for a future issue). Space bulbs about an inch or two apart and bury them only halfway, with their pointed ends sticking out of the soil (be sure to select a container thatâs deep enough to allow at least 3 inches of soil beneath the bulbs to allow for growth.) Then water lightly and place the whole pot in the fridge AWAY from fruit.
Fruit releases ethylene gas as it ripens, and that gas acts as a germination inhibitor, so you never want to store any type of seed near fruit. In this case, since the bulbs will be partially exposed and not sealed in paper envelopes or glass jars as seeds would be, itâs even more important to separate them. If you have a second refrigerator that you can keep fruit-free, consider using that. Or you could store the pots in a dark, unheated cellar.
The chilling process will take between eight and 12 weeks for most bulbs, depending on the type. During this time, check on them roughly once a week and water lightly to moisten (not soak) the soil when dry.
When bulbs have sprouted, the trickery can begin: Remove the pot from the fridge and place it in a heated, sunny spot in the home, preferably by a window. âWhoa!â theyâll say. âItâs warm out here. It must be spring!â And like all obedient bulbs, they will do what theyâve been trained to do in warm weather â bloom!
Treat them as houseplants, watering as needed, and in two to four weeks youâll be enjoying flowers during the bleakest first months of the new year. And just like that, youâll have created for yourself a lovely reminder of spring over winter.
Exceptions: Amaryllis and paperwhites do not require a chilling period to bloom indoors. Iâll show you how to force them next week.
đĄ If you do one thing this weekâŚ
Clean up around roses and place their fallen leaves and plant debris in the trash (bagged tightly if diseased). Itâs also a good time to cut back long whips, but leave the real pruning for spring.
đŹ Ask Jessica
DEAR JESSICA: Do mums have to be planted in the ground or can I leave them in some of the decorative containers they come in and place them in my flower beds? â Al Quackenbush, New York
DEAR AL: If I understand your question correctly, youâre asking if you can place the pots in the garden and leave the plants in those pots all year rather than plant them, and the answer is yes, but with some winter care.
Iâm glad you brought this up because many people don't realize chrysanthemums are perennial and just ditch them around Thanksgiving. You can plant them in the garden as I did two or three years ago with the one in the photo above, and theyâll return year after year.
But you can also leave them in their containers â as long as theyâre potted in a suitably sized planter (if the pot is too small, there might not be enough soil within to properly insulate the roots over winter, and they might freeze). For extra insurance, cover the soil surface with 3 inches of much (or as much as the container will hold) and place pots in a protected spot outdoors until spring.
đ Sunday shoutout
Debra Cunningham of Massapequa Park, NY, shares this photo of pansies blooming alongside a dahlia in her front garden in June. What a lovely combination!
Send in your photo (bonus points if youâre in it!) along with details about what youâve been growing, and you might be featured next!
đŚ Eagle-eyed reader Kathy Coley points out that the flower identified as a calla lily in last weekâs Sunday Shoutout actually was a canna lily. What a difference a letter â three spaces removed on the keyboard â can make!
â Holiday shopping alert for yourself or your gardening friends
The holidays and a new year are coming â and so is the all-new edition of my award-winning Day-by-Day Gardening Calendar!
And as subscribers of The Weekly Dirt (my favorite people on the planet!) you get free shipping (just be sure to make your purchase only through the link below, as the public link does not offer the discount).
More than just a calendar, itâs like getting 365 visits from a gardening friend (me!) who stops by every day of the year with tips, advice, inspiration and timely reminders about what needs to be done in the garden and when. Whether you're a first-time gardener or a seasoned pro, the advice (accompanied by beautiful photography provided by the very talented readers of this newsletter!) will help keep your garden on track all year long!
Look at what youâre missing!
If you donât already follow me on Instagram, join the party for Meme Mondays, Name That Plant Tuesdays, Friend Fridays and plenty of Green Thumb Fun in between. Iâd love to see you there! đ
If youâre enjoying this newsletter, share it with a gardening friend!
đ§ Send me your feedback!
I welcome your comments and suggestions, so please send them along â as well as any topics youâd like to see covered and questions youâd like answered in the Ask Jessica section.
Until next week, stay safe. Be well. And always keep your mind in the dirt. âJessica
đđDid someone forward this newsletter to you?
You wrote to save the real pruning till spring ? I thought when plants became dormant....soon....was best ?