After planting, place the pots in a cool, dark place, such as a cellar or refrigerator to initiate root and shoot growth. Other suitable environments include an insulated cold frame, under a porch, or an unheated garage. Cold storage is a critical step in the forcing process. Ideally, temperatures should be 35 to 48 degrees F. If necessary, set boxes, pots or black garbage bags over your potted bulbs to keep them dark during the cooling period. The medium should be kept moist through the rooting and cooling period. After five or six weeks, the roots should emerge out of the bottom of the containers of the large hardy bulbs.
How Long To See Blooms on My Forced Bulbs?
Forcing will take about 12 weeks for the early blooming bulbs (snowdrop, crocus, daffodil) and about 16 weeks for the tulips. Longer cold storage will result in taller flowers, while storage time shorter than 13 weeks will result in smaller plants and sometimes aborted flowers. A good rule of thumb: when you see the shoots 2 to 3 inches above the soil and fine white roots emerging from the drainage holes, it's time to bring the pots out of cold storage. At this stage of development, move the bulbs to a cool location, such as an unheated entryway or closed off back bedroom, where the temperatures are in the ’50s. Bulbs should be placed in indirect lighting and should not be allowed to dry out.
Fertilizing Forced Bulbs
Feed weekly with a half-strength solution of houseplant fertilizer. Turning the pots every day or so keeps the flower stems straight and strong. In a week or two, the stems will elongate and the buds will become plump. When the foliage and buds are well developed, move the pots to a bright, sunny window in the house, where temperatures are near 65 degrees F. Once the flowers begin to open, take the plants out of direct sunlight to prolong the bloom.
You will be pleased at how quickly the bloom unfolds compared to weeks, or possibly months, before they would outside. Hyacinths will bloom for nearly two wonderfully fragrant weeks if the room is between 65 to 68 degrees F. Iris reticulate and crocus may fail to bloom or last only a day if temperatures get over 65 degrees F.
What To Do After Forced Bulbs Have Flowered?
After flowering, cut the flower stems and place the pots in direct sunlight, keeping the foliage growing until it begins to die back. As it withers, don't pull the leaves off, store the bulbs in the pots in a cool, dry place until late summer or early fall, at which time they can be planted into the garden. Attempts to force the same bulbs indoors will be unsuccessful, as forcing weakens the bulb and the bloom will be small and unsatisfactory the following year. Once the bulbs are back in the garden setting, they will return to a natural schedule, and in several years will again produce a wonderful show of flowers.
