To have beautiful flowers even in winter, some plants need a boost a few weeks before. In view of the end-of-year holidays, here are our tips to ensure that your hyacinth bulbs are perfect.
First of all, what do we mean by “forcing”?
Forcing is a relatively simple technique which consists of accelerating the vegetation phase and especially the flowering phase of a plant outside its season.
Successfully forcing Christmas hyacinths: tips
To successfully force Christmas hyacinths, you must condition them.
Once the bulb has been selected, place it in a pot filled with horticultural soil, taking care to ensure that the roots are well positioned in the soil and that the sprout is straight. Then you can lightly water the substrate. Then comes the more delicate step which consists of making the plant believe that winter is already here, by installing the pot for a few weeks in a cold place without light (on the balcony at night, in a cellar or in the container). refrigerator).
Regularly ensure that the substrate always remains slightly damp so that the bulb develops correctly. Water the soil and not the bulb so that the latter does not rot.
You can change its location when the young shoots have appeared. These should measure around ten centimeters high.
Place the pot containing the bulb for a few days in a relatively bright but not direct room, where the temperature is between 16 and 19°C. The bulb will thus believe that spring has arrived. Every three days, rotate the pot so that all parts of the bulb have the same rate of exposure to light.
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When should you force Christmas hyacinth bulbs?
So that the hyacinth flowers bloom beautifully – which will decorate and color your festive table – it is recommended to plan a little in advance.
In fact, it is advisable to force the bulbs in October and until halfway through the month November for latecomersto give the hyacinth enough time to develop. So now is more than ever the time to force the bulbs to take advantage of the hyacinths in bloom at Christmas!
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How to keep Christmas hyacinths longer?
To keep Christmas hyacinths after the holidays, you can cut the stem and the wilted parts. As long as the leaves are green, you can continue to water at the same frequency so that the bulb can regain its strength. The foliage can thus decorate an already green corner of your home.
If you have a garden or a planter, you can plant them in ordinary soil exposed to the sun but knowing that you will have to wait at least two years before seeing any flowering again, due to the state of exhaustion created by forcing.
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