Care of Forced Bulbs

Pots of tulips, hyacinths and daffodils have started appearing at stores. I can’t resist them—and usually have one blooming in the house most of the winter. They are a great way to enjoy fresh flowers and fragrance today, and can continue to contribute to your garden for years to come.

Look for short plants with stocky growth and lots of shoots and buds. If the color matters to you and the plants are not labeled, choose one with just a little color showing, but avoid anything in full bloom.  The flower display on forced bulbs generally lasts for just a week or two, and you want that to happen in your home, not the store.

First and foremost, display the plants where you’ll see them and appreciate their beauty.

However, do be aware that your plants will last longest in cool, bright conditions; even in those drafty places near entry doors that can cause problems for hothouse beauties like orchids and poinsettias. If your best showplace is too warm or dark, just move plants to that cooler spot overnight or when you’re away from the house.

The plants will not need much water—wait for the soil to get quite dry to the touch, and then soak thoroughly. Do not allow them to sit in water; pour off any extra that pools in the saucer or foil wrap.

After the blossoms have faded, trim off the flower stalks. The ornamental value has passed for the time being, but the leaves need to feed the bulb for next year. Set the plants in a bright, out-of-the way spot and continue to water until the leaves start to turn yellow.

At this point, the plants are starting to go dormant. When the leaves turn brown, your bulbs are ready to be stored until they can be transplanted to the garden.

I like to leave them in the pots and stack them in a cool, dark place. A crawl space or basement is good, or an unheated spare room, stairway or entryway next to an unheated garage. Anywhere potatoes keep well without sprouting is a good possibility.

Although the bulbs can survive freezing, this applies only when they are planted in the ground. An unheated garage or shed might seem like a sheltered location, but the temperature there will vary too much, causing the plants to alternately freeze and thaw. Think about what happens when food has been frozen and re-frozen before being eaten--the texture goes mushy. Just as it ruins the flavor and texture of food, it kills the living parts of bulbs.

In spring when the frost leaves the ground and the soil is dry enough to work, you can transplant your collection of potted bulbs into the garden. By that time, I usually have a few Easter Lilies that are ready to be planted out, too.

Forced bulbs are usually planted quite shallow in their pots, so it is best to gently remove the potting soil rather than transplant as potted plants.  Bulbs should be planted at a depth of about four times their diameter. So, if your bulb is an inch across, the planting hole should be four inches deep and the bulb set upright in the bottom.  Because forcing takes more out of the bulbs than the natural blooming process, be sure to apply a high phosphate fertilizer at the recommended rate when planting.

These off-season transplants won’t replace a well-planned fall planting of spring flowering bulbs. They will, however, brighten a winter day and add splash of color to springtime gardens in future years.