ILLINOIS YARD AND GARDEN

David Robson

Have blooming bulbs New Year's to Easter

Last year, I ended up with about 15 tulips in November that didn't get planted in the ground. The same happened with a sack full of hyacinths. All were purchased on sale.

The same for some amaryllis and paper white narcissus. Last year/this year, I actually was going to have success with forcing bulbs indoors.

Now, someone might ask how you can force an inanimate object to do anything, sort of like forcing a teenager to clean his or her room. It's not going to happen. No matter how much you scream, shout and prod, they both sit there. And with bulbs, you can't take away the car keys.

Forcing bulbs is different. You don't have to threaten or cajole. All you have to do is give them a little special care, some TLC, and a refrigerator.

I had the bulbs. I had soil and some pots. And I had the refrigerator, albeit filled with apples and various liquid refreshments. The apples became applesauce and the liquid refreshment was whittled down bit by bit, and pots placed between.

The result? I had something blooming from New Year's through Easter.

How?

Well, as long as you have the soil, pots, bulbs, refrigerator and plastic bags, anyone can do it.

First, find the bulbs. Some bulbs are already pre-chilled and ready for forcing. Keep those in a plastic sack until you have nothing better to do in January and February and you can force them.

Pre-chilled bulbs usually are more expensive than other bulbs because someone has taken the guesswork out of the forcing process.

The pre-chilled selection usually isn't that great, and seldom includes many tulips. Your choices are mainly hyacinths and daffodils/narcissus. Still, that may be enough for some people.

Other bulbs will work, though they require a little more effort.

Start with a clean pot. If you're concerned with soil coming out the bottom of the pot, find a pebble, clay chard or packing peanut to cover the bottom. Don't jam it in. You still want water to come out.

Fill the pot just about to the top, but leave room for placing the bulbs. With bulb forcing, you really don't bury the bulbs like you do outside. In fact, doing that is probably one of the worst things to do.

Put as many bulbs in the pot as possible, leaving a little gap between bulbs. Don't overcrowd them. For tulips, place the bulbs in the same direction, usually with the flat side toward the center.

Leave about a half-inch exposed at the top of each bulb, and when planted, the soil line should be about a half-inch from the top of the pot. If you fill the pot, the water runs out.

Give the pots a good watering to thoroughly wet the soil. Water until water comes out the bottom.

Put the pots in plastic bags and lightly shut the bag. Many refrigerators are frost-free, which will suck the moisture out of the soil and bulb. The bag keeps them moist inside.

Now, the easy part, as if the above isn't easy to begin with. Put the bags in the refrigerator and mark the date.

Count 10 to 12 weeks. That should give the bulbs enough chilling that they'll bloom inside, provided you keep the temperatures on the cool side.

Historically, daffodils, narcissus, crocus and hyacinths are the best bets. Tulips will work if you keep the day temperature around 60 degrees when you bring them out, and give them lots of light. Otherwise, they'll flop over.

Most forced bulbs may be considered worthless and probably won't bloom again. Part of the problem is that the stems and leaves come right out of the bulb at ground level and aren't forced to grow underground a couple of inches.

However, you can always plant them outside and keep your fingers crossed.

David Robson is an Extension Educator, Horticulture, at the Springfield Extension Center, University of Illinois Extension, P.O. Box 8 1 99, Springfield, IL 62791. Telephone: (217) 782-6515. E-Mail: drobson@uiuc.edu

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