October 2008 Forcing Bulbs

SACANDAGA GARDEN CLUB - by Barbara Henry

You can still find bulbs at the stores but rather than planting them why not force some bulbs for some much needed winter cheer. Try the shorter bulbs such as hyacinths, crocus and the petite daffodils. These will stand tall in the indoor low light conditions rather than flop over. To force bulbs you’ll need between 13 and 17 weeks of chilling in a dark cold area.



Tulips take the longest at 17 weeks while daffodils and crocus take about 15 weeks and hyacinths around 13 weeks.

Pot your bulbs up in a soil based mix, this gives a better weight to support the bulbs and the soilless mixes that contain peat tend to hold too much water and can rot the bulbs. Plant them close but try not to get them touching. If you use tulips, put the flat side of the bulb toward the pot rim because that’s where the largest leaves will come from and they will flop over and hide some of the pot’s rim.

Chill them in a dark cold area such as an unheated garage. Don’t use frost free
refrigerators because it will dry the bulbs out too much.

After the chilling time, slide the bulbs out of the pot and make sure they have a good root system going. If they do, bring them in to a bright sunny area about 65 degrees. You may have bulbs emerging from the soil at this point. If you do, keep them out of the sunlight for a few days so the new shoots can acclimate to the light.



After blooming you can move daffodils and crocus outdoors where they will recover and bloom again next year. Hyacinths are not reliable rebloomers but I have had some success and you may too. Just let the foliage mature in the pots before you plant them outside. Snowdrops are one of the few bulbs that appreciate being transplanted when they are still green and growing. Tulips are better off being put right in the compost pile.

A couple of points to remember: don’t store your bulbs where there is fruit, the ethylene gas given off by the fruit (especially apples) withers the bulb foliage and flower. Don’t rush to bring the bulbs in before they’ve had enough chillingand don’t bring them directly into a warm room. This will cause blasting where the foliage still looks good but the flower will just dry up. Be sure you have a good root system before waking them up otherwise the roots cannot support the emerging foliage and lastly, don’t over water them.

The 2008/2009-year for the Garden Club started out with a great picnic at Anna Johnson’s beautiful home. Michelle Acquaro and Mary Hogan, our co-presidents announced our theme for the year of ‘Enjoying your Garden’.

There are many ways to enjoy a garden. The gardener receives satisfaction from designing and planting the garden. He or she receives pleasure from viewing the garden’s beauty and sharing the fruits of their labor with friends. We garden club members seek the same delight in planting, growing and harvesting.’

We discussed the upcoming program events, which were put together by our program chairpersons, Anna Johnson and Fran Varcoe. They have compiled an interesting mix of informative and fun meetings during the year including creative designs, wreath making and workshops on growing vegetables and herbs.

We also discussed installing a Blue Star Marker in Northville. The Blue Star Memorial Marker Program of the National Garden Clubs,Inc. began in 1945 to honor the men and women serving in the Armed Forces during World War II. The name was chosen for the star on flags displayed in homes and businesses denoting a family member serving.

Garden clubs pictured a ribbon of living memorial plantings traversing every state. Our next meeting will be on Thursday, October 2 when we will have an autumn design workshop.