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Bulbs, Tubers, and Roots
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Narcissus Bulb Forcing
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Forcing:
Actually, flowers can not be forced. What you are doing
is simulating the natural conditions that cause a bulb to bloom. The end
results are flowers that bloom months before the usual cycle. The secret to
forcing bulbs to bloom early is to plant early, but you must provide a
long, cool, dark
period (even when outside temperatures are still warm) so that the bulbs
can fully develop a strong root system. This requires some work!
The autumn and winter blooming narcissus tazetta varieties, however,
do not need a prolonged, cool, dark period for root growth in order to bloom early.
Therefore, you can easily grow them in an entirely soil-less medium and,
once foliage appears, you can even bring them indoors to grow.
Paper White Narcissus will bloom in about 5 to 6 weeks from planting time.
If you make your first planting on October 1st, then plant at 2 week
intervals until December 1st, you can have flowering narcissus bulbs for over 2 months.
Soleil d'Or and Chinese sacred lilies bloom a bit later.
For best results, select the LARGEST, TOP-QUALITY bulbs you can find.
Forcing draws heavily upon a bulb's food reserves, so those with the
greatest amount of stored energy will perform the best.
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Container:
Use a non-draining, decorative bowl. Fill the container
with enough pebbles, gravel, coarse sand or similar type material to reach 1 to 1
1/2 inches below the rim.
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Set Bulbs In Place:
Set the bulbs on top of the gravel, then hold
them in place by adding enough gravel to cover the bottom quarter of the bulbs.
As the bulbs develop, the roots will cling to the gravel (or pebbles). This
enables the plants to sit upright and keep from falling over.
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Add Water:
Add water to the container until it is just below and touching the base of the bulbs. Once roots develop, the water level should be
maintained BELOW the base of the bulbs.
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Growing Location:
Place bowl in a COOL, DARK location until roots are established (this is important — a cupboard or closet may be too warm
for proper root development). Once small shoots appear (within 2 to 3
weeks), gradually introduce the container to low light and eventually move it to
a location with bright, indirect light. (If bulbs were started outside in a
garage or cool dark garden location, they can be brought indoors at this time.)
Once they begin to flower, move them into moderate light for prolonged blooms.
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After blooming:
Forcing bulbs draws heavily upon the bulb's food reserve, and should be discarded after blooming.
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