Forcing bulbous flowers and shrubs

HomeDirectory of a summer residentForcing bulbous flowers and shrubs

Lilies of the valley and hyacinths blooming on December 31 or tulips and crocuses blooming by March 8 are not a fairy tale, but the very reality. A similar miracle can be obtained if you resort to forcing plants – an easy way to get flowering crops at the wrong time for them. To do this, flowers or shrubs need to create conditions close to spring in order to speed up the vegetative processes.

Forcing flowers at home: terms and rules

When there is a blizzard outside and the temperature is minus twenty, I really want to speed up the arrival of spring. But this is quite within the power of any grower, even in an ordinary city apartment. It’s about expulsion. The transformation of an onion into a beautiful flower is perceived every time as a miracle, as a challenge to nature. In those days when the natural flowering of plants is still very far away, fragrant hyacinths or exquisite daffodils, bright tulips, delicate crocuses or original bulbous irises may appear in our house.

Modern methods of forcing bulbous plants make it possible to obtain flowering crops starting in December. From shrubs, lilac lends itself well to forcing, you can even make twigs bloom in a nutrient solution. Lilies of the valley are also quite often grown in pots in winter.

According to the timing, distillation is divided into:

  • very early (end of December – January 1);
  • early (January);
  • middle (February – March 8);
  • late (end of March);
  • very late (after April 1).

Beginners can be advised to do medium and late forcing at home – it is much easier and will allow you to acquire certain skills.

When forcing bulbous crops, three basic rules must be followed:

  1. Digging bulbs from open ground is carried out earlier than usual, until the leaves turn yellow and dry.
  2. First, the bulbs are kept at elevated temperatures.
  3. Then all the bulbs need a cooling period.

If the forcing of flowers at home is carried out by March 8 and later, then the fulfillment of the first two conditions is not necessary.

In large cities, it is now possible to purchase imported bulbs (often from Holland), which are specially prepared for earlier flowering – there is a note “For forcing” on the package. They are more expensive than usual, and they need to be planted as soon as possible after purchase.

Plant forcing technology at home

If you are going to prepare the bulbs for forcing yourself, this must be done in advance. Bulbs large, dense, with a small even bottom, intended for forcing next year, are planted on a separate bed. In tulips and daffodils, after staining the buds, decapitation is carried out, i.e. break heads; hyacinth inflorescences scurry after the opening of the first flower. This creates favorable conditions for the development of bulbs.

In order for all the rules of forcing technology to be clearly observed, after digging, the largest, healthy bulbs are selected.

In daffodils, it is better to take one-two-top bulbs with a diameter of at least 4.5 cm, which give 1-2 peduncles. Three-peaks can throw out the third peduncle, but the flower will be smaller and bloom later. It must be remembered that the size is not always the criterion for the readiness of the bulbs for forcing. Some varieties of daffodils (for example, small-crowned) and tulips (Triumph) have small bulbs.

However, the temperature regime is crucial in the preparation of bulbous flowers for distillation. When the bulbs are dug out ahead of schedule, the processes of forming a flower germ do not have time to complete in them. Therefore, they must be exposed to elevated temperatures. The bulbs are kept for 7 days at 34 ° C in a thermostat, a converted incubator, a germination cabinet. Then the bulbs are stored at a temperature approximately corresponding to the natural temperature at this time of the year: until August at 23-25 ° C, in August at 20 ° C, from September until planting – at 16-17 ° C.

For forcing bulbous plants at home, bulbs are usually planted in the first half of October in a neutral, moisture-absorbing, breathable substrate – light garden soil, sand, peat, perlite, or a mixture of these components. There is also a hydroponic forcing technique. Hyacinths can bloom in normal water, but if you want to save the bulbs for later use in landscaping, you need to plant them in pots with a fertilized earth mixture. Bulbs planted in the substrate must be subjected to cooling at a temperature of 8-9 ° C. For daffodils and tulips, the cooling period is 16-22 weeks, for hyacinths it is shorter – 10-16 weeks. During this period of artificially simulated winter, the growth hormone gibberellin is synthesized and accumulated in the bulbs, rooting occurs, and the growth of the peduncle and leaves begins.

Before you make a distillation, you need to prepare pots or other containers. In pots with a diameter of 9 cm, one large onion is placed, 13 cm – 3 bulbs, with a diameter of 16 cm – 5. The largest ones are planted almost close, gaps of up to 1 cm are left between the smaller ones.

They also use standard plastic boxes (60 x 40 x 18 cm) with support legs, where 50-60 large hyacinth bulbs, 60-80 daffodil bulbs or 80 tulip bulbs can be placed. Bulbs are planted closely, but in such a way that they do not touch each other and the walls of the container. Then water abundantly: after watering, the tops of the bulbs should peek out of the substrate. Tulips are watered with a 0.2% solution of calcium nitrate, as their bulbs are poor in calcium. Such top dressing prevents the formation of blind buds and the drooping of future flowers.

Then the boxes are installed in a dark cold room with an air temperature of 8-9 ° C and a relative humidity of more than 95%. The pots can be stored in the lower section of a household refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap to maintain a high level of humidity. Water the substrate weekly. During rooting, the humidity is adjusted to almost 100%, ventilation is reduced. After rooting, air humidity is reduced to 70% with constant ventilation, avoiding drafts. Boxes or pots can be dug in the garden, when cold weather sets in, they are covered with foliage, foam rubber, so that the temperature in the zone of occurrence of the bulbs does not fall below 0 ° C. If the flowers are “in a hurry” or “late” by the scheduled date, a correction is made by raising or lowering the temperature.

To determine the time when it is necessary to start cooling the bulbs (for example, daffodils), another 2.5 weeks are added to 16-18 weeks for the development of peduncles and leaves in the light, and the result obtained (18-20.5 weeks) is counted from the desired flowering date. For example, for forcing by March 8, cooling should begin in the first decade of October. In hyacinths, the development of flower stalks takes up to two weeks, in tulips – up to three to four. If you want to get a cut in late March – early April, you need to start planting and cooling in mid – late October and keep daffodils at 5-8 ° C. At this temperature, the peduncles and leaves will still continue to grow, and by the time of attachment, i.e. transferring the planted bulbs to a bright, warm room, they can stretch up to 20 cm, which will lead to their lodging. To avoid this, in mid-December, the temperature is reduced to 2 ° C for the March distillation and to 0.5 ° C for the later one.

The photo “Forcing bulbous plants at home” will help you better understand the process technology:

Schemes for forcing flowers for March 8 and the New Year

Distillation according to nine-degree technology by February 23 – March 8 is carried out according to the following scheme:

  • The bulbs are dug at the usual time.
  • From July 15 to October 1, the bulbs are in storage at a temperature of 17-20 ° C.
  • Landing in the substrate in batches from 1 to 10 October.
  • Keep in the refrigerator at 9 ° C until December 1, then at a temperature of 2-3 ° C.
  • After January 25, they are transferred to a greenhouse, where the temperature is maintained at 16-18 ° C.
  • Flowering occurs 3.5-4 weeks after planting.

Distillation for the New Year according to five-degree technology is carried out according to the following scheme:

  • Bulbs are dug up no later than June 20, until the leaves have dried up.
  • Dry for 1 day.
  • 1 week is heated at a temperature of 34 ° C, air humidity 70%.
  • Then 2-3 weeks incubated at a temperature of 20 ° C.
  • The bulbs are placed in the refrigerator, where they are kept at a temperature of 5 ° C and an air humidity of 70%.
  • Planted in the substrate on October 25 and installed in a bright room.
  • The first 2 weeks maintain the temperature of the soil 10-11 °C, air – 11-13 °C, then, respectively, 16 and 16-18 °C.
  • Tulips bloom in 6-8 weeks.

Forcing flowers by March 8 using a five-degree technology is carried out according to the following scheme:

  • From mid-July to mid-October, the bulbs are in storage at a temperature of 20 °C.
  • Refrigerate at 5°C for 12 weeks.
  • Landing in the substrate January 10-20.
  • The first two weeks maintain the temperature of the soil 10-11 ° C, air – 11-13 ° C, then, respectively, 16 and 16-18 ° C.
  • Flowering occurs in 6-8 weeks.

Very often, flower growers make the mistake of trying to speed up flowering by increasing the temperature at the last stage of forcing. The air temperature in the greenhouse in December, January and February should not be higher than 18 ° C, and the soil – 16 ° C. At higher temperatures, many cut qualities deteriorate, blind buds appear, flowers overturn, plants are damaged by fusarium, ethylene toxicosis. Larger flowers are formed at 15 ° C, but at the same time the vegetation lengthens by an average of 5 days.

How to make forcing hyacinth bulbs for the New Year at home (with video)

Hyacinths obtained by distillation are superior in decorativeness even to open ground plants: they have a large, dense inflorescence with a much larger (sometimes 2 times) number of flowers and a taller peduncle.

How to make a forcing of hyacinths for the New Year and Christmas? Not all varieties are suitable for early forcing, but only those that need a short cooling period. Bulbs are dug out of the ground a week earlier than usual. For distillation of hyacinths for the New Year and Christmas, bulbs weighing 60-80 g, with a diameter of at least 4 cm are selected, dried and stored for 2 weeks at 30 ° C. The next 3 weeks maintain a temperature of 25 ° C. Then, for a month, the bulbs are stored at 22-23 ° C and then until planting at a temperature of 16-17 ° C. Hyacinth bulbs are planted for forcing into the substrate from October 1 to October 5. Containers with bulbs are transferred to the basement, where the temperature is maintained at 8-9 ° C and the relative humidity of the air is more than 95%. Small pots can be installed at the bottom of the refrigerator, packed in a plastic bag. The optimal cooling time is 10-14 weeks. Suspension of distillation of hyacinths at home is carried out 14-20 days before the scheduled flowering time. The temperature in the room should be 23-25 °C. The first 3-4 days, hyacinths are shaded with black film or paper so that the flower stalks stretch out. When the flowers begin to open, the temperature is reduced to 16-18 ° C, which will prolong flowering. Watered daily in the morning. Cut off after opening all the flowers in the inflorescence.

Preparation of hyacinths for flowering in late February – early March. Bulbs are dug out of the soil at the usual time. Until September 1, store at a temperature of 20-25 ° C, then maintain 17 ° C for a month. Plant no later than October 5th. Until December 15, cooling is carried out at 8-9 ° C. Then, to slow down the vegetation, the temperature is reduced to 1-2 ° C. Plants are taken out into the light 3-4 weeks before the planned flowering time.

For November distillation, varieties such as Anna-Marie – pink, Bismarck – light purple, General Koehler – blue (terry), La Victoire – pink-red, Ostara – blue, ” Rosalia” – pink, “Tubergen Scarlet” – red.

For flowering in December-January, it is better to use “Blue Magic” – blue, “Violet Pearl” – lilac, “Delft Blue” – blue, “Innosance” – white , “Lord Bal-four” – dark lilac, “Marconi” – pink, “Pink Pearl” – pink, “Eros” – pink, “Jan Bos” – red.

For the February forcing, they recommend Amethyst – lilac, Amsterdam – pink-red, Ben Nevis – white (terry), Blue Jacket – blue, Trootworst – light lilac (terry), Gypsy Queen – orange, “Yellow Hammer” – yellow, “Carnegie” – white, “Lady Derby” – pink, “Menelik” – black and purple, “Pearl Diamond” – blue.

Almost all varieties are suitable for late distillation, but the following are more commonly used: Indigo King – black and blue, “King Codro” – blue (terry), “Sunflower” – pale cream (terry), “City of Harlem” – yellow , ” Hollyhock” – raspberry (terry), “Horkey” – cream (terry), “Chesnut Flower” – pink (terry), “Cyclops” – red.

When forcing hyacinths, like other bulbs, problems may arise:

  • Yellow leaves. Most often, drafts lead to yellowing of the leaves; insufficient lighting or improper watering can also contribute to this.
  • The buds do not open. With irregular watering, the buds can dry out without opening. In addition, the buds may not open when water falls on them during careless watering.
  • Uneven flowering. The main reason for this is planting bulbs of different sizes in one pot.
  • Long wilted leaves. This defect appears if the plant pot has been kept in the dark for too long. Another reason may be insufficient lighting during flowering.
  • Slow growth. Pots with plants were transferred too early to a bright room, without waiting for the sprouts to reach a height of 3-5 cm. Another reason may be insufficient watering of the plants during forcing.
  • Lack of flowering. Plants will not bloom if too small bulbs are used for forcing or if the cooling period is not maintained.
  • Flower decay. This leads to waterlogging of the substrate. Bulbs should be planted in pots with drainage holes. Excess water during watering is drained by slightly tilting the pot.

Watch the Hyacinth Forcing video to avoid all of the above problems:

Forcing daffodils in winter at home

The simplest scheme for forcing daffodils in winter by March 8th. The bulbs are dug out at the usual time, the largest ones are selected, weighing 80-90 g, preferably double-topped. Before planting, store in shading at normal air temperatures, but not more than 25 ° C. In early October, the bulbs are planted in standard boxes in fertile soil. Contain in an unheated room at a temperature of 5-9 ° C. Transferred to the light in February and the first 3-5 days kept at a temperature of 10-13 ° C, then at 16 ° C. Flowering occurs in 25-30 days.

The choice of varieties for forcing daffodils at home is limited only for early periods. Usually they use Barret Browning, Flower Record, Golden Harvist.

For later forcing, you can take any daffodils, except for the most late-flowering ones, traditionally use Ice Falls and Mount Hood. For pot culture, low or even miniature varieties of the Tête-à-tête type are better suited.

Technology, how to make a forcing of tulips by March 8 (with video)

And now about how to make the forcing of tulips by March 8 according to a five-degree scheme. To get a cut for Women’s Day, bulbs weighing at least 25 g are suitable, and for forcing by the New Year, bulbs should be larger, weighing at least 30-35 g.

As you can see in the photo of the forcing of tulips, the fuller the bulbs, the larger and better quality the flowers will be:

In recent years, the five-degree distillation method has become widespread, in which the cooling of the bulbs is carried out before planting in the substrate. They are kept in a refrigerator at 5 ° C in gauze bags. The optimal duration of cooling bulbs for forcing tulips at home is 12 weeks for the class Darwin hybrids and 9-10 weeks for varieties of other classes.

According to the technology of forcing tulips, 6-7 weeks before the expected flowering time, chilled bulbs are planted in a substrate and exposed to light, the air temperature is maintained at 16-18 ° C. Thus, the process of active root growth coincides with the growth of leaves and peduncle. This is the difference between a five-degree forcing and a nine-degree forcing, when the bulbs root during the cooling period.

After forcing, tulip bulbs are usually destroyed. However, rare varieties can be grown in the open field, it takes 1-2 seasons to restore them.

Now check out the video “Forcing Tulips by March 8” and try to get flowering plants for Women’s Day yourself:

The best varieties of tulips for distillation at home

The best varieties of tulips for distillation at home are:

Of the Darwin hybrids – the varieties “Oxford Elite”, “Eric Hofsue”, “Forgotten Dreams”, “Scarborough”, “Ad Rem”, “Vivex”, “Kenigin Wilhelmina” (red in different shades with a yellow or orange border), “Ivory Floradale” (creamy white), “Gordon Cooper” (pink).

From the Triumph class – varieties “Alberio” (red with a white border), “Kis Nelis” (dark red with an orange border), “Blitzard” (pure white).

Beginners can recommend varieties of Darwin hybrids: “Diplomat” (dark red with a strong wax coating) and “Oxford”, or rather its clone (elongated flowers, orange-red, with a slightly greenish bottom). They are quite decorative, easier to distill than others, and the bulbs are relatively cheap.

For forcing in pots, simple early class varieties are usually used, for example, “Christmas Marvel”.

But it is better to give preference to low, with bright and large flowers, hybrids of tulips “Foster” and “Greig”: “Toronto” (pink), “Dano” (white-pink), “Grand Prix” (red with a yellow border), ” Princesses”, “Grand Prestige”, “Princess Charmant” (red, the latter with a strong pleasant smell).

Also good for these purposes is a clone of the tulip Excellent “Fusi” (orange, many-flowered).

The set of varieties for five-degree technology is somewhat smaller than for nine-degree technology, but still quite wide.

The most commonly used Darwin hybrids with red color – “Oxford”, “Parade”, “London”.

Flowers with a yellow, orange or white border around the edges of the petals are much more spectacular: Forgotten Dreams, Eric Hofsyu, Gordon Cooper.

Pure pink “Pink Impreshnl” is very good.

More undersized tulips of the Triumph class are also used: “Kis Nelis”, “Lustige Vitve”, “Epricot Beauty”.

Planting crocuses and bulbous irises for distillation at home

Crocuses and bulbous irises are used for forcing much less often, but one cannot deny oneself the pleasure of getting touching buds of delicate flowers in the middle of winter.

Of the irises for distillation at home, the most commonly used types are mesh and “Denford”.

Bulbs are dug in early June, the largest ones are selected, stored at 20 ° C until mid-August and then at 9 ° C until planting. They are planted in the substrate at the beginning of October so that the distance between the bulbs is 1 cm, they are sprinkled with a 1 cm layer of earth on top. Then they are transferred to a bright room, where the temperature is maintained at 16 – 18 ° C. Plants bloom in 2 weeks, flowering lasts 7-9 days. Watering is moderate.

For forcing crocuses at home, all types and their numerous hybrids that bloom in spring are suitable: spring crocus, golden-flowered crocus, beautiful crocus.

Of the varietal crocuses for distillation, Flower Record, Purple Sensation, Pickwick, Grand Yellow, Joan of Arc, Remembrance are most often used.

For forcing in February-March, large bulbs after harvesting are stored at a temperature of 20 ° C until September, then until planting at 17 ° C. Planting crocuses for forcing into the substrate is carried out from early October to mid-November, depending on the period of forcing. Bulbs are slightly pressed into the ground almost close to each other. Can be distilled in glass flasks with water. Cooling period 5 weeks at 9°C followed by 10 weeks at 5°C. If you need to delay flowering, the temperature is temporarily lowered to 1-2 ° C. Then transfer containers with rooted and germinated bulbs to a bright room and keep at a temperature of 15-17 ° C 2-3 weeks before the expected flowering time. At first, after transferring to the light, it is advisable to cover the plants with paper caps so that the flower stalks stretch out a little.

Technology for forcing lilies of the valley at home

Another spring flower can please us in the cold season – lily of the valley. Garden forms of the May lily of the valley are successfully distilled. In autumn, flower and vegetative buds are clearly visible on the rhizomes. The first ones are larger, blunt and directed vertically upwards. For forcing lilies of the valley, take segments of rhizomes with flower buds and roots. Harvesting of sprouts is carried out after the aerial part of the plant dies off – from late September to mid-October. They are placed in bundles in a box and covered with wet moss or covered with sawdust to protect them from drying out. The boxes are dug in the garden. With the onset of frost (-5-6 ° C), they are kept outdoors for another week. Then, around the first half of November, they are transferred to the basement.

It will take 25-30 days to get flowering plants by the New Year. Before forcing lilies of the valley at home, the rhizomes are kept for 10 hours in warm water (30-35 ° C), preventing the temperature from dropping.

Then they are placed in small containers filled with wet moss or leafy soil, shaded with black paper and placed in a room at 25-30 ° C (next to or directly on radiators). The substrate is kept moist, the plants are sprayed with warm water every day. When the peduncle reaches a height of 8-10 cm and buds form, the paper is removed and the containers are transferred to the windowsill, where the air temperature should be 12-15 ° C. Blooming lilies of the valley can decorate the festive table, but at night they should be moved closer to the window, otherwise they will quickly fade.

Shrub forcing technology

Quite successfully amenable to forcing shrubs. And it is not at all necessary to dig out a whole bush, cut branches are quite enough. For this method, early varieties of lilacs are suitable. In winter, powerful, better central shoots weighing at least 200 g are cut off. They are immediately brought into the room and immersed entirely for 12 hours in a bath of cold water. Then the ends of the branches are cut off under water and placed in the light in a special solution.

For forcing shrub plants into 10 liters of soft (snow, rain or boiled twice) water, take:

  • 8 g of potassium alum;
  • 4 g of potassium chloride;
  • 3 g sodium chloride;
  • 300 g sugar.

The solution is changed once a week. The room temperature should be at first 20 °C, then 15 °C. The branches must be sprayed with water, and it is advisable to spray the first week with sugar syrup. Flowering occurs in 22-27 days.

By the New Year, simple white varieties of lilacs work best, since purple ones turn out to be pale due to lack of light. Terry lilac blooms 3-4 days later and is generally more suitable for late forcing.

In this way, branches and other shrubs and trees can be driven out. At the same time, forsythia blooms after 10-12 days, chestnut – 30, wild apples and pears – 21, bird cherry – after 15-16 days.

Share with your friends

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Other flowers
Other people actively read

Saintpaulia care: watering the uzambar violet

Wasps with a bizarre flower shape and chimeras with a unique...

Brovallia (Browallia) american and magnificent – cultivation and care

Description: annual (some species are perennial ), flowering, shrubby plant of...

Flowers in an inexpensive hotel in Moscow: budget floral decor

It was Jack Trout, the world-class marketing guru, who said that...
Tuesday, November 7, 2023