Tips for Success

Watering - After planting, give your plants a thorough watering. Spring bulbs planted in fall will usually not require much watering as the soil during winter usually retains moisture for longer periods of time after rainfall. In spring though, as your plants are establishing themselves in your garden, it’s important to water them regularly if there is no rainfall. Check the soil moisture weekly and water as needed. Maintaining adequate moisture in the soil reduces stress and promotes long-lasting blooms.

Fertilizing - A bulb is a plant’s food storage system. When planting your bulbs fertilize with a good bulb fertilizer and bone meal. Follow instructions on the package for proper amount of fertilizer to use. Be careful not to over-fertilize.

For perennial spring bulbs such as daffodils and hyacinths, during the first year of bloom, the bulb provides the plant with most of the nutrients it requires. But, for best results, and to ensure good blooms the following season, we recommend supplementing your soil with a balanced, slow-release bulb or flower fertilizer such as Bloom Start. Typically, one application of fertilizer in the fall is enough to provide your plants with the extra nutrients they need to produce healthy foliage and long-lasting flowers.

Mulching - Applying a 2-inch-thick layer of mulch over your garden beds helps retain moisture and also to maintain even soil temperatures.

Follow up Maintenance - As your flowers fade in spring, remove the spent blooms, but allow the leaves to continue to grow. The foliage gathers energy from the sun, which the plant will use to form next year’s flowers. Once the leaves have turned yellow and dried, you may cut them back.

Spring Bulb Listing Crocus Daffodils Hyacinths Tulips

Forcing Spring Bulbs in Containers

Almost anything that provides drainage can serve as a container for forcing spring bulbs. In addition to terra cotta, plastic and ceramic you can use barrels, bushel baskets, plastic tubs, and wooden planter boxes.

The size of container that you use should be determined by the number of plants that you will grow in it. Smaller containers are usually preferable when forcing bulbs.

Make sure the containers have drainage holes so excess water can drain and bulbs won't get waterlogged.

Forcing Bulbs:

• Select the bulbs you are going to force. Below is a listing of bulbs good for forcing, and a timetable. Use you artistic skills to mix and match the right blooms with the right pot.
• Use a good professional potting soil that drains well.
• Tip: Make up several pots for a continuous bloom.
• After making the pots, water thoroughly until water emerges from the holes at the bottom of the pots. Let excess water drain out. NOTE:
  Most bulbs require a "chilling period". This is a time when the bulb is dormant in a cool environment, simulating it's natural underground winter home in cold soil. Bulbs need this chilling period to force them to bloom. A couple exceptions to the rule are paperwhites and Amaryllis which do not require a period of chilling.
• Chill your bulbs by potting them up and placing the pots in a cool location. The ideal temperature for chilling is 40 degrees, keeping them as close to this temperature as possible. Do not let the bulbs freeze.
• Chill your pots for 12 to 15 weeks. This is the minimum period, but they can be chilled for more. Different bulbs will require varying periods for chilling.
• Check on the pots from time to time. Make sure that the soil has not dried out. It should be slightly moist, but not wet. During this period, your dormant bulbs are not quite dormant. They are quietly building their root system so they are ready to explode out of the ground when you bring them indoors.
• Important Tip: While you can chill bulbs in a refrigerator, they interact with many fruits in your refrigerator and will fail to bloom.
  After the minimum chilling period has been reached, bring your pots in. Place them in a warm, sunny window. The warmth is your bulbs' signal to awaken. As soon as they emerge from the ground, they will need light to grow and bloom.
• So, right about now you are probably wondering about how long a particular bulb needs to be chilled and how long the growing period is to reach the blooming stage. Well, you guessed the answer... it depends. It depends upon the particular bulb.
  Tip: To extend the blooms, move the pots to a cool location at night and while you are out of the house.

Bulb Forcing Timetable