Forcing perennial bulbs indoors is a wonderful way to bring color and scent into your home during cold winter months. In a previous article, I outlined the Best Perennial Bulbs for Indoor Forcing. In this article, I will cover the basics of how to force perennial bulbs indoors.
First, what does "forcing perennial bulbs" really mean? "Forcing" means encouraging perennial bulbs to bloom indoors by recreating conditions under which they would normally grow and bloom outdoors. For perennial bulbs that require a cold period during the winter in order to bloom the following spring, you will need to provide adequate cold treatment before forcing them indoors. Not all perennial bulbs require cold treatment however - many just need warmth and light to bloom indoors.
There are three methods by which perennial bulbs are generally "forced" indoors in the winter: planted in pots, planted in pebbles and waters, and put in water alone ("water forcing"). I will discuss each of these methods in detail below.
- Perennial Bulbs Planted in Pots. This is an excellent method for forcing perennial bulbs that require some cold treatment before blooming. This would include tulips, daffodils and crocus species. Method: Fill the pot about two thirds full with potting soil, and then place the perennial bulbs into clay (or plastic) pots. A pot that has a five or six inch diameter will hold about three tulip or daffodil bulbs, or six to nine crocus bulbs. Cover the bulbs with more soil up to the top of the pot (if the very top of the perennial bulb peeks through the soil it will be fine). Place the pot outdoors, preferably burying the pot in the ground and covering with two to three inches of additional soil. In late fall or early winter, leave the pot outdoors for about two months (during this time the perennial bulbs will start to develop a root system that will sustain them when forcing them indoors and they will receive the appropriate chilling as well). Then bring the pot back indoors into a room where the temperature is about 50 to 60 degrees warm (F). Once the perennial bulbs begin to develop flower stalks, you can bring them into a warmer area of your house to bloom and be enjoyed by all. Once the flowers have died, the perennial bulbs can be replanted into the garden, but do not use these perennial bulbs again for forcing.
- Forcing Bulbs using Pebbles and Water. This is a popular, and decorative way to force perennial bulbs that does not rely on any soil. This is a good forcing method for Hyacinths, Daffodils, Crocuses and early Tulips. Method: You will need a waterproof bowl and some decorative stones or gravel (some people even use marbles). Place the bulbs on top of the rocks in the bowl, using the pebbles or rocks to help firm the base of the perennial bulbs to keep them from tipping over while growing. Make sure the bulbs are also not touching the bottom of the bulb, but are sitting on top of the rocks. Next, add water to the bowl up to the very base of the perennial bulbs but not so high that that the bottom of the perennial bulbs are submerged in the water (this would encourage rot and drown the bulbs - you want the roots to be able to reach the water and grow, but for the bulbs to remain out of the water). If you are able to, you should place the bowl with the perennial bulbs in it in a dark, cool (about 50 degrees F) place for several weeks until the flower stalks begin to form, and then bring them into a warmer area of your home to be enjoyed.
- WATER FORCING. When you were a child, did you ever try to grow an avocado tree from an avocado pit in a glass of water. If you did so, you will have already have had experience with "water forcing." This is a method that is best done with Hyacinth perennial bulbs. Method: Take a Hyacinth bulb and insert toothpicks into four sides of the bulb and place on top of the rim of a drinking glass. Fill the glass up with water up to the base of the Hyacinth bulb, but do not let the bulb be submerged in the water. Place the bulbs in a cool, dark place for four to five weeks, then bring them out so that they will bloom.
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