Forcing Bulbs Indoors For Winter Blooms: How-To & Tips

Forcing Hyacinth Bulbs In A Pot

Imagine the dreary months of January and February, cold, bleak, windy–but you can easily add a touch of Spring inside your home by forcing bulbs ahead of time that will then bloom indoors during the winter months. Here’s how:

Understanding How Forcing Bulbs Works

When planting flowering bulbs like Tulips in the garden, you need to plant them in the Fall so that they can experience being cold and a period of dormancy during the winter season. Once it begins to warm, the bulbs know Spring is near and start growing their shoots to the top of the soil that will then produce their blooms. Many bulbs won’t grow and bloom until they first experience this chilling period. Forcing bulbs has to accomplish this same experience:

• Give bulbs a “season” of cold so that they think Winter has arrived.
• After a few months of being chilled, bring the potted bulbs inside the house to experience the “season” of warmth–they’ll think Spring has arrived and will begin to grow and bloom.

How To Force Bulbs

Planting Spring Bulbs In Pots

• Choose well draining pots so that the bulbs won’t rot and they can be transported easily inside the house to a warm, sunny location.
• Cover the bottom of the pot with gravel to support good drainage then top up with potting soil.
• Position as many bulbs as you’d like on top of the potting soil with their pointy sides up and the root growing side down. There’s no need to space the bulbs as you would when planting in a garden, just make sure that no two bulbs are touching each other or the sides of the pot.
• Then cover the bulbs with some potting soil leaving the top tips exposed.
• Water the pot of bulbs thoroughly then allow to drain.
• Place the pot in a cold, dark place like an unheated garage or garden shed–somewhere that gets cold but doesn’t drop below freezing (the rooting process will stop if the bulbs freeze). If you have room to spare in an old refrigerator, you can force bulbs in there too (ideal but watch the soil moisture, will likely need to water regularly). You can also dig a trench outdoors to hold all your pots until it’s time to bring them in. Dig the trench about 2 feet deep (dig as deep as you need to fit the pots in) and as wide as you need to hold the pots. Cover the pots with a good layer of straw and leaves to give them some protection from the cold (about a foot deep in harsh winters).
• If positioned somewhere inside, water occasionally with cold water so that the soil doesn’t dry out completely, don’t give too much water though, just sparingly. If the pots were left outdoors, watering once a month should be sufficient (if it’s a dry winter).
• Let the potted bulbs chill for about 13 to 15 weeks. When they’re ready to be moved indoors, you will see roots in the drainage holes at the bottom of the pots or new stem growth at the top of the pot that’s about two inches high.
• When it’s time to bring the pots inside, transition them first by putting them in the coolest room you have (with some light). Water thoroughly once you bring the pots in. After a few days you should notice some new plant growth, once you do you can move the pots to a warmer and sunnier location inside the home.
• For the next two to three weeks you’ll notice the shoots growing and then starting to bloom.

Types Of Flowering Bulbs That Work

Hyacinth Growing And Blooming In A Pot

• Tulips: Can require at least 15 weeks of chilling to be successfully forced. Early flowering tulips are easier to force, some suggestions: Beauty of Apeldoorn, Apricot Beauty, Monte Carlo, Oxford, Mariette, Aladdin, Maytime, Diana, Brilliant Star.
• Hyacinths: Wait until the top growth is about 3″ before moving to a sunny location. Usually requires at least 10 weeks of chilling to be successfully forced. Varieties to try: Pink Pearl, Delft Blue, Anne marie, Carnegie, Hollyhock, Amethyst.
• Daffodils: Usually requires at least 13 weeks of chilling to be successfully forced. Varieties to try: Carlton, Cheerfulness, Flower Drift, Ice Follies, February Gold, Fortune, Dutch Master, Easter Joy, Geranium, Golden Bells, Jetfire. Place in direct sunlight to help it bloom properly after being forced.
• Crocus: Can require up to 15 weeks of chilling to be successfully forced. Some varieties to try: Remembrance, Giant Yellow, Jeanne d’Arc, Peter Pan, Flower Record, Pickwick.
• Iris: Can require up to 15 weeks of chilling to be successfully forced. Dwarf Irises force well.

Tips

• Time the blooms for special events such as Christmas, Valentine’s Day, New Years, etc. Plant the bulbs in pots approximately 15 to 17 weeks before you want the blooms.
• The bulbs won’t likely force successfully again next year, but plant them in the garden in the Spring once they’re done blooming and the plant has died back–they may give blooms after a year or two in the garden.
• The best time to purchase bulbs for forcing is in the Fall, you’ll likely not find a good selection of bulbs during the winter.
• Stagger the bloom times of your potted bulbs by planting and bringing out each pot about a week apart from each other.

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