Do you know why hyacinth bulbs are put in the refrigerator? It is a process that could help them grow even out of season. Let's find out how.
I hyacinths they are one of the most fragrant flowers there is, used to decorate and beautify flower beds and gardens during the spring. The flowers are found in many colors: blue is the most common, but there are also varieties of red, pink, white, yellow and orange. Each inflorescence is composed of about fifteen extremely fragrant flowers.
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Often, however, the bulbs of the plant are placed in the refrigerator for "Force" the flowering of the plant in an artificial way. Forcing is a planting technique that allows you to make plants flower weeks or even months before they would normally bloom in your garden. Let us try to explain more specifically all the cooling techniques used for forcing.
Index
Why do hyacinth bulbs need to be cooled?
Like all other types of bulbs that bloom during the spring season, hyacinths must cross the period of winter frosts to be able to flower properly. It is with exposure to the cold temperatures of winter that the embryonic flower inside the bulb it begins to grow and is then ready for the arrival of spring. If the bulbs they are not exposed to the right amount of cold for the right amount of time, the flowers will not form properly and may not emerge at all.
How to cool hyacinth bulbs
Is possible to buy pre-chilled hyacinth bulbs, but they are extremely difficult to find. Chilling your bulbs directly at home will allow you to have a greater control over flowering times. You can cool your bulbs both before and after you plant them in pots. In both cases, the cool-down period must last at least 13 weeks. During this time the bulbs will need:
- dark;
- moist soil and air;
- constant temperatures of 1,5 ° C - 9 ° C.
Where to cool hyacinth bulbs
Hyacinth bulbs can also be cooled outdoors if the temperatures are cold enough. Otherwise you have to cool them in the refrigeratorJust make sure not to place them near the fruit, as the ethylene gas emitted by the ripening of the fruit will damage the embryonic flowers inside the bulbs.
When to plant hyacinth bulbs
It is difficult to predict exactly when forced bulbs will bloom. Generally, if planted in mid-October, they will start flowering in February, while if planted in mid-November they will flower in March or April.
Caring for hyacinth plants
It is best to put the hyacinths in not very large pots, with a drainage hole in the bottom of the pot. The bulbs must then be buried a about 2-3 cm from the surface and will need to be held away from sunlight and in a moist soil. At the end of the cooling period, the bulbs may have started to sprout. When the shoots reach a height of about 5 cm and their tops will begin to show color, they can be placed in a sunny window. Once the flowers are open, the pots should be kept in a relatively cool place away from direct sunlight to extend the flowering time.
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