Growing bulbous flowers in winter. Forcing bulbous flowers at home

At a time when the days are getting shorter and the nights are longer, when everything around is nondescript, boring and dull, I really want to speed up the arrival of spring, even for the residents of one separate apartment. What gives us the feeling of nature awakening and the hope that warm days are about to come? Of course, spring flowers. And if one can only dream about the arrival of spring in January, humanity has already learned to grow spring flowers in their homes in the middle of winter.

What flowers are planted for forcing?

Flowers are sold in stores all year round, but grow it yourself on your windowsill spring Flower- an incomparable pleasure. Most often, bulbous plants with a short period from awakening to flowering are grown in the middle of winter. These plants include small-flowered daffodils (cyclamenoid, calceum-loving, triandus, bulbocodium), hyacinths, some varieties of lilies and tulips (Kaufman, Greig tulips) and small-bulbous ones that bloom in open ground in early spring– crocuses, muscari, scylla, chionodoxa, pushkinia. The technology for forcing bulbs is not at all complicated, and if you learn its rules, you can decorate your home with spring flowers all winter. Forcing of bulbous plants is carried out according to the same rules for all representatives, however, each bulbous crop has its own terms and conditions for forcing, which we will now consider in more detail.

Forcing tulips on March 8

Tulip bulbs for forcing

Tulips are easy to force, and the most important condition for successfully growing these flowers in the middle of winter is a well-organized artificial lighting. But first you need to determine which bulbs are suitable for forcing and which are not. To grow tulips at home in winter, you need extra bulbs with a diameter of 12/12+ (which means 40 mm or more in circumference), first or second parsing (from 30 to 40 mm in circumference) - the larger the bulb, the larger the flower. But size isn't everything. It is also important what the weight of the bulb is, since a heavier bulb is a sign that it already contains a flower bud. It happens that small bulbs are heavier than large ones, which are simply overfed with nitrogen. Bulbs weighing less than 25 g are not suitable for forcing.

When to plant tulips for forcing

According to the timing of flowering, forcing can be early (forcing tulips before the New Year and before Orthodox Christmas), medium (flowering lasts throughout January) and late (flowering from February to March, and sometimes until April). In order to grow tulips by a specific date, you need to know when to start forcing. Early forcing of tulip bulbs requires planting in late summer or early autumn, and forcing on March 8, like the middle forcing, requires planting the bulbs during October-November. The following tulip varieties are suitable for early forcing: Apricot Beauty, Brilliant Star, Dixis Favorite, Christmas Marvel, Lustige Battle. For the average: Scarborough, Confux, Apeldoorn and Oxford. For late forcing, dedicated to International Women's Day, the following varieties are suitable: Parade, Diplomat, Vivex, London, Kis Nelis and Eric Hofsier.

Forcing tulips at home

So, we found out that forcing tulips by March 8 requires planting the bulbs in late October or early November. Before planting, peel the covering scales from the bulbs to inspect them for disease damage and also to speed up their rooting. Treat the bulbs with a bright pink disinfectant solution of potassium permanganate.

The optimal substrate for forcing tulips is a mixture of one part river sand, one part compost or rotted manure and two parts garden soil with the addition of some wood ash. Fill the forcing container two-thirds full with this substrate and compact it slightly, then place the tulip bulbs on the surface at a distance of 1 cm from each other and lightly press their bottoms into the soil. Fill the containers to the top with the same substrate or clean sand and pour generously with a two percent solution of calcium nitrate. If the soil settles from the liquid and the tops of the bulbs are exposed, add more sand or substrate so that there is a small layer of soil above the bulbs - 1-2 cm, then place the container in a dark place with a temperature of 5-9 ºC at an air humidity of about 75%. Do not allow the substrate to dry out; water it daily if necessary. As soon as sprouts appear, the temperature should be reduced to 2 ºC. About three weeks before the target date, place the container in a dark room with a temperature of about 13 ºC, and four days later place the sprouted bulbs in a bright room with a temperature of 16-18 ºC. Now is the time to use additional lighting to increase the daylight hours for growing tulips to the required 10 hours. If the day is shorter, the tulips will begin to stretch painfully. When the buds acquire the color characteristic of the variety, the temperature must be lowered by a couple of degrees - this will make flowering longer and brighter. Caring for blooming tulips involves regular watering of the plants and periodic feeding with calcium nitrate.

Forcing tulips in a greenhouse is practiced mainly to obtain a large number of flowers for sale.

Forcing hyacinths

Forcing hyacinths by March 8

If you are the lucky owner of hyacinth bulbs, store them in a dry, dry place before planting. dark place at a temperature of 17-18 ºC. Keep in mind that forcing on March 8 takes from three to four months, and you need to prepare for this sacrament in the summer: in June or July, hyacinth bulbs are dug up after the leaves have completely dried. For forcing, you need dense, intact bulbs with a diameter of at least 5 cm. If you don’t have these, it won’t be too late to buy them in September flower shop. In order for hyacinth to bloom in early March, it must be planted in early November. Two weeks before planting, the bulbs are disinfected for half an hour in a medium-strength solution of potassium permanganate or in Fitosporin. Then the bulbs are placed on a tray with their bottoms down, water is poured to a height of 2 cm, the root former is diluted in it and the tray with the solution and bulbs is removed into the vegetable section of the refrigerator - within two weeks in a cold environment, the roots of the bulbs begin to grow.

Forcing hyacinths at home

Choose a pot that is at least 15cm high and the width of the pot depends on how many bulbs you are going to put in it. Place a drainage layer of expanded clay, pebbles, shards or sand on the bottom, then add a layer of a fertile mixture of peat, leaf soil and river sand in equal proportions. Place the hyacinth bulbs in the pot at a distance of 2.5 cm from each other and add so much more soil so that, after compacting it, the hyacinth bulbs protrude from it by a third. Moisten the soil through a tray, cover the pot with black paper or film and keep it in a room with a temperature of about 10-12 ºC. After sprouts appear, replace the leaf with a dark paper cap. When the peduncle reaches a height of 3-4 cm, the cap can be removed and the pot moved to a bright place with a temperature a couple of degrees higher.

Optimal temperature for flower development – ​​16-18 ºC, but keep it away from heating devices, direct sunlight and drafts. All this time, make sure that the soil in the pot does not dry out. Watering is best done as before - in a tray, adding a little Epin, Kornevin or Heteroauxin to fresh water. It would be nice to add a little snow to the pot. If there is not enough light in the room, provide additional lighting for the hyacinths.

You can grow hyacinth even more in a simple way, which is grown in the spring on windowsills green onions. Find a transparent narrow vessel, pour water into it, dissolve the tablet in it activated carbon To prevent the water from spoiling, place a circle of cardboard with the middle cut out on top of the neck: the point is that the hyacinth bulb does not touch the water; only the regrown roots of the bulb should be in the water. We place this structure in the refrigerator in November and wait for the sprout to appear, adding water to the vessel from time to time. When the sprout reaches 5 cm, place the vessel on a cool windowsill and continue growing under the conditions described above.

Forcing crocuses

Forcing crocuses by March 8

Forcing bulbs at home involves using large planting material for this procedure, which already contains a flower bud. As for crocuses specifically, you need to choose for forcing large-flowered varieties plants because botanical varieties will look too frail. They have proven themselves best in this capacity Dutch hybrids spring bloom: Joan of Arc, Striped Beauty, Grand Lila, Pickwick, etc. To create beautiful bouquet Several bulbs of the same size are planted in one container. If you have your own crocuses growing in your garden, dig them up before the beginning of September. Both crocuses from the garden and store-bought crocus bulbs have small sprouts at this time of year, but this does not mean that they are ready for forcing. Forcing crocuses by March 8 begins with preparing the bulbs: before planting, keep them in the refrigerator or on a cool loggia, placing them in a paper bag. Depending on which variety you grow, planting occurs from mid-October to mid-November.

Forcing crocuses at home

For forcing crocuses, wide pots or bowls are suitable, in which you can plant 5-10 bulbs. A layer of expanded clay is placed on the bottom of the bowl, then a layer of substrate is poured, consisting of part turf and part leaf soil with the addition of half a part of peat and sand. Crocus bulbs are placed in a pot with the bottoms down so that they do not come into contact with the walls of the pot or with each other, the container is completely covered with sand, watered abundantly and kept at a temperature of 5-9 ºC. From the moment the bulbs are planted in the cold to the start of forcing, at least three months usually pass. Forcing flowers is carried out if several signs are present:

• the height of the sprouts must be at least 5 cm, and this applies to the weakest of the seedlings;
• the readiness of seedlings for forcing is determined by their density - the seedlings should not seem empty to the touch;
• The roots should look out of the drainage holes of the pot.

If these signs are present, you can move the bowl from the basement to a bright room with a temperature of about 15 ºC, but not higher, because the crocuses will quickly fade. As soon as the sprouts see the light, the crocus will begin to develop by leaps and bounds. To prevent flowering from happening too quickly, place the flower pot overnight in an unheated room with a temperature close to 0 ºC. If you follow this ritual, your crocus will bloom for about three weeks.

Forcing daffodils

How to plant daffodils for forcing

Narcissus bulbs can be ready to bloom within two months. Planting material, if you do not grow daffodils in your garden, can be purchased at flower shops on the eve of planting - large bulbs specially prepared for forcing. In addition to the species already mentioned, the most suitable for growing at home are taceta daffodils - Geranium White, Lawrence Coster, Scarlett Jam. Bulbs for forcing must be single-topped, healthy, weigh more than 60 g and have at least 4 cm in diameter. Before the forcing process begins, the bulbs are stored at a temperature of 17 ºC. Before planting, they are kept for about half an hour in a medium-strength potassium permanganate solution. You can do the same with daffodil bulbs as with hyacinth bulbs: before planting in the ground, place them in a tray with a root-forming solution and keep them in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator so that the bulbs have roots, or you can immediately plant them in a pot with a substrate.

Forcing daffodils at home

Forcing for the New Year or March 8th differs only in the timing of planting the bulbs, but the principle and procedure remain unchanged. The container for growing daffodils must be at least 10 cm high and have drainage holes. Place a drainage layer in the pot. You can use garden soil with sawdust, sand or neutral peat as soil. The bulbs are placed tightly in the pot, only their lower part is immersed in the substrate - about one third. Forcing in greenhouses is an activity for professionals, but experienced amateurs advise placing a container with narcissus bulbs in a plastic bag and, without tying it tightly, keep it at a temperature of 5-9 ºC and at high humidity air 3-3.5 months. During this time, you should regularly inspect the planting, watering the bulbs at least twice a week.

After the seedlings grow to 10 cm in height, the container is transferred to a room with a temperature of about 17 ºC and air humidity of about 50%, and when the flowers appear, you can extend their flowering period by placing the pot in cooler conditions - about 11-12 ºC. By lowering or raising the temperature, you can regulate the duration of flowering of any bulbous plants.

Forcing lilies

When to plant lilies for forcing

Suitable for forcing at home low-growing varieties golden lilies, long-flowered lilies, Japanese lilies, tiger lilies, Taiwan lilies, Philippine lilies, snow lilies, lilies, lilies, etc. As with other bulbous plants, planting material must be flawless: large, dense, healthy bulbs, treated before planting for half an hour with a solution of medium-strength potassium permanganate. Another condition is age - the bulbs should not be younger than three years. On average, the time period from planting a bulb in the ground to the start of flowering lasts 3-4 months, or more precisely, for Asian hybrids it is 55-70 days, for oriental and tubular lilies 3-4.5 months, for long-flowered lilies - 6-8 months from the moment the sprouts appear, and the flowering of the tiger lily begins after the emergence of shoots in just 1.5-2.5 months. For early forcing, the bulbs are planted in the ground in October-November, for late forcing - in February or March.

Forcing lilies at home

The container for lilies should be deep and wide - at least 15 cm in diameter. A drainage layer is placed at the bottom of the pot, then a few centimeters of substrate consisting of equal parts of turf, humus, leaf soil and sand, a bulb is placed on the substrate layer, which is covered with the same substrate, immersing it to a depth of 5 cm. After planting, the bulb is watered, lay a layer of wet sphagnum on the surface of the substrate and place the pot in a bright place with temperature conditions 8-10 ºC – a window sill in an unheated room is most suitable for this. Planting care involves periodically moistening the soil. From the moment the sprout appears, the temperature is gradually increased, eventually bringing it to 20-25 ºC. Lighting should also be maximum, but without direct sunlight. Watering gradually becomes more frequent and then more abundant; developed leaves need to be sprayed. The water temperature for watering and spraying lilies should be no lower than room temperature. After the leaves appear, the lily needs to be fed alternately with mineral and organic fertilizers weak consistency. When flowering comes to an end, spraying the leaves and fertilizing is stopped, and watering is gradually reduced until it stops completely.

Forcing small-bulbous flowers at home

All early spring small-bulbous plants - muscari, scillas, chionodoxes, snowdrops, pushkinias, iridodictiums, hazel grouse, etc.) can easily be forced at home. Forcing flowers is carried out according to the principle common to all bulbous plants: planting the bulbs in September-November, storing them in cool conditions, moving them to a warm place in January or February, when white sprouts appear and the earthen ball is completely entwined with roots. After installation in warm room The plants are kept in the shade for several days until the sprouts turn green, then the lighting should be maximum, but the plants should not be exposed to sunlight. Whatever soil you plant the bulbs in, pour a 2 cm thick layer of sand on top of it. Since most bulbous plants have approximately the same forcing time, you can plant the bulbs in one container different colors and get a colorful spring bouquet as a result. A wonderful composition would be daffodils and tulips grown in the same pot, or yellow tulips and muscari, or yellow crocuses and red tulips, or daffodils and hyacinths. This bouquet will decorate any home and will be an exquisite gift for anyone who knows how to appreciate beauty.

After home-grown bulbs have finished flowering, keep them in a cool place until it is time to plant the bulbs in open ground.

Growing bulbs in room conditions.

Bulbous plants occupy a significant place among indoor plants and can decorate a house in different time of the year. Bulbs can be used indoors in different ways

Most often, the forcing technique is used to get spring-flowering bulbs to bloom earlier than their usual time frame. When forcing, bulbs planted in pots and bowls are kept in the dark at a low temperature until roots form, and then, when the stem grows to 2.5-5 cm, they are transferred to a bright and warm room. Different types garden bulbs can simply be transplanted into pots when they begin to bloom and used to decorate the kitchen, living room or hallway. There are bulbous ones among the actual indoor plants.

FORCING GARDEN BULB PLANTS

For forcing, early flowering plants with large bulbs are usually used. Hyacinths are the best at forcing, tulips are the worst. Daffodils lend themselves well to forcing; among the small bulbous plants, crocuses are the most popular for forcing. Other bulbous plants also lend themselves well to forcing - spring onions, viper's onions, reticulated iris, pushkinia and poultry.
For forcing, specially prepared bulbs are sold; they must be large, healthy in appearance and dense to the touch. Pots with a drainage hole or bowls without holes in the bottom can be used as containers. When forcing bulbs in the garden, it is better to use pots.
When planting, various substrates are used, but if you want to preserve the bulbs for later planting in the garden, it is better to plant them in a peat-based substrate. A layer of damp substrate is poured into the bottom of the pot or bowl and the bulbs are placed on it. In a pot with a diameter 15 cm you can plant 3 hyacinth bulbs, 6 daffodil bulbs, 6 tulips or 12 crocuses. The bulbs are placed closely, but in such a way that they do not touch each other or the walls of the container. Under no circumstances should they be screwed into the substrate.
Then add more substrate, lightly compacting it with your fingers around the bulbs. The tops of the bulbs should protrude slightly from the substrate; There should be at least 1 cm between the soil level and the edge of the pot. If necessary, water the substrate, but not very much - the soil should not be too wet.
Now the bulbs need coolness and darkness. Ideal temperature during this period + 4°C. Usually they do this: the container(s) with the bulbs are placed at the bottom of a shallow trench in the garden or in a cold greenhouse and covered with a layer of ash, peat or sand about 10 cm thick. You can wrap the container in a black plastic bag and keep it in a shed, cellar or garage . The bulbs need to be kept in the dark and cool for 8 to 14 weeks, depending on the type of plant and the conditions of detention. From time to time you should check to see if the soil in the containers has dried out or if shoots have appeared. The temperature during the forcing period should not increase, otherwise failure awaits you.
When the shoots reach a height of 2.5-5 cm, the containers are transferred to a room where the temperature should not exceed 10°C. First, the container with the bulbs is placed in a shady place, and after a few days it is moved closer to the window. The leaves will begin to actively grow, and buds will appear in a couple of weeks. As soon as the buds begin to color, the container is transferred to its designated place where the plants will bloom. This place should not be in direct sun, in a draft or near radiators and other heating devices. Ideal temperature for flowering plants 15-18°C. The soil should be kept moist. The pot needs to be turned from time to time so that the plants grow evenly; Tall plants may require support.
After flowering wilted flowers(but not the stalks!) are cut off. The next steps depend on whether you want to save the bulbs for later use or not. If desired, continue watering the plants until the leaves turn yellow. Then remove the bulbs from the container, dry them, remove any dead leaves and store the bulbs in a cool, dry place. In the fall, plant them in open ground - they are no longer suitable for re-forcing.

GROWING GARDEN BULBS WITHOUT FORCING

The bulbs of any garden bulbous plant suitable for growing in a container outdoors can be planted in an adequately draining pot filled with a peat-based substrate and brought indoors. The tops of the bulbs should be completely covered with soil. After planting, the pots are placed in the garden and brought indoors when the plants are fully developed and buds appear on them. Place the plants in a well-lit and not too warm place, but not under direct sun rays. Subsequently, the bulbs are handled depending on the type of plant. If the plant does not need to be replanted every year, the container with the bulbs is again taken out into the garden (you need to check it in a reference book or encyclopedia), otherwise proceed in the same way as with “forcing” bulbs.

HOUSE BULB PLANTS

Many fairly hardy bulbous plants can be grown as indoor plants. Some of them retain leaves all year round (wallota, clivia, eucharis, etc.), so they are more often called “ornamental flowering plants.” houseplants", not just "bulb plants". However, most indoor bulbs, such as the common hippeastrum, lose their leaves during dormancy. They are left in a pot and receive little water during dormancy. "Bulbs" of other plants, such as tuberous begonia and canna, after the leaves of the plants wither, are removed from the pot and stored in peat, and with the beginning of the period of active growth they are planted again in the pot.

BULB PLANTS FOR THE NEW YEAR

It is not difficult to grow blooming hyacinths, daffodils or tulips for the New Year (end of December), but it does not come down to planting them ahead of schedule. You need to purchase bulbs that have been specially prepared for earlier flowering - on the package with such bulbs or in the corresponding line of the catalog there should be a mark “For forcing”. Such bulbs are more expensive than regular ones; they should be planted as soon as possible after purchase. Typically, bulbs intended for forcing are planted in September. Pots with bulbs are brought into the room when the sprouts reach 2.5 cm in height - this should be no later than December 1. After flowering, the bulbs can be stored until planted in open ground in the fall.

FORCING BULB PLANTS IN WATER

Hyacinths are sometimes grown not in soil, but in water. Water is poured into the lower part of a special distillation vessel, top part Place the onion so that it touches the water only with its bottom. Then they use the forcing technique in a black plastic bag (see above). Some small-bulbous plants, such as tazetta daffodils, are planted in glass bowls partially filled with pebbles. The bulbs are placed on a thin layer of stones and then more stones are added so that they cover the bulbs halfway. Pour water so that it reaches the bottom of the bulbs. Before the active release of leaves begins, the bowls are kept in a shady place at a temperature of about 10 ° C, then transferred to a warmer, well-lit place. After flowering, the bulbs are thrown away.

On the bottom shelf of the refrigerator we artificially create early spring conditions. Tulip bulbs take root completely within 3 and late varieties within 4 months; daffodils - for 2.5-3 months; Hyacinths take 2-3 months to take root. At this time, you need to carefully monitor the soil moisture: it should not dry out completely, but you should absolutely not over-water it. As soon as green shoots 2-2.5 cm long appear, the pots are moved to a brighter place, but again not sunny or too hot for 4-6 weeks. The temperature should be kept within +10-15°C. This happens in an unheated room or on a loggia. The pots can be placed on the floor, because if there is too much light, the leaves will begin to reach for it and take all the energy from the bulb to grow. Then flowering may not occur at all.

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Typically, spring bulbs are planted near the house in flower beds, flower beds or mixborders. This method is good for everyone, except for one thing - all this variety of crocuses, tulips and daffodils does not bloom for long, leaving ugly withered leaves on the surface of the ground. We have to dig up the bulbs and move them to the inconspicuous backyards of the plot in order to plant summer flowers in the vacant space. Inconvenient. In Europe, another method of growing bulbs has long been used - in containers or pots. In courtyards where the entire surface of the earth is occupied by a lawn, this method will come in handy. This is also a great opportunity to add greenery to your terrace, veranda, paved patio or borders. concrete paths.

Armfuls of spring tulips bring bright colors to the monochrome style of the cobbled courtyard

Despite the fact that we will admire the beauty of flowering bulbs in pots only in the spring, planting should be done in the fall - in October or November.

How to plant: together or separately?

Before we get into planting, let's address some compositional issues. The easiest way is to plant several types of bulbous plants in separate small pots. By changing their location relative to each other, you can create new ones each time flower arrangements. This method will also be convenient for camouflaging bald spots in flower beds where summer flies have not yet emerged.

Separate plantings will prevent the spread of a fungal disease of one type of bulb to the entire collection

If desired and available big pot(flowerpot, container) can be arranged and mixed plantings. To do this, several successively flowering bulbs are planted in one container in layers, the decorative effect of which will alternate throughout the spring. Often daffodils, tulips and crocuses are selected for such flowering “pies”. Firstly, all these plants are very beautiful and finding their bulbs in any flower shop is not a problem. Secondly, this “composition” guarantees decorative plantings for quite a long time.

Bouquet of tulips, hyacinths and muscari in one pot

Preparatory work with “etching”

After acquiring the bulbs and pots (or one large container), it's time to plant. You should know that you cannot plant bulbs without pre-treatment - there is a high probability that they are infected with fungi. Therefore, the planting material should be “etched” - kept for 30 minutes in a solution of potassium permanganate or any fungicide (Maxim, foundationol, karbofos, etc.).

Planting bulbs in pots

Prepared bulbs are planted in pots at a distance of 2-3 cm from each other (horizontally). They are sprinkled on top with a layer of soil, the thickness of which is:

• 12-15 cm – for daffodils
• 7-10 cm – for tulips
• 3-5 cm – for crocuses and hyacinths

Scheme for planting several types of bulbous plants in one pot

The plantings are generously watered so that the water drains from the drainage holes. It is advisable to sprinkle the soil surface with sand or, if light frosts are expected at the future storage location, mulch with sawdust. To prevent unscheduled germination of plants, the pots are covered with light-proof material and taken to the storage location.

Stratification - cold storage

For bulbous plants, the period of stratification - cold testing - is important. In other words, in order for the bulbs to germinate, they should be placed in a cool place for a while. Therefore, pots with plantings are stored on a glassed-in veranda, terrace or any outbuilding, where the air temperature in winter will remain around 3-8 °C. In principle, short-term drops in temperature below zero are acceptable, but this should be the exception rather than the rule.

You should know that the rooting temperature for most bulbous plants is 5-10°C. Therefore, if during planting it turns out that the temperature in the place where they will be kept has dropped below the permissible limit, stratification should be postponed for several days (up to a week). Leave the pots in a warm room where the bulbs will take root safely. After this, you can send the pots to cool storage.

The stratification (storage) period is usually 2-3 months. After this, you can bring the plantings into a warm room. Usually by this time, sprouts that have hatched are already visible on the surface of the soil in the pots. Flowering after an increase in temperature occurs in 2-4 weeks (depending on the type of bulbous planted).

The “noses” of the tulips have hatched, which means we should expect flowering soon

If you plan to decorate with blooming bulbous plot outdoors (terrace, paths, etc.), then wait until the temperature outside naturally rises. Then the potted bulbous plants will bloom at the same time as the ground ones.

Secrets of caring for bulbous plants in pots

There are no particular difficulties in caring for potted bulbs. The main thing is to water and fertilize them on time. It is very important to provide plants good lighting, otherwise they will stretch out and lose their “marketable” appearance.

Coolness is another important component of proper care. In a hot room, the flowering of bulbs will be reduced to a minimum, so the most optimal maintenance temperatures are 10-19 degrees. This is the flowering temperature of bulbous plants in natural environment, that is, in open ground.

Bulbs in pots will bloom the longest outdoors, not at home or on a glassed-in veranda

Thus, if you manage to reproduce in a cramped pot natural conditions growth, then already in early March you will be able to decorate your plot with armfuls of bright colors and bring the feeling of spring closer.

Known a large number of species of bulbous plants, so compositions with their participation can be created for any time of year.

Tulips, jonquil daffodils and hyacinths are the most popular spring flowering plants. In summer we are pleased with lilies, and in autumn - cyclamens and autumn crocuses. In winter, snowdrops and dwarf irises will brighten up our gray days.

A good start

The bulb is a miniature plant; it consists of fleshy scales, and the tuber is a modified shoot with a thickened stem. Bulbous and tuberous plants can be grown not only in open ground, but also indoors. There are many bulbous and tuberous plants known.

Planting bulbs

Select only healthy, fleshy bulbs of bulbous plants without signs of damage or rot on the scales. Their size depends on the type of particular plant. It is best to buy bulbs just before planting. Try to plant them immediately after purchase. The packages with bulbs indicate the time when they need to be planted in the ground. However, you should just remember that bulbous plants that bloom in late winter and spring are planted in September or October, tulips can be planted even in November.

If you want spring-flowering plants to bloom in your house ahead of schedule, then try to get bulbs that are already prepared for forcing. Remember also that hyacinths from bulbs not prepared for forcing will bloom earlier if you bring them home at the very beginning of the growing season.

Care

Before visible signs of growth appear, the bulbs should be watered very sparingly. During the growing season, provide the plants with plenty of water. Before planting at the end of autumn, you need to add a small amount of bone meal to the ground; during the growing season, the bulbous plants are fed with liquid complex fertilizers every 14 days. If the bulbs in pots and tubs will winter outside, then take care to insulate the containers and sprinkle the ground with peat to protect the plants from severe frosts.

Lightning Effect

Colchicum blooms without problems in the fall in the house. Make sure the tubers have already produced flower buds. All you have to do is place them, for example, in a bowl of sand or pebbles. Their pink or white flowers will create an unforgettable effect.

Planting tubers

1. Don’t forget to put a thick layer of drainage on the bottom of the pot, for example, from clay shards, only then pour compost soil into the container.

2. Arrange the bulbs with the pointed end facing up. Plant them closely, but so that they do not touch each other or the walls of the flower pot. Under no circumstances should they be screwed into the substrate.

3. Sprinkle the planted bulbs with soil, lightly press the surface of the soil, and then water so that the soil is slightly moist.

Forcing bulbs

Preparing the bulbs

Forcing is the germination of bulbs so that they bloom faster. Bulbs of tulips, daffodils, crocuses and hyacinths are used for forcing. Forced plants bloom in the house in winter or early spring. To prepare the bulbs, you need to alternately hold them first at a low and then at a higher temperature. The bulbs are kept in the dark and cool for 8 to 14 weeks.

In the fall, plant the bulbs in pots filled with a special soil mixture for bulbs. Place a drainage layer at the bottom of the pot. The tops of the bulbs should be on the surface of the soil. Water the bulbs and place the pot with them in a dark and cool room. If the air temperature is too high, the bulbs will take root and begin to grow. Maintain constant soil moisture. When the shoots reach a height of 3 cm, transfer flower pots with plants in a warm room.

Unprepared bulbs

You can grow bulbous plants from bulbs that are not prepared for forcing. For this you can use bulbs of crocuses, snowdrops, jonquils, daffodils and miniature tulips.

At the end of flowering

Forced plants do not bloom a second time. After the bulbous plants finish flowering, the bulbs are transferred to the garden and planted in open ground. In a few years, their bulbs can again be used for forcing.

Compositions

Try combining bulbous plants with low-growing or creeping (ground cover) species. Tulips, jonquils, daffodils and hyacinths can be combined with daisies, Wittro-ka violets or dwarf varieties of ornamental onions. Dwarf species and varieties look very good in stone troughs in the company of small alpine plants such as aubrieta and sedum. Bulbous plants also look beautiful at the foot of low bushes planted in large flower pots or tubs, for example, near miniature conifers.

You can admire spring bulbs not only in the spring in the garden, but even in winter - at home on the windowsill.

Not every tulip, daffodil or hyacinth bulb is suitable for forcing. You need to choose the largest, heaviest, dense, healthy ones. You should not expect full flowering from a large but loose bulb. There are not enough nutrients in the scales of the plant, and this will immediately affect the quality of the flowers.

It is better for novice flower growers to purchase bulbs specially prepared in floriculture farms. If you decide to use bulbs from your garden, they will need to be specially prepared for forcing. Choose plants with the strongest stems. After the bud is colored and you are sure that the flower is not sick with the variegation virus, break it off. A bulb that will not waste energy on flowering will form a large replacement, which you will then use for forcing.

According to the timing of flowering, a distinction is made between early (from mid-December to mid-January) and late (from mid-January and inclusive to April) forcing. This must be taken into account when choosing bulbous varieties, which are also divided according to flowering periods into early, mid-flowering and late.

Before forcing, all bulbs must go through several preparatory stages. Each bulbous plant has its own.

Tulips. Growing at home

The bulbs after digging (or from the moment of purchasing unprepared ones) are kept at a temperature of +20-23°C. A month before planting, keep for 2 weeks at a temperature of +17°C and for the remaining 2 weeks before planting (especially if it will be early forcing for the New Year) the bulbs are heated, that is, kept at a temperature of +30-34°C.

Daffodils. Growing at home

For forcing daffodils to New Year's holidays you need to choose early flowering varieties. Purchased or dug up bulbs should be stored in a dry, dark place at a temperature of +4-6°C until the end of October. For example, in the basement or between window frames(then you definitely need to protect the bulbs from getting on them sunlight wrapped in black paper).

If you want to please yourself with a bouquet of daffodils by March 8, then you need to store the bulbs this way throughout January and plant them in pots with soil in early February.

Hyacinths. Growing at home

From digging (from the moment of purchase) to planting, the bulbs lie at a temperature of +25°C. A month before planting, keep for 2 weeks at room temperature (+18-20°C) and the remaining 2 weeks before planting (especially if it is an early forcing for the New Year) - warm at a temperature of +30°C.

The planting container should be low (but not lower than twice the height of the bulb) and wide. A layer of drainage is poured onto the bottom. All bulbs are planted so that 1/3 rises above the ground. Plant them close to each other, but do not allow them to touch. The soil should be light and breathable. A universal flower soil with the addition of sand in a 2:1 ratio is suitable. If there is no sand, it can be replaced with vermiculite or perlite. When planting, you do not need to press or screw in the bulbs too much; the bottom should not be damaged. You just need to carefully place the bulbs and fill them with soil on the sides. Now they should be in the dark and at a low positive temperature.

The soil is moistened, but not much, just so that the moisture reaches the bottom of the bulb. Then the pots are placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator or lowered into the cellar, where the temperature is kept no higher than +7-9°C. Under no circumstances should pots be covered or placed in plastic bags. Polyethylene will not allow air to pass through, which is why the ground will begin to become moldy, and, of course, the bulbs will suffer. If this happens, then upper layer soils are replaced with fresh ones.

To prevent light from shining on the bulbs, it is better to cover them, but loosely, with black cloth or paper.

On the bottom shelf of the refrigerator we artificially create early spring conditions. Tulip bulbs take root completely within 3, and late varieties within 4 months; daffodils - for 2.5-3 months; Hyacinths take 2-3 months to take root. At this time, you need to carefully monitor the soil moisture: it should not dry out completely, but you should absolutely not over-water it.

As soon as green shoots 2-2.5 cm long appear, the pots are moved to a brighter place, but again not sunny or too hot for 4-6 weeks. The temperature should be kept within +10-15°C. This happens in an unheated room or on a loggia. The pots can be placed on the floor, because if there is too much light, the leaves will begin to reach for it and take all the energy from the bulb to grow. Then flowering may not occur at all.

When the leaves of the bulbs noticeably grow and a still small but strong bud appears between them, the plants begin to be watered more abundantly, gradually accustomed to room temperature and taken out into the light. With a sharp increase in temperature, flowering will be very short. If the buds have already colored, but the peduncle is still too short, then the pots are placed in a cool and dark place for several days.

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More often than not, flower growers plant their favorite spring flowers in flower beds, flower beds, or directly into the ground. But, as we well know, all this beautiful variety of bulbous flowers in the garden: crocuses, tulips, daffodils, after their bright but short-lived flowering, leaves untidy, withered leaves on the surface of the earth. Because of this, you have to dig up bulbous flowers to plant summer flowers in their place. This is not always convenient. Let's discuss another option for planting bulbs - in containers or flower pots.

Bulbous flowers in pots and containers are very convenient way landscape the veranda, terrace, yard and curbs of concrete paths. Lush blooming tulips in flowerpots and tubs will bring bright colors to any yard.

In order for us to be able to admire the blooming of tulips, daffodils and other early spring flowers planted in flower pots in the spring, planting must be done in the fall - in October or November.

How to plant bulbous flowers in pots in autumn: together or separately?

To begin with, you need to decide how you plan to plant bulbs of different types: together or separately? The simplest way is different types Plant bulbous flowers in separate containers or pots. This will make it easier to create new flower arrangements from them, simply by placing one type of plant with another. Also, this method of planting prevents the spread of fungal diseases from one plant to others.

But if you really want to, you can arrange so-called mixed plantings, that is, mixed plantings. To do this, in one fairly large container, 2-3 types of bulbous flowers are planted in layers, which will bloom sequentially one after another in the spring. Most often, daffodils, tulips and crocuses are selected for such flowering mixes. The depth of planting the bulbs and the sequence of their planting in the container directly depends on the flowering sequence of each species.

In the photo you can see what it looks like

Bulb processing

Before planting, be sure to treat the bulbs with antifungal drugs.

Once you have decided what and how you will plant, the planting material should be treated to prevent the bulbs from becoming infected with fungi. To do this, the purchased bulbs need to be soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate or any fungicide for 30 minutes.

Planting bulbs in pots

The bulbs prepared in this way are planted horizontally in pots at a distance of 2-3 cm from each other. The planting depth of bulbs for daffodils is 12-15 cm, 7-10 cm for tulips, 3-5 cm for crocuses and hyacinths.

The planted bulbs are watered generously so that the water begins to flow out of the drainage hole. The top of the planting is sprinkled with sand or sawdust. To avoid premature germination, the pots should be covered with light-proof material and taken to a storage location.

Storing bulbous flowers in winter

For the bulbs to germinate, they need a cool place. This could be any outbuilding, or for example a cellar, where the temperature in winter will be around 3-8 °C. Temperatures may drop below zero for a short time, but this is an exception. Temperature for rooting - 5-10°C. First, the pots with planted bulbs are left in a warm place for 7-10 days, where they take root, and then sent to a cool place for about 2-3 months.

In spring, plantings are brought into a warm room. By this time, the sprouts, as a rule, have already hatched. After the temperature rises, the sprouts begin to grow intensively and after 2-3 weeks flowering begins.

When the outdoor temperature reaches above zero, you can take your planted flowers outside. At this time, the main thing is to water your plants on time. And of course, it would be nice to fertilize. How to feed bulbous flowers? Feed with universal fertilizer for flowering plants, preferably in liquid form, so it will quickly penetrate the root system of the plant.

For more beautiful flowering, place the planted flowers in a well-lit place so that they do not stretch. The optimal temperature for flowering is 10-19 degrees. In a hotter place, for example in a living room, flowering will last much less.

So, if you have done all this work and taken care of the appropriate conditions, then already at the beginning of spring, in the first days of March, you will surprise all your friends with the bright colors of the first spring flowers, which will delight everyone, giving them the feeling of the arrival of the long-awaited spring.

Video - planting tulips

Bulbous flowers mean those types of plants whose bulb is an independent bud. It is inside the bulb that leaves and other plant organs are laid, which will then develop. There you can also see a small bottom with the embryos of the root system located in it - the roots will begin to grow immediately after you plant your flower in the ground.

For such flowers, the bulb is a storage nutrients and water, which allows them to be independent of the seasons. So when proper care your greenhouse can bloom in both summer and winter. All flowers are divided into two groups:

• having a dormant period that can endure this time without planting in the ground (tulips);
• species that shed their green part into certain time years (gemanthus).

The most famous bulbous house flowers: crocus, juno, gladiolus, lilies, anemone, tulips.

Bulbous indoor flowers: care and proper planting

Almost all plants of this type prefer light and coolness, negatively perceiving waterlogging of the soil. If you decide to carry out the work yourself, it is advisable that it be carried out in the autumn. Pay close attention to the bulb itself: it should not be damaged, wrinkled or loose, which may indicate the presence of a disease.

Despite its healthy appearance, the material should be disinfected, for which it is better to use a 1% manganese solution - put the onion in a container for half an hour and fill it with the solution. It is important to choose the right pot for planting: its height should not be greater than its width. If you choose a container that is too large, as many inexperienced gardeners do, this can lead to the plant either developing poorly or even dying.

Important: it is best to purchase porous clay pots with thin walls, but you should not buy glazed containers.

We lay out a drainage layer (small stones or gravel) at the bottom, only then can we fill the soil with a layer whose height should not exceed 7 cm. Mix the soil using additives for bulbous plants. Next we plant the planting material and cover it halfway with soil. We place the container with the future green pet in a cool place, watering it a little with water. Only after the first shoots appear can the flower be moved to a bright place near the window.

How to make your plant healthy?

Like all types of flowering plants, bulbous plants prefer fertilizing using nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. After the bud fades and the leaves begin to die, it is necessary to reduce watering and leave the planting material in the container. The plant should remain in this state until March - until it begins to produce stems again.

You need to water the flowers very carefully, since they cannot tolerate waterlogging - because of this they can get a fungus or catch infectious diseases. This is especially true for varieties such as Dutch hyacinth. Naturally, if you want to receive beautiful flowers next year, you must follow several important rules:

• Bulbs should not be stored in a damp place where they may rot;
• do not store the bulbs with fruit in the refrigerator, as some fruits emit ethylene, a substance harmful to plants;
• It is best to store bulbs in sand or peat moss;
• make sure that there is no draft that can blow through and freeze the planting material;
• If you have pets, make sure that during storage they do not chew off future flowers.

Only with proper care and maintenance of bulbous bulbs indoor flowers will delight you with their brightness, beautiful buds and aroma of freshness.