Hit the Dirt; Forcing Bulbs Prt. 2

Hello and welcome once again to hit the dirt. Last week I began discussing how to use the technique of forcing bulbs to enjoy fresh flowers in the home all winter long. This week I will continue on this theme by going over the specifics of a number of flowers well-suited for forcing including some of the most commonly grown and also some of the more exotic or unusual. I'll be reading the descriptions from an helpings book the year round flower gardener in her words freesia spicy sweet freeze use can be forced indoors for cut flowers or potted plants. Extensive breeding has given us hybrids in a luscious array of soft colors lavender deep rose pink golden yellow rich aren't creamy pure white plant corms in September October 6 to a five inch pot or in shallow bowl Panzer flats position the corms two inches apart and just below the soil line set the pot in a cool 50 degree Fahrenheit dark place for 68 weeks to allow the roots to develop. Keep the soil moist but not soggy. Do not over water feed once a month with an all purpose

fertilizer until buds are set. When the routing period is past move the parts to a bright warmer 65 to 70 degrees location. Make sure the temperature drops at least 10 degrees at night. The plant should bloom in three months. Midwinter if you planted the qualms in September the week stems will probably need staking. When the flowers are over keep watering and feeding the plants until late spring and then stop when the foliage dies. Store the pots on their side in a dark dry place until it is time to replant in the fall. Iris the small netted irises are the best kind of forced Iris reticulata will give you violet purple flowers and Iris 10:40 will give you yellow ones. Plant the rhizomes in mid-fall to have flowers in mid to late winter. Plant them two to three inches deep and three inches apart in a light soil mix. Give the potted rhizomes 8 weeks of cold storage for roots develop. When the plants bloom keep them in a sunny cool spot. Paperwhite Narcissus

this little Narcissus is my favorite flower to force its small white blossoms are sweetly fragrant. The bulbs bloom quickly after planting and the forcing procedure is so simple it's practically foolproof. The flowers grow in clusters around the tops of the foot high stems. A single ball that is if it is of good quality will produce several flowering stems to relatives of the paper white the yellow flowered so they order and the Chinese sacredly can be forced in the same way. Bulbs of all three Narcissus are available in autumn and can be planted any time after you get them. They need no cold storage period. In fact they don't even need soil. You can plant the bulbs in pots of soil or perlite in bowls of pebbles or in bulk glass or other container of water to plant in soil perlite or pebbles fill the container halfway with the medium of your choice. Set the bulbs on top about a half inch apart add more of the medium until the ballplayer about one third covered one of the soil or perlite

thoroughly Edwarda pebbles until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. If your planting and water fill the glass until the bowl bottom of the bulb is in water but the entire bulb is not submerged. Some gardeners like to set the containers in a dark place for two or three weeks to let the roots develop. Then move the pots into a bright place. I've had good success without the dark period. I put my pots of paper whites in a bright windowsill until they bloom. The best thing about paper whites is their speed. They will give you flowers about four weeks after you plant them. They bloom readily any time from November to April. Bulbs planted in December in January will bloom more quickly than bulbs planted in November for continuous bloom. Start new bulbs every two weeks. You can save some bulbs to force in late winter and early spring by keeping them cool to prevent sprouting. Poppy an enemy these vivid flowers resemble Oriental poppies with their dark centers. You can have them in varying shades of red pink by the blue and cream to white good forcing

varieties include a Cayenne which is single flowered and St. Bridget which is double flowered So the tubers in lukewarm water before planting to soften them a bit when they're soft enough that you can dent them with your finger now they're ready to plant in September-October plant the tubers in pots of light soil water well and move the pot to a moist cool location where the temperature is about 45 to 50 degrees. Leave the pots there for six to eight weeks to allow roots to develop cover the pots with burlap and keep the soil moist. Then move them to a bright area location also with temperatures around 50 degrees. Water freely as the plants grow and calla lilies these tall elegant beauties are popular florist flowers and are becoming more popular with home gardeners as well. The best known species has pure white bays like flowers which are actually space surrounding the true flowers and glossy deep green leaves. The cult of our God is a more compact

plant. There are also yellow flowered color lilies called the golden color and others which have very good foliage and flowers of rich golden yellow pink flowered cult of ours are available as well. Plant the rhizomes in September. One to a six inch pot for flowers in December in January. Pop them in a mix of blue sandy loam and peat moss with a slightly acid Ph. Barely cover the top of each rhizome when you plant it and leave space in the pot to add more soil later on. When roots appear on the surface water moderately into the roots are well established when the shoots appear. Water thoroughly and often in fact collies will thrive if you keep some water in the drainage saucer beneath the pot at all times. Unlike most house plants their roots will not rot. It kept consistently moist. A great greater problem is dryness which sends the plants into dormancy. Feed the plants every few weeks with an all purpose Florida lives or keep nighttime nighttime temperatures cool

about 55 to 60 degrees. Now there are many other kinds of flower bulbs corms in tubers which can be forced to brighten up the winter days with beautiful blossoms tulips crocus Hyacinth praxis Livia daffodils tuberous begonias and Amaryllis are some of the others most often recommended. Start your preparations now and come January you'll be glad you did. See you next week for another hit the dirt. Bye for now and happy gardening.