This warm and snowless January leaves me with few things to consider. There is nothing to shovel, no tracks to identify, no squinting at the bright light reflecting off a white background. Thus my last class on forcing bulbs comes at an opportune time for me to break the gray monotony. The class is full with 20 plus and all the materials have been grabbed at @annsplaceinc.
It appears only a few of my clients have forced bulbs before, so it is a good learning experience. “The key to forcing bulbs is to replicate the conditions of nature,” I start. “They need to be chilled for quite a few weeks before bringing them in.”
I am barraged with questions.
“Can I leave them inside?” No.
“Do they need to be watered?” Not until they are brought in.
“Is the shed a good place for them?” Yes.
. . . . . .
We then start the project. Everyone has been given soil, a window box, 5 daffodil and 10 grape hyacinth bulbs. I tell everyone that they need to put a few drainage holes in the bottom of their boxes so the bulbs don’t rot.
“After making sure that your soil is wet enough, you need to figure out how to position your bulbs so their tips slightly pierce the soil,” I say. “The largest bulbs go in first, then some soil is added and then the smaller ones will be placed inside.”
I had purchased these bulbs in early November and they have been chilling in my shed for the last 9 weeks or so. They will need another six or seven weeks of coolness before they are ready to bring in and flower out.
Everyone happily pots up their bulbs quickly.
“The bonus of this is after the bulbs have flowered, leafed out and then gone dormant in Spring, you can remove them to plant in the Fall for next year,” I say.
More smiles and questions from my clients. Another good class.
