Surely, while walking in the park in the spring, you noticedattention to the flower beds with flowers that look like small fluffy clouds from a distance: white, pink, lilac, blue. These are hyacinths that came to Russia from Europe and are loved by gardeners for their variety of colors, lush inflorescences and pleasant aroma. However, you can admire these wonderful flowers not only in the park, but also at home, in an ordinary apartment - forcing hyacinths is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. Moreover, hyacinths grown "on the windowsill" can boast larger inflorescences than their fellows from the garden flower bed.
How to grow hyacinths at home?
So, you've decided to grow it yourself(to force) hyacinths at home. Where to start? First of all, decide on what date you would like the flowers to appear. This will determine the start time of forcing hyacinths. For example, to admire blooming hyacinths on New Year's Eve to the envy of your neighbors, you will have to plant the bulbs at the end of September. Usually, the forcing time takes from ten to fourteen weeks.
Which varieties are best for you?
There are many varieties of hyacinths,which differ in flowering time. Early varieties include, for example, Blue Magic, Pink Pearl and Anna Marie. Mid-season varieties are Gipsy Queen, Blue Sky, Lady Derby and White Pearl. Late flowering is typical for hyacinths of the Anna Lisa and City of Haarlem varieties. Beautiful flowers and names caress the ear, don't they? It is important not to make a mistake in choosing a variety for forcing hyacinths at home: early varieties bloom already at the end of December, later ones - in January-February, and the latest ones - in March-April. It is equally important to properly prepare for forcing flowers. Choose only healthy bulbs, they should be large (approximately 5 cm in diameter) and dense, without external damage. Small bulbs produce small flowers. When forcing hyacinths, it is very important to create conditions for them similar to natural ones. Prepare a soil mixture (sand-peat or sand-compost), drainage (for example, fine expanded clay or sand) and containers with drainage holes (wide bowls or boxes).
Secrets of forcing hyacinths Professionals advisePlant the bulbs so that the distance between them is approximately 2-2.5 cm. It is desirable that they do not touch each other, as well as the walls of the box or bowl. About a third of the bulb should rise above the soil layer. After you have planted all the bulbs, you need to press the soil around each of them and water them. It is recommended to water not just with water, but with a solution of calcium nitrate (0.2%). Then the flower stalks will be stronger. It happens that individual hyacinths rot during forcing. To avoid this, sprinkle the soil in the container with the bulbs with an additional thin layer of sand. Now put the boxes in a cool place (for example, a refrigerator, basement or garage) and close them from the light with a black plastic bag. This time is an imitation of the autumn dormant period of hyacinths. Do not forget to regularly check the soil moisture, it is very important not to let it dry out. If the air humidity reaches approximately 90%, then with early forcing of hyacinths additional watering will not be required, with medium forcing the bulbs can be watered only once, and late forcing will require as many as two additional waterings. Within 6-10 weeks the bulbs should give the first green shoots. When the shoots grow by 2-3 cm, "spring" comes for them. Move the containers with bulbs to a warmer shaded place with a temperature of 10-12 degrees (thermal conditions of a glazed balcony or loggia). After a few days, the hyacinths can be moved closer to the light. After this, as a rule, active growth of hyacinths begins, and after another couple of weeks buds appear. You can move them to a well-lit place, but so that they are not exposed to direct sunlight, otherwise all your efforts will go down the drain. Maintain constant soil moisture in the bowl or box, add water to the tray so as not to get it on the buds or leaf axils. When forcing hyacinths on the windowsill, they are usually fed with liquid fertilizer. Regularly turn the containers with flowers so that the hyacinths grow evenly. The air temperature should be quite cool - 15-20 degrees. There may be a temptation to speed up the process of forcing hyacinths, without waiting for the necessary period of cooling and rest and placing the containers with bulbs in a warm room or in too bright light ahead of time. Of course, in this case, the hyacinths will bloom faster, but the flower stalks will be shorter, and the flowers may begin to bloom without even leaving the rosette of leaves. And if you did everything right, then one fine day you will see fluffy brushes of hyacinths on your window. There will be prickly January snow falling outside, and a small flowerbed with wonderful bright flowers will give you warmth and a spring mood on your windowsill.
An alternative way to force hyacinths AlsoYou can place the hyacinth bulbs in a tall vessel with water. It must have a wide neck. It is desirable that the bulb does not touch the water - the distance between the tip of the bulb and the surface of the water should be at least 1-2 cm. Then you act in the same way as when forcing hyacinths from the soil. The vessel with the bulb is covered from light and placed in the cold. From time to time, as the water evaporates, liquid fertilizer should be added. When the cooling period is over, the bulbs are transferred to a warmer place, but still kept in the dark. You can, for example, cover the vessels with a cap made of opaque material and do not remove it until the sprouts stretch at least 10 cm. Is it possible to repeatedly force hyacinths? In natural conditions, such a process as forcing hyacinths does not exist. It is, by and large, a whim of amateur gardeners, a special set of measures aimed at accelerating the growth of the plant. Unfortunately, the hyacinth (or rather, its bulb) is depleted during forcing, it simply does not have enough strength to bloom again. Therefore, it is recommended to plant faded bulbs in open ground to give them the opportunity to recover for about 2 years. After the flowers fade, cut them off and continue to water and feed the hyacinths. Wait until the leaves wither, then dig the bulbs out of the box, dry them, remove dead leaves and place them in a dry place. And in the spring, plant the bulbs in the yard in a flower bed
