Hello Fellow Gardeners,

Here we continue our series on forcing bulbs for the holidays. In our last article, Add Holiday Cheer with Flowers: Forcing Bulbs Part 1, we told you the basics and everything you need to get started. Now that you had a chance to gather your materials, lets get to the how to!

How to Force Bulbs

Step 1: Fill your pot half full with the mixture of light potting soil and a handful of fertilizer or bone meal!

Step 2: Set the bulbs onto the potting mixture making sure that the pointed part of the bulb is standing upright. It is important to make sure that the bulbs are not touching each other, even though they are close together.

Plant bulbs in groups of three, five, or seven to add visual appeal!

Step 3: Cover the bulbs with the remaining soil up to within an inch of the rim of the pot.

Step 4: Water well! This will help settle the soil around the bulb.

Step 5: Label your container with the name of the bulb you planted and the date.

Step 6: Store the container in a cool, dark area (rodent and pest free). I use my unheated basement or even my refrigerator vegetable crisper drawer depending on how much place I need.

For More Information

Another method is to start bulbs in a refrigerator, for more information, check out this great article from DIY!

Also, for an interesting in depth look at how a bulb grows check out Forcing and Growing Colchicums - Freaky Bulbs That Are Actually Corms from fellow blogger You Grow Girl!

Print out these instructions and keep them handy while planting! In our final article we will discuss what to do when your bulbs start to sprout, how to keep your bulbs blooming, and using the bulbs again in the Spring!

Happy Gardening,

Marie Suzanne

Trackback this Post | Feed on comments to this Post