Spring bulbs can be forced to bloom indoors in pots during the cold season by tricking them into reacting as though spring has arrived.
To enjoy bright, beautiful blooms in the winter, start with high quality bulbs from a garden center. Select robust, blemish-free bulbs that are not soft and show no signs of mold. Plant bulbs no later than early October.
Using a clean flowerpot or wide-mouth jar, add 2 inches or more of moistened peat moss combined with perlite or vermiculite to the bottom of the pot for drainage. Place the bulbs with roots facing downward (pointy side up) and then partially cover them with soil. Bulbs should be planted shallowly so that their tips stick out of the soil.
Bulbs for indoor blooming can be planted closer together than you would for outdoor tulips – they can be almost touching one another. After planting, soak the soil until water seeps out of the flowerpot’s drainage holes. Note: If using a jar, add water so that the soil is damp, just to the bottom of the bulbs.
Store your potted tulip bulbs in a dark place where the temperature ranges between 35 and 48 degrees. Possibilities include basements, unheated garages, refrigerators, or outdoors if it’s cold enough. Bulbs must not be allowed to freeze, however, and they should not be stored near ripening fruit, which gives off ethylene gas that can inhibit flowering later on.
Place a cardboard box or paper bag over the flowerpot or jar to keep it in the dark and retain soil moisture. Check soil from time to time and add enough water to keep it slightly moist but not soaked.
Chill bulbs for 10-12 weeks if the temperature is closer to 41 degrees Fahrenheit and 14-16 weeks if it’s closer to 48 degrees. Once the chilling period is complete, check the flowerpot drainage holes to ensure that roots have developed. When roots are visible and shoots are about an inch high, move the pot or jar to a bright sunny spot to induce blooming. Light is crucial at this time for good flower color.
When flowers open, prolong the blooming period by moving plants into a cooler room with indirect light. The resulting showy display will grace indoor settings with their bright beauty.
Forced bulbs generally do not respond well to repeated forcing, but they can be transplanted into the garden where they will return to bloom perennially. Discard paperwhites, they will not bloom again. Re-pot amaryllis bulbs in a pot of fresh soil next fall for more blooms.
After months of watching evolving buds and blooms and being entertained by signs of spring, when the show is finally over, spring should be in full bloom outside. Springtime may begin as a whisper in the dead of winter, but it is a persistent whisper that finally awakens the whole world.