The Bulbs that Spring Brings

Bulbs: Spring intercepts
If planted indoors , bulbs surprise us with a spectacular bloom ahead .

Any green thumb knows that autumn is a must with flower bulbs : daffodils , hyacinths , tulips , amaryllis, crocus , muguet , muscari .

They are very popular plants for their showy and colorful, that have been used in gardens since the sixteenth century. Normally bloom in spring, but if planted in the interior, where the temperature is high, much earlier . So , good planning will allow us to have a house full of flowers throughout the fall .

In gardening the term bulb is used in a broad sense and applies to species that sprout from bulbs themselves as those obtained from corms , rhizomes and tubers. From a botanical point of view it is fleshy underground organs that store type substances essential for plant development and only generated reserves vegetation when certain conditions of temperature, light and humidity conditions .

This , common among professional florists, method is known as forced and basically involves growing the plant indoors and provide the necessary conditions for later flowering. For bulbs , forced is particularly easy and offers the added attraction of being able to observe closely all stages of development. Nothing is as didactic as possible to attend the almost alchemical process that transforms an ordinary onion in a glowing flower. In addition , the bulbs can be forced in three ways : by planting ground , placing them between stones or a bowl of water .

Planting in soil can be carried in containers or any container with drainage holes. Is filled with a good potting mix two thirds is compact with a shovel or better with the palm and then placing the bulbs go , that should be pretty together, though without rubbing and buried only to half. Moisten the soil and the pot is placed in a cool, dark place , covered with a black plastic or in a closet for about two weeks , until the leaves begin to sprout . Then he moved to anywhere in the house, where you have good light without insolated until the flowers fade .

The water culture was performed in the jacinteros called , a special type of glasses , a narrow neck holding the bulb on the water but need not be a wet. This indirect moisture allows the development of roots , which remain within the vessel, and leaves sprouting from the top .

As in the previous case we must keep it in a cool dark place for about two weeks .

Cultivation between stones is a mixture of the above and can be done in any container of glass, porcelain or plastic that does not leak and has sufficient depth. In the background a layer of stones or gravel , about 4 or 5 inches thick , which is covered with water almost to the top goes down. Then the bulbs , they should not get wet, and they are coated with another layer of stones are placed . The humidity will make long roots that will anchor among the pebbles are developed. As always , the container must remain in the dark until the leaves begin to sprout. In any of the three cases , the flowers appear in the course of about twenty days .