"TLR" wrote in message
m...
| I got some hyacinth bulbs and a clay pot for Xmas and I need some
advice
| since it appears that my gardening experience is only good in the
Canadian
| Prairies. The only bulbs I have planted before now have been put in
the
| ground in September and come up in May.
|
| Online gardening info
| http://www.savvygardener.com/Feature...ing_bulbs.html says the
bulbs
| should be chilled 6-8 weeks before planting and kept cool and out of
the
| light til you see sprouts coming out of the soil. [Does that mean
you'd have
| to keep them in the fridge that long?]
|
| Regardless, I'm not sure I can maintain the temperature conditions
described
| for forcing at the link above, and for the specified time period. I
noticed
| they are already sprouting. So, I'm wondering if I still need to
chill them
| and keep them in the dark -or - can I just put them in the pot on
the patio,
| cover them with soil, throw in a bit o' fertilizer and let 'em grow?
|
| Please he'p me, Garden Gurus!
|
| Teri
|
|

I've only ever forced them in water (narrow-necked container). The
plate (bottom of the bulb) needs to be kept wet and everything should
be in the dark for a while. The idea is to get some roots going before
the leaves and flowers sprout, so that topheaviness doesn't lead to
the tipover syndrome. You may even be able just to put them in the
ground outdoors right now. Our outdoor hyacinths haven't started to
appear yet this year. Outdoor hyacinths will return. We have never
chilled hyacinth bulbs. I sure wouldn't bother to put them in the
refrigerator (non-species tulips are another story).