About four weeks ago we bought some hyacinth bulbs and put them inside the
house over water in a vase.

It has pushed down all the white roots into the water, but instead of it
pushing green shoots out of the top of the bulb it has grown three little
growths around the base of the bulb that look like big garlic cloves each
with its tiny green shoots coming out of the top of them.

Is this normal? Or should we chop off these little side shoots in the hope
that the main shoot come out of the top of the bulb eventually?

"sam coleridge" wrote in message
...
About four weeks ago we bought some hyacinth bulbs and put them inside the
house over water in a vase.

It has pushed down all the white roots into the water, but instead of it
pushing green shoots out of the top of the bulb it has grown three little
growths around the base of the bulb that look like big garlic cloves each
with its tiny green shoots coming out of the top of them.

Is this normal? Or should we chop off these little side shoots in the hope
that the main shoot come out of the top of the bulb eventually?


No. Leave well alone, Sam. It may be that the main flowering shoot is
damaged and doesn't show :~(. The shoots you're seeing are 'daughter'
bulbs; these will eventually grow to flowering size (if you look after them)
and separate from the parent plant. If you're lucky, you *may* get a
smaller flower from this this year. After flowering (or not!), let the
leaves die back naturally before removing them, and harden the bulb off so
that it is acclimatised to outdoor temperatures; then plant it it. It needs
free drainage. Once it has settled, it should flower again, more reliably
if you feed it.

Spider