You don’t have to wait for spring to arrive to enjoy your hyacinths! In this post we will review how to easily care for and force hyacinth bulbs indoors. You can force hyacinth bulbs in either soil or in water! Read further for more details.
What are Hyacinths?
Hyacinths are bulbous spring blooming perennials, meaning they store their energy in a bulb to flower for the following year. These spring flowers have an incredible fragrance and come in a variety of colors including purple, pink and white.
If you plan to force your bulbs in water, you will need a “forcing vessel” made for especially for forcing bulbs.
What is Forcing?
Forcing bulbs simply meanings encouraging a bulb to bloom during a season it normally wouldn’t. For this post, we are forcing hyacinths indoors during wintertime, when they normally would bloom during spring. You can also try this with paperwhites, amaryllis, crocus, daffodils, tulips etc.
Reasons to try force bulbs indoors:
- limited on space outdoors
- fresh flowers (what’s not to love about that!)
- and/or you are trying to beat the winter blues!
- fun activity for the family
Forcing bulbs indoors is a great way to exploring gardening while living in an apartment or condo.
What Do I Need?
First and foremost you need to get your bulbs! You can buy in person by sourcing locally by shopping at local nurseries and garden centers. Or you can source your bulbs online.
Some bulbs may even be offered as “pre-chilled” and can be planted right away, bypassing the need to chill them on your own.
- Bulbs
- Forcing vessel, or pot and soil (depending on what method you try!)
If you plan to force your bulbs in water:
- You will need a vase made for especially for forcing bulbs. I found cute ones like this one on Etsy!
Forcing Instructions
Forcing bulbs indoors requires a period of cold prior to forcing indoors. Typically bulbs are planted outdoors in the fall and exposed to the cold during the winter.
With forcing indoors, you can mimic mother nature by chilling your bulbs indoors in your refrigerator, basement or garage.
Typically hyacinth bulbs will need to be chilled for a period of 12-15 weeks and will bloom roughly 2-3 weeks after planting.
- For example, for April blooms = start the chilling process in December.
If Forcing In Water
This is very easy and relatively mess free! All you have to do is fill your vase with water until it is just underneath your bulb.
Be careful that your bulb is not sitting in the water as this can lead to rot.
Place the vase in indirect sunlight until you begin to see the roots.
Once you do see roots, move the vase into direct sunlight.
In just two more weeks you should see blooms!
If Forcing In Soil
Fill a container with potting mix until it is 3/4 full.
Place the bulb pointy side up, and close together if you are planting more than one.
Cover the bulbs with soil until you see just the pointy side sticking up through the soil.
If you are chilling your bulbs, gently moisten the soil and keep damp while you chill your potted bulbs in the basement, garage etc for roughly 10-12 weeks.
After chilling time has passed, or your bulbs are pre-chilled, place into indirect sunlight for 2-3 weeks until roots begin to develop. You can check this by gently tugging at the bulbs to feel for roots.
Only water when the top soil feels dry to touch.
Overwatering can lead to rotting bulbs.
After the bulbs have rooted, move the potted bulbs to a warm sunny window and in 2-3 weeks you will have blooms!
Extending Life of A Hyacinth
A great way to care for and extend the life of your hyacinth is to trim off any dead or dying stalks.
Hyacinths will bloom for two weeks or more! But they will only bloom once per cycle.
Be careful to NOT overwater.
Harvest the fresh blooms and place them in water to enjoy!
If you plan to keep your bulbs
Leave the green leaves in place which encourages the plant to continue to soak up energy from the sun.
The energy will get stored down into the bulb for the next cycle!
Keep the plant watered until the green leaves have yellowed and died back.
You can “over-winter” your bulbs indoors and force into dormancy to start the process all over again, either indoors or outdoors! It is worth noting this is not a guaranteed success for the following year, but if you’re willing to try it is a lot of fun!
OR you can compost them after flowering if you do not plan to keep them to repeat the cycle.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a small commission if you purchase through my link. This is at no extra cost to you and helps me to keep my garden going, so thank you!!
Awesome job Kate! Looks beautiful and great information!