Under natural conditions, hyacinth is a primrose that blooms in mid to late spring. But indoors, flowering can be greatly accelerated and the plant can be made to bloom by any date, for example, by Christmas, New Year or March 8th. In order for the spring primrose to bloom much earlier than the prescribed time, the bulbs are taken out of the state of "sleep", creating certain conditions for the hyacinth. The process is called distillation. Hyacinths are fairly easy to distill, their fragrant and elegant flowers are fairly easy to obtain at home.
Hyacinth can be grown in two ways: in a substrate and in water. As a soil mixture, a composition of garden soil, peat and sand is suitable. All components must be taken in equal amounts and mixed thoroughly, so that the result is a light and loose substrate. Hyacinth also needs good drainage and can be made from expanded clay.
The hyacinth pot should be small, the best option would be to use pots with a diameter of no more than one and a half times the size of the bulb. You can also use wider containers if you plan to plant several bulbs in one dish. In this case, select it according to the size of the planting material, the bulbs should be located so that there is a distance of about two centimeters between them.
Forcing hyacinth: the preparatory stage
Choose large, healthy bulbs that are more than 5 cm in diameter. Large bulbs are usually well ripe, which means the flower buds have developed well and have accumulated enough nutrients to bloom well. Keep the bulbs intended for forcing in a dry room for about a week, during this time they will ripen, thereby increasing the chances of blooming.
Put a layer of drainage in the prepared container, and pour coarse sand on it, which will protect the planting material from decay. Fill the container with the prepared substrate. Plant a hyacinth bulb in the potting mix, burying it half or two-thirds of its height.
Water the soil lightly, the soil should not be wet, otherwise rotting will begin. Cover the pot with dark material as the rooting process should take place in the dark. Transfer the pot with the planted onion to a cool room with a temperature of + 5 … + 9 degrees. Can be placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for storing vegetables.
Forcing hyacinths
When the leaves of the hyacinth grow 8-10 cm, remove the dark tissue from the plant, transfer it to a bright place and start watering the plant. Thus, the time for distillation of the peduncle begins, which takes 3-4 weeks. Based on this, you can predict the flowering time. For example, to get blooming for the New Year, you need to get the hyacinth from a cool and dark place in early October.
The temperature of the hyacinth content during this period should be from +10 to +20 degrees, at a higher temperature of the content, flowering will be short. Accustom the plant to the room temperature gradually. With a sharp change in temperature, the flower will begin to grow leaves to the detriment of flowering.
During this period, the flower needs to shorten the daylight hours, since in bright light the peduncle will grow short. To do this, growers use a dark paper cap or cover the plant with an opaque plastic cup. The hyacinth should first be covered with a cap for the whole day, then half, and then for part of the day. It is recommended to use this simple device until the peduncle rises above the leaf blades. When the hyacinth begins to bloom, you can remove the cap and enjoy the flowering of the plant.
Forcing hyacinths by specific dates
If you plan to get blooming of charming hyacinths for a special date, then you should plan in advance the stages of forcing the flower.
In order for magnificent flowers with a delicate aroma to bloom for the New Year, it is necessary to start the preparatory stage of forcing in the middle of summer. In July, the bulbs are removed from the soil, cleaned of the soil and stored for two weeks at a temperature of about + 25-30 oС and high humidity (about 90%).
After that, the temperature of the bulb is reduced to + 20-25 oС and kept under such conditions for about two more weeks. Closer to September, the planting material is transferred to a cool place with a temperature of + 10-13 oС. At this, the preparatory stage of forcing hyacinth for the New Year ends, and the process of forcing itself begins in October, when the bulbs are planted in pots after a rest period.
If you want the hyacinth to bloom in February, then forcing should start two weeks later, in mid-October. The flower will bloom in March if the bulbs are planted in the ground in early November.
