So after a browse around our local gardening/hardware store, I purchased a few spring bulbs to try and grow indoors. I've never done this before, so in the words of my children, "It's an EXPERIMENT!"
Not quite knowing the best way to go about things, I decided to get some of the smaller bulbs like crocus, the miniature daffodils, and some mini-tulip bulbs. I'll plant them in separate pots and start them at intervals of one week to see what happens.
Choosing Bulbs
I wasn't quite sure how to choose a good bulb, so have found the following information helpful.
- Size alone does not constitute the value or quality of a bulb, but firmness, weight and condition do.
- In a true bulb (daffodil, lily, or tulip, the layers or scales should be firmly joined so that there is little or no feeling of looseness or squashiness when it is compressed in your hand.
- In a rhizome, corm or tuber (such as calla, crocus or dahlia), the flesh should be plump and fairly hard.
- Good bulbs tend to be fairly heavy in weight.
- The skin condition or coating (as in hyacinths and tulips) should be smooth, bright and free of deep cuts and bruises, in particular, the disk at the base. Should this show signs of extreme injury or disease, the bulb will more than likely rot after planting.
Since I purchased the bulbs, I've had to do quite a lot more research. My neighbour was telling me that you can't just plant them - you have to put them in the FRIDGE for a period of time first, in order to get them to bloom. Something about imitating the seasons (at least in the bulb's sense of things). So rather than putting all the technical information here, I'll just give you the link to my latest findings. Then we will all be able to enjoy some festive colors long before the snow melts.
I hope you have fun planting your spring bulbs. Do let me know how they turn out!
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