In meeting the demand for flowers in winter, bulbous plants are of great importance: tulips, hyacinths, daffodils and saffrons, which by forcing, that is, subjected to appropriate treatments, they are forced to bloom from the second half of December.
Hiacynt wschodni — Hyacinthus orientalis
Hyacinth, due to the showy flowers, and especially the beautiful fragrance is one of the most popular ornamental plants.
There are no suitable conditions for the cultivation of hyacinth bulbs in Poland and they must be imported by necessity. Two types of onions are imported: ordinary and so-called. prepared. The latter, due to prior exposure to appropriate temperatures, are suitable for early rushing and can bloom in late December and early January.. From unprepared bulbs it is possible to obtain flowering plants in March at the earliest.
Plant the hyacinth bulbs in mid-September - mid-October in pots 10-12 cm in diameter, at the bottom of which we drain, to the garden soil with the addition of sand in this way, so that the top protrudes slightly above the rim of the pot, a 1/4 onions sticking out of the ground. The planted onions are buried in the ditches, just like the tulips.
The earliest you can start forcing hyacinths in the third decade of November, by extracting pots with prepared bulbs of early varieties from the ditches.. Unprepared onions can be taken out in December - January, all of them, however, only when the emerging shoot reaches 4-5 cm in height. Be careful when moving to the greenhouse (compare - tulip).
Place the pots with hyacinths in a greenhouse with a temperature of 15 ° under the table, cover with peat or sand and water moderately. When the shoots are 7-8 cm long and you can feel a flower bud between the leaves, Place the hyacinths on the table, the temperature is raised to 20-23 ° and watered quite abundantly. The hyacinths brought into the greenhouse at the end of January are immediately put on the tables in full light.
After a few lower flowers have developed into the inflorescence, the temperature should be lowered to 15-18 °. Hyacinths will bloom after they are rushed early 4 weeks, and later after 3 weeks after being brought into the greenhouse. In addition to maintaining the right temperature, careful attention should be paid to watering. Plants should be watered only in the morning, in such a way that no water is trapped on the leaves. Long periods of water between the leaves can cause the inflorescences to rot.
Lily of the valley - Convallaria majalis
Lily of the valley is not an onion plant, but it is sometimes driven in the same period. Its beautiful white flowers with a pleasant scent always find buyers.
In the second half of October, the rhizomes of the lily of the valley are digged out of the ground using the American forks, which after shaking off the ground and removing the leaves, should be sorted accordingly. Rhizomes with thick buds, the blunt tip is intended for forcing, because they have developed flower buds. Plants with thin buds, pointed, they are planted back into the ground as they do not yet have flower buds.
Plants intended for forcing have their roots shortened to a length of about 10-12 cm, it binds in bunches after 25 pcs. and sinks in frames or in beds, covering them with sand in this way, that only the buds protrude to the surface. Please pay attention, to keep the sand constantly moist.
Lily of the valley starts in the second half of November. Rhizomes are planted 3X6 cm apart in boxes filled with peat, sand or even sawdust, in such a way that the buds protrude above the surface of the substrate. The boxes are covered with moss. After watering, the boxes are placed in a dark place, usually under the multiplier table, at 25 °. Plants are watered quite copiously every day, paying attention, keep them in a humid environment.
When the shoots reach approx 10 cm in length, the lilies of the valley are exposed to the light, and when the flowers begin to develop, the temperature drops to 12-14 °. In this state, they can already be sold. Arrange the torn inflorescences after 10 or 25 pcs, surround with 2-3 leaves and tie them into bunches.
It must be noted, that in November, only flower shoots grow in the lily of the valley driven in November, while the leaves develop little. The later the forcing starts, the more leaves develop. Also, as the deadline is delayed, the length of the forcing period becomes shorter; in November and December it is 4 weeks, from early January to mid-February - 3 weeks, from 15 February only 2 weeks.