Forcing Bulbs

To have these fresh blooms in your home, we're going to show you a technique called forcing. The trick to forcing bulbs is knowing that bulbs needs a winter nap before they can bloom. So rather than napping in the frozen ground, the bulbs will be napping in your refrigerator.

Pick good winter bulbs. Any bulb catalog will tell you which ones are good for forcing, but we like the Narcissus Tete-a-Tete (Daffodils) or a Grape Hyacinth as they force really easily.

Pick the right size planter. Your planter needs to allow for two inches of soil for the bulbs to sit on. Then once they are placed into the planter, the bulbs will sit just below the rim. Make sure your planter has a good drainage hole/holes in the bottom. Put a screenover the hole so that you can drain water, but not soil.

Place 2 inches of good-quality soil. Place the bulbs on top of soil, making sure the top points up and the flat side of the bulb faces the outside of the planter. You can pack them in tight into the planter. Really crowd them in for the best display once they bloom. Cover with a layer of soil. Place the entire planter into a large plastic bag and tie off the end of the bag, closing in the planter.

Place your planter into the refrigerator for 8-10 weeks. Larger bulbs such as daffodils need about 14 weeks. Once you start to see little white shoots coming out of the soil, it is time to remove them from the refrigerator. Take the plastic bag off and gradually acclimate the planter to sunlight. If you acclimate them to sunlight too quickly, they will grow too fast and end up flopping. You want them to be strong and stick straight up for your display. Water them on a daily basis, making sure they're just moist, not wet. A good rule of thumb is to stick your finger into the soil about two inches deep and feel to make sure it's moist. Bulbs do drink more water in this fast-growing stage, though.

If you plan your bulb forcing properly, adding new bulbs to the refrigerator weekly, you will have a gorgeous display through Easter!

(Image courtesy of bobvila.com)