Hyacinth Forcing Guide
Ready to force our hyacinth bulbs as cut flowers or in potted bulb gardens? Here is a handy guide.
Hyacinth ‘Aiolos’
When forcing bulbs, it’s important to know that the goal is to present the bulbs with environments that mimic nature. Most bulbs appreciate a “fall” when they are setting roots, a “winter” when they are dormant and resting, and a “spring” when warming temps trigger them to start growing.
So think about “playing Mother Nature” when you are thinking about creating a bulb forcing operation.
Hyacinth ‘Aqua’
Here is a helpful list with the cooling weeks for hyacinth varieties and the number of days to bloom when grown under optimal conditions.
Hyacinth:
Aiolos: 16 weeks cooling, 13 days to bloom
Anna Marie: 13 weeks, 10 days to bloom
Apricot Passion: 14 weeks cooling, 13 days to bloom
Aqua: 15 weeks cooling, 13 days to bloom
Blue Pearl: 14-15 weeks cooling, 13 days to bloom
Blue Star: 15 weeks cooling, 13 days to bloom
Blue Trophy: 16 weeks cooling, 13 days to bloom
Carnegie: 15 weeks cooling, 13 days to bloom
China Pink: 14 weeks cooling, 9 days to bloom
Delft Blue: 14 weeks cooling, 9 days to bloom
Fondant: 15 weeks cooling, 13 days to bloom
Gipsy Princess: 16 weeks cooling, 9 days to bloom
Gipsy Queen: 16 weeks cooling, 9 days to bloom
Jan Bos: 15-16 weeks cooling, 9 days to bloom
Manhattan: 15 weeks cooling: 13 days to bloom
Miss Saigon: 14 weeks cooling, 13 days to bloom
Pink Pearl: 14-15 weeks cooling, 13 days to bloom
Pink Surprise: 17 weeks cooling, 10 days to bloom
Purple Sensation: 14-15 weeks cooling, 13 days to bloom
Splendid Cornelia: 14 weeks cooling, 13 days to bloom
White Pearl: 14-15 weeks cooling, 13 days to bloom
And here are instructions for planting and growing hyacinths in soil or hydroponically:
SOIL FORCING:
For hyacinths, we recommend storing your bulbs in a well ventilated space at 65F between when you receive them and when you plant them in soil. Our general recommendation is that it is always better to plant bulbs sooner than later. Bulbs are perishable products and they decay over time. Keep them away from ripening fruit and cut flowers that release ethylene gas. Try to plant all your soil forced hyacinth within a couple weeks.
Plant your hyacinth bulbs in soilless mix like ProMix in crates (for cut flower production) or pots (to sell as bulb gardens). Add soil until the top half of the bulbs are still showing. Hyacinth do not need to be fully covered. Water your bulbs in well and then put them into cold storage at about 45F to root. This is essentially their fall period.
When tips start to emerge, you can lower your cold storage temperature to 35F to slow down the growth. This is the “winter” period.
When you are ready to grow your soil forced hyacinth, bring them into a greenhouse or well-lit grow room and grow them at about 60F.
WATER FORCING:
If you cannot immediately start cooling your hyacinth bulbs for hydroponic growing, store them at about 65F in a well ventilated space. Keep them away from ripening fruit and cut flowers that release ethylene gas. Do not store them warm for long, they are perishable.
Dry store any bulbs that you do not want to begin rooting right away. Keep your bulbs in a well ventilated space that is about 35-40F. Keep them away from ripening fruit and cut flowers. If you are just starting your first hyacinth water forcing project, jump to step 3. Dry storing for multiple successions of hyacinth flowers requires oversight and bulb health can deteriorate even in the hands of experienced growers.
“Plant” your hyacinth bulbs in the hyacinth vases or hydroponic trays you are using for bulb forcing. Store them in a dark space at about 40-48F. The water level should be just below the bulbs. The bulbs should not be sitting in the water. During this cooling period, the bulbs will send roots down into the water and form a pale green sprout. If you are using a refrigerator or walk in cooler, ensure that the bulb trays or vases are on a level surface and do not let them dry out.
When your hyacinths are showing a sprout of several inches and you can feel the flower developing inside, bring your trays into a 60F grow space, but expose them to lower light levels the first few days so they are not shocked. Northern growers don’t have to worry about this much- our days are shorter and light levels are lower. But if you are using artificial light, take care not to scorch the plants and all them to acclimate.
