Forcing Bulbs

Forcing bulbs into flower indoors is fun and adds a pleasant touch of nature inside the house. Tulips, daffodils and other bulbs look good inside and some varieties like paperwhites provide a wonderful fragrance as well. There are several techniques that work well to force bulbs indoors.

For forced blooms indoors paperwhites are hard to beat. They’re easy to grow, they’re beautiful and the fragrance is wonderful, but many bulbs can be forced indoors. Toss the tulips, crocus or narcissus into water with a tablespoon of Garrett Juice. Soak for about 30 minutes while you prepare the soil mix. Potting soil, sand, gravel or bark will work. My favorite mixture is potting soil made from compost, expanded shale, lava sand, granite, and cedar flakes. Put the mixture in a deep dish or pot. If the container has drainage holes, be sure to put a second dish under the container to catch the runoff. Sink the bulbs into the mixture so that just the top of each bulb is left showing. Some recommend placing the containers in a dark place for about a week so the roots will establish first. Others put the plants into a bright area from the beginning. Keep the soil moist and rotate the pots so the plants grow straight and don’t lean toward the light.

Paperwhite narcissus bulbs forced; photo Clemson U Ext.

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