Kid's Activity: Forcing Bulbs

by Cindy Enghauser

A primer on forcing bulbs

It is freezing outside.
Your children crave dirt. You crave a sign of spring,
  --something with LIFE
  --that isn't running around screaming.
The kids are bored. You are going nuts. What IS a Mom to do?

PLANT SOMETHING!

Things you will need:

1. Prepared bulbs
2. Pot with drainage
   or container to decorate (and make drainage)
3. Soil or planting medium
4. Sunny window
5. Water
6. Bowl for mixing soil

The easy part: Choosing the bulb

One of the most important steps in forcing bulbs is choosing the right bulb. There are many different varieties of bulbs, but not all can be forced. The more common types of bulbs to force include crocuses, daffodils (varieties include narcissus and paperwhites), hyacinths, tulips, dutch and netted iris, snowdrops, grape hyacinth, winter aconite, star-of-Bethlehem, and Brodiaea.

Choose "plump" bulbs -- ones that fill the papery skins. Empty skins can indicate a dead/dying or diseased bulb. It may or may not live or even produce flowers. Top grade bulbs are the best pick for forcing. They're available at variety of places -- from online to a nursery store, even sometimes at a department store. Just pick firm plump bulbs!

Tip: Unless planting longer stemmed varieties needing "companions" to help hold up the flowers don't mix different bulbs in a pot. They flower at different times and have different requirements for sunlight and water.

Preparing bulbs for forcing:

You can either prepare bulbs for forcing yourself or purchase them already "prepared" at a local craft store, or nursery or department store (such as Wal-Mart, Fred Meyer, Kmart etc).

Tip: The longer you cool your bulbs, the taller the flowers are likely to be. However, if you don't cool them long enough, you can have very short or even aborted flowers.

Bulbs need a cold spell to simulate winter. So, for 12-16 weeks, they need to be in a cool area that has an average temperature of 38-48 degrees. During the cooling phase, bulbs need to be kept in a pot, in a mostly dark place, stored in soil and covered in mulch to help retain moisture. Loss of moisture is sure to be the death of your bulbs! Here are a few ways to accomplish this forced winter:

• Use the vegetable drawer in your fridge.
• If you have cold winters, place in an unheated but protected space (garage, cellar, etc) or cold frame starting in August-October.

Warning: Do not store bulbs with veggies or fruit (as some, such as apples, give off ethylene). Do not use your freezer as it is too harsh and will kill them.

On to beginning the mess: The pot

The container for your bulbs in is up to you and your child. You can buy a pretty and already decorated pot from the store, or you can create your own. Almost anything can serve as a container as this won't be a long term home for the bulbs -- even use a paint can which has been VERY thoroughly washed of ALL paint residues and decorate it as you like. Every pot needs to be cleaned and preferably disinfected by rinsing with bleach water before planting to prevent spread of disease.

Decorating ideas can include spray painting, hand painting, using contact paper, gluing objects on, and some forms of decoupage. Consider the age of your child, the scope of the mess you are willing to tolerate, and their skills to determine how and what you decorate. Also remember, any container you use needs drainage, so be prepared to punch or drill holes for containers without them.

Hint: If you use a terra cotta or ceramic pot (unglazed on the inside) soak it in water overnight so it doesn't rob the soil of needed water.

A bigger mess: The soil medium

Every plant needs something to grow in and each given plant has soil it prefers -- sand, potting soil, or a mix. In my experience, a mix or potting soils works best for bulbs as it doesn't dry out as quickly as sand, and holds nutrients better. Vermiculite or perlite can be added to help retain moisture.