I have been given a pot (very nice china bowl, actually) containing some
compressed bulb fibre and 3 hyacinth bulbs. Instructions are provided,
advising planting the bulbs (before the end of January) and putting the
pot in a cold, dark place for 10 weeks and saying "if this step is
missed, the bulbs may not flower."

Unfortunately, these bulbs have not been stored in ideal conditions and
already have about 1/2" of growth showing. Is this growth going to be
damaged if the bulbs are put into the cold and dark now?

--
Jenny M Benson
Wrexham, UK

On 07/01/2020 15:46, Jenny M Benson wrote:
I have been given a pot (very nice china bowl, actually) containing some
compressed bulb fibre and 3 hyacinth bulbs.Â* Instructions are provided,
advising planting the bulbs (before the end of January) and putting the
pot in a cold, dark place for 10 weeks and saying "if this step is
missed, the bulbs may not flower."


Unfortunately, these bulbs have not been stored in ideal conditions and
already have about 1/2" of growth showing.Â* Is this growth going to be
damaged if the bulbs are put into the cold and dark now?

Not really. They need some cold damp "winter" period first to persuade
them to really get going when you bring them into the warmth.

Finding somewhere cold for them is a bit of a problem this winter
outside temperature at the moment is 12C and very very windy!

I reckon two or three weeks in a cold dark place is enough to condition
them. Main thing is check them every now and then since the fast growing
roots can quite easily push the bulbs out of the pot! Once the shoots
are 2-3" long you can bring them into the warm and flowers will open.

I never can quite get mine right for Christmas flowering - they are
almost out now two weeks late. The Xmas cactus is more reliable.

Curiously the white ones this year refused to do anything at all. They
are still sat in the dark showing no signs of growth at all. All colours
were planted at the same time and treated in exactly the same way.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On 07/01/2020 22:39, Martin Brown wrote:

Finding somewhere cold for them is a bit of a problem this winter
outside temperature at the moment is 12C and very very windy!

The instructions with these bulbs say "as cold as a fridge or garden
shed." I don't have a garden shed anyway, but I do have fridge, though
finding room in it (it's tiny) might be a problem.

--
Jenny M Benson
Wrexham, UK

On 08/01/2020 00:13, Jenny M Benson wrote:
On 07/01/2020 22:39, Martin Brown wrote:

Finding somewhere cold for them is a bit of a problem this winter
outside temperature at the moment is 12C and very very windy!

The instructions with these bulbs say "as cold as a fridge or garden
shed."Â* I don't have a garden shed anyway, but I do have fridge, though
finding room in it (it's tiny) might be a problem.

I put mine in the garage (and cross fingers the squirrels don't break in
and eat them). But anywhere cold (ie not centrally heated) and slightly
dark will do. In the porch under a bucket for instance.

My instinct is that if shoots have already started to form the bulbs
have already broken dormancy and will flower. BTW don't forget that some
people are sensitive to hyacinth alkaloids so wash hands after handling.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On 08/01/2020 08:36, Martin Brown wrote:
On 08/01/2020 00:13, Jenny M Benson wrote:
On 07/01/2020 22:39, Martin Brown wrote:

Finding somewhere cold for them is a bit of a problem this winter
outside temperature at the moment is 12C and very very windy!

The instructions with these bulbs say "as cold as a fridge or garden
shed."Â* I don't have a garden shed anyway, but I do have fridge,
though finding room in it (it's tiny) might be a problem.

I put mine in the garage (and cross fingers the squirrels don't break in
and eat them). But anywhere cold (ie not centrally heated) and slightly
dark will do. In the porch under a bucket for instance.

My instinct is that if shoots have already started to form the bulbs
have already broken dormancy and will flower. BTW don't forget that some
people are sensitive to hyacinth alkaloids so wash hands after handling.

Many thanks for all the advice, Martin.

--
Jenny M Benson
Wrexham, UK

Martin Brown wrote:

My instinct is that if shoots have already started to form the bulbs
have already broken dormancy and will flower.

As a childd I remember us planting them, and hiding them in the airing
cupboard, so they would be dark, but certainly not cold, they seemed to
flower ok.

On 08/01/2020 11:26, Andy Burns wrote:
Martin Brown wrote:

My instinct is that if shoots have already started to form the bulbs
have already broken dormancy and will flower.

As a childd I remember us planting them, and hiding them in the airing
cupboard, so they would be dark, but certainly not cold, they seemed to
flower ok.

Likewise. The modern forcing approach for prepared hyacinth is to
deliberately chill them in late September to force flowering at Xmas. It
never quite works for me with flowers usually appearing just after Xmas.

Gardeners world has a bit about it:

https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-t...yacinth-bulbs/

RHS is more authoritative and tells me what I am doing wrong:

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=102

By comparison watering a Christmas cactus sparingly in June will pretty
much ensure good flowering behaviour at Christmas time.


--
Regards,
Martin Brown