How to plant, grow and care for hyacinth at home in a pot

Hyacinth is akin to tulip, hippeastrum, amaryllis - a bulbous plant, thanks to which you can get a bouquet in early spring without having to buy it. After all, what is better than a gift grown with your own hands and receiving the soul of a grower. Caring for hyacinths in pots at home is not a tricky task, but without special knowledge, the results may not work. What you need to pay attention to, in what sequence to plant and further care for the plant in order to get the coveted flower.

Popular varieties and types

Hyacinth is a beautifully flowering bulbous plant belonging to the Asparagus family. From ancient Greek, hyacinth is a flower of rain. And this is not a myth. Its homeland is considered to be the south of the Mediterranean, where it blooms during the warm rainy season. Hyacinth can be of various sizes from 30 cm to 45 cm, but usually it does not reach greater heights. It is grown primarily as a houseplant in small pots.

Having several pots in your greenhouse, you can get beautiful panicle peduncles by the desired date. But it is important to know the rules for forcing a hyacinth flower. Today, growing such unique species is fashionable: tulips, hyacinths, roses, lilies at room maintenance and favorable conditions will provide beautiful flowers all winter and early spring. In nature, there are three types of hyacinths, which are replete with a variety of varieties. The main types are:

1. Oriental is perhaps the most popular and widespread hyacinth, which formed the basis for many varieties. It is distinguished by a sparse arrangement of flowers on a long thin peduncle. Various colors and a pleasant aroma will please any gardener.
2. Litvinova - representatives have wide leaves, low or high peduncles. The color palette is slightly poorer than that of the oriental species and is represented mainly by greenish, purple or blue tones.
3. Transcaspian - blue flowers on long peduncles, of which two are formed from one bulb.

All varieties have their own classification, depending on the growth and color of the flowers:

• white color: Argentina Andersen (28 cm), Linnosance (26 cm), Carnegie (22 cm), Edelweiss (25 cm);
• blue color: King of the Blues (20 cm), Delft Blue (20 cm), Maria and Miozotis;
• pink color: Anna Marie (25 cm), Fondant (20 cm), Pink Pearl, China Pink and Marconi;
• purple: Amethyst (25 cm), Bismarck (30 cm), Menelik;
• yellow color: City of Haarlem, Orange Bowen, Yellow Hummer.

Any of the presented varieties can be selected for forcing as a green pet.

Necessary conditions for germinating hyacinths

Here it is worth talking about the concept of “forcing”. What is it and under what conditions is it carried out? Forcing is the acceleration of the process of growth, flowering, and ripening of a plant. Basically, the procedure is intended for decorative flowering indoor flowers or when grown in a greenhouse and hotbeds.

The plant is provided with special conditions that allow it to accelerate cell division and the process of photosynthesis, which is why it grows faster, fills the bulb with nutrients and throws out a peduncle.

In the room where containers with hyacinths are displayed, high humidity, an abundance of light and heat are provided. If there is not enough natural light, light phytolamps are added.

Important! Only the largest and healthiest bulbs are taken for forcing. In this case, the hyacinth will quickly mobilize its strength and accelerate growth.

How to select and prepare bulbs for planting

To get a peduncle by a certain date, you need to buy high-quality root tubers. It is advisable to buy from trusted suppliers or specialized stores. Planting material must meet the following requirements:

1. The product should not show any mechanical damage or infectious spots. The color is even and monochromatic.
2. The best size is 5 cm in diameter.
3. When you feel the bulbs, they should be dense and have some weight, and not create the illusion of an empty ball.
4. Before planting, it is important to decide on the variety, since not all are intended for home cultivation.
5. The onion should be smooth with a neck.

Important! It is better to buy the product at the end of summer, such specimens are already dormant.

Choosing a pot and soil

This is an important step when planting hyacinths. If the bulb is given freedom, it will most likely grow fruitfully, and most importantly, it will not be possible to wait for the planned flowering. An important nuance when selecting a planting container is the tightness of the root system. You need to choose pots (these can be planting containers, small clay pots, plastic flower pots) to accommodate one or more bulbs. In store settings you can find pots with five or more bulbs planted.

For a single plant, the pot is selected to be shallow but wide so that the diameter is 4-5 cm larger than the bulb. If you plant a couple or three specimens, there should be a distance of about 2 cm between them. Hyacinth must grow on a good drainage layer, otherwise its root system will rot.

Hyacinths can be planted in any soil intended for bulbous plants, having previously mixed it with sand, or in a soil mixture of peat, garden soil, humus and sand in equal parts.

Location

Their rapid development depends on where containers with hyacinths are placed. They need plenty of light, but not direct hot sunlight. Therefore, the best place in the apartment will be a window sill facing east or west.

Lighting and temperature conditions

Light is preferably diffused.If you install pots with bulbs on the south side of the house, then the windows should be shaded. With a northern location, the hyacinth will require a lot of effort to grow, but not to bloom. Optimal temperature forcing for hyacinth is in the range from 15 to 22 degrees with a plus sign. Any deviation from the norm can kill the hyacinth.

You cannot place containers near heating devices, as too high a temperature has a negative effect on the plant. It simply will not bloom or the flowering will be weak and short.

Air humidity

Humidity is very important for hyacinth, but the plant cannot be sprayed superficially, so an open container with water is placed next to the pot for evaporation. Some gardeners pour pebbles into a tray and periodically moisten them. The humidity level should be 65%. If it is not possible to reach this level, special humidifiers are installed.

How to plant a plant

The planting containers are filled with soil to the very top, then the bulb is planted.

Landing dates

Planting time depends on the specific date by which you need to get flowering. In summer, the bulb is in a dormant period; it is better to time the planting to coincide with the autumn months. It will take 90-100 days from planting to flowering, so it is important to calculate when to plant the bulb.

If planting is carried out in the fall, the flower stalk will appear in winter, at the beginning of spring.

With the help of a simple calculation, you can get a cut or a gift pot for March 8, February 23 and other holidays, you can please people born from January to May.

Digging depth of bulbs

The bulbs are laid out on the surface of the soil or sand. They should not be buried completely, but only slightly pressed with your fingers so that the upper part rises 1.5 cm above the ground.If planted in soil, then after placing the bulbs the surface can be covered with sand, this will prevent the appearance of pathogenic microbes.

Next, the soil is slightly moistened, the pots are wrapped in opaque polyethylene and put away in a cool, dark place. So the hyacinth should last about 2 months. Every time you need to monitor its condition. After a five-centimeter sprout appears, the pot is exposed to light and heat.

How to care for a plant during forcing

Many gardeners, for the sake of their experience in growing flowering bulbous crops, assure that caring for hyacinth will not bring much trouble. The main techniques are: watering and complementary feeding. They do it correctly and in a timely manner.

Watering

Here you need to apply the rules for watering corms. Irrigation should be moderate, but complete drying out should not be allowed. It is important that water does not get on the shoulders of the bulb, in the axils of the leaves and on the bud, so water from a small watering can with a narrow hole so that the water supply force is minimal.

The remaining water from the pan must be poured out so that it does not absorb back and damage the roots.

Fertilizer

After the bud has hatched, the plant is fed. The second time minerals are added after the foliage has completely died. The purpose of fertilizing is to develop a large and beautiful flower, and in the post-flowering period to provide the bulb with nutrients for the dormant period. You can even spray dormant bulbs with a solution of potassium-phosphorus fertilizers.

Hyacinth is watered with any mineral complex for flowering ornamental plants. The complex must contain potassium and phosphorus. In addition, the plant is watered with growth stimulants twice a month.

Important! The fertilizer must be diluted according to the instructions included with the package, observing all dosages. It is applied mainly in the evening after irrigating the soil.

Nuances of care after flowering

After the hyacinth fades and its peduncle dries, the plant also needs care, but there are a number of nuances:

1. Watering needs to be significantly reduced, one might say, stopped altogether. It is important here that the above-ground part dries out.
2. When the green mass has completely withered, it is cut off.
3. The bulb is dug out of the soil, cleaned of any remaining substrate, and the roots are cut off. This procedure takes place in June.
4. The bulb should be carefully inspected for signs of pests and infection.
5. The next point is disinfection.

After performing these steps, the hyacinth bulbs are removed for aging in a dark place at a temperature of 17 degrees. You can save planting material in the cellar, basement, or refrigerator.

What diseases and pests are dangerous for flowers?

If growing conditions are not met, hyacinth is susceptible to diseases:

1. If the pot is located in a draft or strong sun, the leaves may turn yellow.
2. Low air humidity, excessive watering, poor-quality soil, and lack of drainage cause the entire plant to turn yellow.
3. If water gets on the buds during watering, they will fall off.
4. If during the dormant period the bulb is kept at a temperature above 17 degrees, the peduncle will be underdeveloped and the flowers will be clumsy.
5. If the hyacinth is leaning and is in a precarious state, then the roots will rot due to waterlogging.

This can be avoided by doing everything right. In addition to such situations, pests may arise, which are thrips, nematodes, and aphids.It is enough to treat with the Fitoverma solution.

Breeding rules

Hyacinth reproduces by cuttings and planting daughters. After digging up hyacinth bulbs to rest, daughter appendages are visible on the mother plant. They are carefully separated and planted again in the ground. Grow to full size, providing similar care. The young onion is sent to rest after the first flowering.

If for some reason no children are produced, a new generation of hyacinths can be reproduced by rooting the leaf blade. After the leaves grow, but always before the flowers bloom, they are cut off at the base. The cut is treated with Kornevin and then planted in the soil, covered with film.

The first sprouts will appear after 1.5 months. They should be grown to normal size, and only then dug up for storage.

How long does hyacinth live in a pot?

The lifespan when forced indoors is quite short. Each time the bulb becomes obsolete, as artificial growth-accelerating conditions are created for it.

Usually purchased specimens become unusable after the first flowering, but flower growers do not allow the bulb to die by cutting off the dried flowers and leaves and leave them for growing to allow the bulb to stock up on nutrients.

Another option for extending life is planting in open ground in the fall. In this case, the hyacinth will bloom again in the second year. Hyacinths live in nature for a long time, growing overgrown with root appendages. Hyacinths are beautiful flowering bulbous plants.

It's nice to see them in the store. A tiny pot, but the flower is twice as big. This effect is achieved by forcing the peduncle.The gift is ideal, but at home the procedure requires certain knowledge and time, and sometimes it is not possible to achieve similar results.