How to force crocuses at home for the New Year and March 8

Corcus are early flowering plants that begin to bloom literally after the snow melts. But you can grow them at home. Forcing crocus bulbs at home will allow you to enjoy these beautiful flowers at any time of the year.

Autumn crocuses

Crocuses bloom not only in spring, but also in autumn. Autumn varieties are suitable for forcing for winter, for example, for the New Year.

Albus

The shade of the petals is white, with a cream border near the pistil. The height of the plant is from 10 to 15 cm. The variety is quite winter-hardy.

Artabir

The petals of the inflorescence are sky blue; in the center the petals are covered with dark blue veins. A tall variety, the stem grows up to 20 cm in height. Flowering begins in the second ten days of October.

Sollux

Inflorescences are blue with a purple tint. The inflorescences have a pleasant rich aroma. The flowering period begins in early September.

Sowing

The height of the plants is 10-13 cm. The shade of the inflorescences is from lavender to deep purple, about 7 cm in diameter. It begins to bloom in mid-September.

Crocus sharoyan

Tall variety, up to 20 cm high. Petals are rich yellow. This petal color is rarely found in autumn-flowering varieties. The flowering period occurs in September-October.

Spring crocuses

Spring varieties of crocuses begin to bloom immediately after the snow melts. At home, plants are used for forcing at the beginning of spring.

Alexander

The color of the blossoming petals is white-silver. The reverse side of the petal is snow-white. It begins to bloom early in spring.

Crocus tomasini

The height of the stems of this variety reaches 20 cm. The shade of the petals ranges from rich purple to lavender. The flower blooms in April.

Marietta

The petals of the inflorescences are light yellow, sometimes lemon-colored. The petals have brown stripes on the outside.

Pickwick

The inflorescences are white with a gray tint. The petals have dark purple stripes.

Prince Claus

This variety has an unusual shade of petals. The inflorescences are snow-white, and near the pistil there is a purple border. The height of the stems is up to 10 cm.

When and how to start forcing

You can start forcing crocuses at any time, depending on when it is necessary for the plants to bloom. When choosing the start date for forcing, it should be borne in mind that this process is not the fastest and therefore it is better to choose a date with a reserve. The distillation process takes approximately 3-4 months.

Before you begin the procedure, you should study all the nuances. Although forcing crocuses is not very difficult, there are some nuances and pitfalls that you should know about in advance. First of all, you need to know that different varieties react differently to forcing. It will be difficult to make late varieties bloom by the New Year, and early ones - by the beginning of spring.

The benefits of forcing a plant by a certain date

The main advantage of forcing a flower is that the plant will bloom by the date that was planned. Although, of course, there can be no exact guarantees, if you follow all the conditions for the procedure, the flower will bloom on time and without any problems.

How to prepare and create conditions for forcing crocuses for the New Year

At home, make crocuses You can bloom for the most magical holiday - the New Year. On this night you want a little fairy tale, and what could be more magical than spring flowers blooming in winter. It's like 12 months in a fairy tale.

Preparing the corms

The first stage is preparing the bulbs. Forcing planting material involves creating conditions in the apartment that are as close to natural as possible. If you use bulbs from the site, dig them up in June-July.After digging, the bulbs need to be sorted and dried.

In the first week after digging, the bulbs are kept at a temperature of +30 degrees. Then the temperature in the room is constantly lowered until it reaches +17 degrees by mid-August. After this, the bulbs are placed in a room with a temperature of +3...+8 degrees. A refrigerator will do.

If you use purchased bulbs, they have already been dried, so all that remains is to harden them and start planting.

Choosing a pot

The container for planting bulbs can be anything, the main thing is that it is spacious. It is advisable to choose pots with holes in the bottom to allow oxygen to circulate in the soil. Regular plastic flower pots are most suitable for forcing crocuses.

Landing dates and rules

On average, forcing bulbs takes 90-100 days. If you do the math, in order for crocuses to bloom by the New Year, they need to be planted around September-October. But again, it’s not a fact that crocuses will bloom by New Year’s Eve. The date is approximate.

Light fertile soil with neutral acidity is suitable for planting crocuses. To keep the bulbs healthy, add drainage to the bottom of the pot, then a layer of soil and a thin layer of sand on top. Bulbs are planted in it. Then fill the onions with sand to the top.

Necessary conditions: lighting, humidity, temperature

For successful forcing, you need to create favorable conditions for growth, select the right lighting and temperature at which the crocuses will quickly enter the growth phase.

Temperature:

• The bulbs should be kept at a temperature of +30 degrees for the first week after digging.
• The next 2 weeks - at a temperature of +20 degrees.
• Until August - at +17 degrees.
• Before landing - at +8 degrees.
• After planting the bulbs, the pots are moved to a dark room with a temperature of +3 degrees for 15-16 weeks.
• After the sprouts appear, the temperature should be +10 degrees.
• Then it is raised to +17 degrees.

The rooting period corresponds to winter. The later the crocuses are planned to bloom, the more the bulbs should be in the cold and dark.

Sprouted crocuses are placed on the sunny side and wait for them to bloom. It is not recommended to bring pots into the heat suddenly; the temperature should be increased gradually.

Watering and fertilizing

During drying and cooling of the bulbs, they do not require any watering or fertilizing. Crocuses begin to be watered after the bulbs are planted in the ground. It is not advisable to over-water the bulbs; simply moisten the soil. It is best to water the bulbs through a tray. Plants need to be fed if the bulbs are planted in sand.

Forcing crops by March 8

By spring, crocuses are driven out in the same way as in winter. The only difference is the determination of planting dates. They shift by several weeks.

How to select planting material

To force crocuses, it is best to use healthy, large bulbs without signs of damage. Baby bulbs are not suitable for this purpose; nothing will grow from them, because the bulb is still too small. It is better to leave it for planting in open ground. In the first year, even outside it is unlikely to bloom.

Planting crocuses for forcing

By March 8, the forcing period falls on October-November. For planting, use the same substrate as in the case of winter forcing. In principle, the process is not much different.

During planting, some people prefer not to deepen the bulb and leave it on the surface until about halfway.Only with this planting crocus seedlings may grow crooked. Plant the bulbs in a common container. Planting material can be planted close to each other.

Planting crocuses

Planting is a process where, after planting, the bulbs are placed in a warm room and the temperature is gradually increased so that the bulbs begin to grow. Installation occurs at a temperature of +15...+17 degrees. The temperature is increased for 2-3 days after the pots are placed in the sun.

During the establishment stage, the soil is kept constantly moist. It is not necessary to feed crocuses, unless you plan to transplant them into open ground after flowering. In this case, mineral fertilizers for bulbous plants are added to the soil after the pot is moved to a warm place and after flowering.

What to do with crocus bulbs after forcing

After the plants have flowered, the inflorescences are cut off so that the bulb does not waste nutrients on producing seeds. Also reduce the amount of watering. When the greens wither, they are cut off and the bulbs are dug up. After which they are stored in the same way as before distillation. Then they are planted either in open ground or used again for re-forcing.