I love to force spring bulbs at this time of year. I gathered these 'Antoinette' tulips from the cold shelves of the garage and brought them into the house, planning to grow them in water.
I've grown this variety outdoors in previous years. It is low in height, compact in spread, and, hopefully, a perfect bulb to force. So far, everything is moving forward perfectly. The bulbs began to push up green stems in a matter of days.
To begin with, I filled the bottom of the goblet with a layer of stones. This addition is threefold: it gives the bulbs a foundation to sit upon, the rocks keep the bulbs out of the water, and the appearance is aesthetically pleasing. I place the bulbs on the stones, barely touching the water.
Every time I have forced bulbs, they have developed a bit of bluish-grey mold. The bulb company calls this mold transportation mold. To remove this, I dip a paintbrush in rubbing alcohol and swipe it over the ugly fluff. Hydrogen peroxide works as well. After I treat the mold, I change out the water.
I keep the potted bulbs in the basement under lights. A sunny but cold window would also work well.
Lovely :-D
ReplyDeleteThanks Ananka!
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