A Detailed Guide to the Latest Planting Methods for Hyacinth Bulbs

The world-famous hyacinth grows from bulbs and, like the tulip, is renowned worldwide. It is an excellent perennial for laying out flower beds and lawn edges in spring, and can also be grown in pots, in water, or used as cut flowers. Hyacinth bulbs are important bulbous flowers, mostly used for open-ground planting in parks and for potted display. Now let's take a look at how to plant hyacinth bulbs!

Hydroponic Method for Hyacinth Bulbs

Growing hyacinths in water is convenient and clean, and it adds a touch of petite-bourgeois charm even in an apartment. All you need is a cup; the mouth of the cup should not be too wide, and it must be able to hold the bulb. A professional hydroponic bottle is of course best, and a hydroponic basket works well too. Here is how to grow hyacinths in water:

1. Remove the old roots.

2. Place it in a glass bottle so that the base of the roots reaches the water surface. For the first 5 days, it is best to change the water every day and keep it out of light.

3. As new roots emerge, keep lowering the water level, just keeping the root tips in the water.

4. Once the water level has dropped to more than 2 cm from the bulb, keep the water clean and wait for the flowers to bloom. If using a nutrient solution, change it once every 15-30 days.

Note: During the process of rooting in water, mold spots may appear on the bulb. This is generally not a problem and needs no special treatment; you can wipe them off with a tissue, or simply leave them alone.

Soil Culture Method for Hyacinth Bulbs

Because the bulbs are imported from the Netherlands by sea, the transport time is relatively long, so mold invasion is hard to avoid (in fact, about 70% of bulbs will have mold spots). It is recommended that you first disinfect the bulbs. Soil culture and potted planting methods for hyacinth bulbs:

1. Wipe off the mold spots on the bulb: remove the dried outer skin, soak in a 1000-fold carbendazim solution for about half an hour to disinfect, then take it out and let it dry slightly before planting. Many people agonize over whether to remove the skin; the principle is to remove as little as possible, wipe off any mold spots, and tear off the dried skin.

2. After soaking, you can decide the drying time yourself.

3. Prepare the pot and growing medium; it is best to choose a pot about 10 cm in diameter and 5-10 cm deep. A pot 20 cm in diameter can generally hold 3-4 bulbs. For the growing medium, choose a mix of peat soil + pine bark + perlite at a ratio of 40% + 30% + 20%. For fertilizer, choose a coated slow-release fertilizer that does not damage the roots as a base fertilizer. After sprouting, use a potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution (1:500 concentration, applied once a week).

4. Plant the dried bulbs, leaving 1/3 of the bulb exposed.

5. After handling, keep them in the dark: place the pot with the bulbs in a place without sunlight, shading them for 8-10 days (to prevent the phenomenon of "stuck arrows"). Disinfect to kill bacteria and prevent rot.

Care and Management of Hyacinths

1. After planting the hyacinth bulbs, move them into a rooting room to root. The rooting period takes 8—10 weeks. Generally, the temperature of the rooting room is kept at 9°C, the planting soil is kept moist, and the indoor air humidity is around 95%. If the air humidity is on the low side, sprinkle water on the floor to raise the relative humidity.

2. Management during the greenhouse period: After completing the cold treatment required for rooting, the hyacinths can be moved into the greenhouse. The suitable temperature for hyacinths in the greenhouse is 17—25°C, and the growth period is about 3 weeks, but domestic solar greenhouses generally have lower temperatures, so the greenhouse growth period may be extended to about 30 days. The air humidity in the greenhouse should be at least no lower than 80%, the soil should be kept moist, and watering should be done on sunny mornings. If conditions permit, supplement light for 24 hours to prevent deformed, pale, weak flowers. Just like tulips, hyacinths can be sold once the bulbs have finished rooting, because by then the flower spikes have already emerged from the soil and can grow and bloom as long as they are in a room at a suitable temperature, though care should be taken to water properly. Hyacinths do not need further fertilization during growth.

3. Storage: Hyacinths are not very suitable for storage at low temperatures, but if storage is necessary, it must be done after the florets have separated, maintaining a temperature of 0.5—1°C and ensuring air circulation. Under these conditions, they can be stored for 2—3 weeks.