How to Grow Hyacinths? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Cultivation Methods
Hyacinth flowers come in rich colors. Through long-term hybridization and propagation, hyacinths have gradually produced some special double-flowered varieties. The flower language of the hyacinth is: sorrowful love, eternal remembrance, and so on. It is a common hydroponic flower and plant variety. The cultivation methods of hyacinths are introduced below.
Growing Conditions for Hyacinths
1. Bulbs. The nutrients needed for hyacinths to bloom mainly come from the nutrients stored in the scaly leaves of the bulb. Only by choosing bulbs with undamaged skins, fleshy scales that are not excessively shriveled, and that are relatively hard, heavy, and plump can you produce abundant and beautiful flowers.
2. Soil. The soil should be fertile, high in organic matter, have good aggregate structure, and a pH of 6-7. The growing medium can be mixed in a ratio of 5 parts leaf mold : 3 parts garden soil : 1.5 parts coarse sand : 0.5 part bone meal. Before planting, chemical agents such as formalin can be used. At a soil temperature of 10-15°C, apply the agent to the soil surface and immediately cover with plastic film. After 3 days of warm weather, remove the film, let it air for 1 day, then plant, keeping the soil moist.
3. Light. Hyacinths only need more than 5000 Lx to maintain normal physiological activity. Too little light will lead to weak plants, overly long stems, small flower buds, early flower fading, and yellowing leaves. An incandescent lamp can be used about 1 m away for supplemental light, but too much light can also cause scorching of leaves and petals or shorten the flowering period.
4. Temperature. If the temperature is too high, even above 35°C, flower bud differentiation may be inhibited, growth may become deformed, and the rate of blind flowers may increase. If the temperature is too low, the flower buds may suffer frost damage.
5. Humidity. Soil moisture should be kept between 60-70%. If it is too high, root respiration is inhibited and rot is likely. If it is too low, the aboveground parts wilt or even die. Air humidity should be kept at around 80%, and humidity can be increased by misting and sprinkling water on the ground, or reduced by measures such as ventilation.
Propagation Methods for Hyacinths
Bulb division propagation is the main method. Seed propagation is used in breeding, and bulb propagation can also be used. After the mother bulb is planted for 1 year, it produces 1-2 daughter bulbs, and some varieties can produce more than ten daughter bulbs. These can be used for bulb division propagation. Daughter bulbs require 3 years to bloom. For seed propagation, sow in autumn; germination occurs only in February of the following year, and seedlings grown from seed bloom after 4-5 years of cultivation.
1. Bulb division propagation
After digging up the bulbs in June, separate the large bulbs from the daughter bulbs. “Large bulbs planted in autumn can bloom in early spring of the following year, while daughter bulbs need 3 years of cultivation to bloom. Because the natural bulb division rate of hyacinths is low, generally after the mother plant is planted for one year it can only produce 1-2 daughter bulbs. To increase the propagation coefficient, the large bulbs can be subjected to scoring during the summer dormancy period to stimulate them to produce daughter bulbs.
In August, when the flower buds have already formed, first evenly scoop out a portion of the basal plate at the bottom of the bulb so that the wound at the basal plate is concave, then cut once vertically and once horizontally from bottom to top, forming a cross-shaped cut, deep enough to reach the bud center inside the bulb. At this time, mucus will flow out, and 0.1% mercuric chloride solution should be applied for disinfection. Then place it in bright sunlight for 1-2 hours, and then spread it flat indoors. First keep the room temperature at about 21°C to allow callus tissue to form. When the base of the scales swells, gradually raise the temperature to 30°C with a relative humidity of 85%. After about three months, many small bulbs will form. The small bulbs induced in this way bloom after 3-4 years of cultivation.
2. Seed propagation
This is mostly used when breeding new varieties. In autumn, sow the seeds in the growing medium in a cold frame, cover with 1 cm of soil, and they germinate at the end of January to early February of the following year. The small bulbs grown from seedlings bloom after 4-5 years. Under ordinary storage conditions, seed germination capacity can be maintained for 3 years.