A Detailed Guide to Hyacinth Planting Methods and Cultivation Techniques
Hyacinth Planting Methods and Cultivation Techniques
Cultivation and Spread
The Netherlands is the main production area for hyacinths. Hyacinth cultivation was extremely popular in the 18th century, and at that time recorded varieties already numbered more than two thousand. In 1596, Britain already used hyacinths for garden cultivation.
From the 18th century onward, they were widely cultivated in Europe, and breeding had already begun. To this day, the Netherlands, France, Britain and Germany have pushed hyacinth production toward industrialization. Among them, the Netherlands has the largest production volume and sells well all over the world.
In 1995, the output value of potted hyacinths was 12.2 million USD, ranking nineteenth in Dutch potted flower production. The Dutch company Phytonova is a major base for hyacinth breeding, production and trade. To this day, hyacinths have been widely cultivated around the world, and demand has risen year by year. Hyacinth cultivation in China began at the end of the 19th century, mainly in large coastal cities, and was not widespread.
Beginning in the 1950s, only a small amount was cultivated in botanical gardens and parks in various places for flowerbed display. It was not until after the 1980s that hyacinths developed considerably throughout the country, and were widely used in spring flower exhibitions and potted plant sales. To this day, cultivated hyacinths have begun to enter homes and public places for indoor decoration and display, and demand has increased year by year. However, China has not yet been able to propagate seeds on its own and still needs to introduce them from abroad.
Potted hyacinths prefer a winter environment that is warm and humid, a summer environment that is cool and slightly dry, and full sun or partial shade. They like fertilizer and are suited to fertile, well-drained sandy loam, and dislike overly wet or heavy clay soil. During the growth process of hyacinths, the roots of the bulb grow best at a low temperature of 2-6°C. The suitable temperature for bud break is 5-10°C, the suitable temperature for leaf growth is 5-12°C, and the period of bud appearance and flowering is most favorable at 15-18°C. The storage temperature for bulbs is 20-28°C, with 25°C being the most suitable and most ideal for flower bud differentiation. They can tolerate short periods of frost.
Cultivation Techniques
For potting, choose loose soil with good drainage and apply sufficient base fertilizer. In October, plant the bulbs into pots, with 1 bulb per small pot and 3-4 bulbs per large pot, then cover with soil. The planting depth is 5-8 cm. After planting, keep the soil moist, and at the same time pay attention to applying additional phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. After about 120 days, they can bloom. Apply fertilizer once before and once after flowering. After the plants wither in June, dig out the bulbs, dry them and store them indoors at a temperature not exceeding 28°C.
For hyacinths, it is best to choose well-drained, not-too-dry sandy loam, neutral to slightly alkaline. Before planting, apply sufficient base fertilizer. For field cultivation, avoid continuous cropping. Cultivation methods include open-field cultivation, pot cultivation, forcing cultivation and water culture.
Open-Field Cultivation
This is suitable from October to November, and choosing well-drained soil is the most important condition. Before planting, apply sufficient base fertilizer, add a thin layer of sand on top, then arrange the bulbs with a spacing of 15 cm-18 cm and cover with 5 cm-8 cm of soil. Also cover with grass to keep the soil loose and moist. Generally, no other management is done before flowering. After flowering, if seeds are not to be collected, the flower stems should be cut off to promote bulb development, and the cut should be made as high on the flower stem as possible. In early June, the bulbs can be dug out, spread out, graded and stored in a cold storage facility, and the summer temperature should not exceed 28°C.
Pot Cultivation
Use a mixture of loam, leaf mold and fine sand as the nutrient soil. Generally, one bulb is planted in a pot with a 10 cm diameter, and 2-3 bulbs are planted in a pot with a 15 cm diameter. Then bury the pot in the soil and cover it with 10 cm-15 cm of soil. After 7-8 weeks, when the buds grow to more than 10 cm, remove the covering soil to allow sunlight exposure. Generally, planting is done from October to November, and flowering occurs in March.
Water Culture
For water culture of hyacinths, the water level must leave a space of 1-2 cm from the basal plate of the bulb, so that the roots can breathe. It is strictly forbidden to fill the water so that it covers the bottom of the bulb. In December, place the bulb in a wide-mouthed glass bottle with a grid, and add a little charcoal to help disinfect and prevent decay. The bulb only needs to be soaked to its base. Then place it in a dark place and cover the bottle with black cloth. If using clear water, change the water once every 7 days; if using a hydroponic nutrient solution, replace it every 10-15 days depending on the degree of cloudiness. In any case, keep the water quality in the bottle clean. Hyacinths can be grown in a specially made gourd-like glass bottle, and in the upper section its flower cluster can be admired.
During the water culture period of hyacinths, do not place them in direct sunlight before the bulb sprouts. After sprouting, place them in a bright, airy location with sunlight to help their growth. At first, expose them to light for one or two hours a day, then gradually increase it to seven or eight hours. If the weather does not change much, they may bloom by the Spring Festival. In the lower section, a cluster of thick white roots can be seen. This scene of flowers and roots flourishing together is rarely seen in other flowers and plants except orchids.
Key Points for Hyacinth Water Culture:
1. There must be a gap of 2-3 mm between the bulb and the water surface.
2. During the shading period, the temperature is best kept at 9-10 degrees, so that roots will grow very quickly.
3. At flowering time, the temperature is best kept above 17 degrees.
Hyacinths can be forced in water culture just like Chinese narcissus. Select large, plump bulbs, place them in a shallow basin and fix them with pebbles, then pour in clear water, with the amount of water limited so that it does not touch the bottom of the bulb. Place in a dark, cool place at room temperature 5-10 °C. Darkness helps rooting, and roots can grow out in about 1 month. After the root system has grown fully, move it to a bright place without direct light, control the temperature at 10-13 °C, change the water once every 2-3 days, and keep the water clean. After the leaves grow out, gradually increase light. After bud appearance, direct light can be received, but attention should be paid to frequently changing the direction of light exposure so that the leaves and flower stems grow robustly and upright and do not lean to one side. Gradually raise the temperature to about 20 °C, and change the water once every 3-4 days until the flowers fade. Then cut off the flower stems, take out the bulbs and plant them in pots so that the bulbs can become plump. When the leaves wither, dig out the bulbs and store them well. In autumn, they can be planted again in pots to restore vigor, and it is not suitable to grow them in water again.
Forcing Cultivation
After late July, treat the bulbs at a low temperature of 8°C for 70-75 days, then pot them in early October and cultivate them in a greenhouse, so that they can bloom at the end of the year. Because the forcing sensitivity of cultivated varieties differs greatly, varieties suitable for forcing should be selected when carrying out forcing cultivation.
Bulb Selection
The nutrients needed for hyacinth flowering are mainly supplied by the nutrients stored in the bulb leaves. As long as bulbs are selected that have undamaged skins, fleshy scales that are not excessively shrunken, are relatively hard and heavy, and are plump, they can produce abundant and beautiful flowers.
Soil Requirements
The soil is required to be fertile, high in organic matter, with good aggregate structure, and a pH of 6-7. A culture soil can be prepared in the ratio of leaf mold 5 : garden soil 3 : coarse sand 1.5 : bone meal 0.5. Before planting, chemical agents such as formalin can be used. At a soil temperature of 10-15°C, apply the chemical to the soil surface and immediately cover with plastic film. After 3 days of warm weather, remove the film, air it for 1 day, then plant and keep the soil moist.
Light
Hyacinths need only more than 5000 Lx to maintain normal physiological activity. If the light is too weak, it will lead to conditions such as weak plants, overly long stems, small flower buds, early flower fading and yellowing leaves. An incandescent lamp can be used for supplemental light at a distance of about 1 m; however, too strong light can also cause scorching of leaves and petals or shorten the flowering period.
Temperature and Humidity Regulation
If the temperature is too high, even above 35°C, flower bud differentiation will be inhibited, deformed growth will occur, and the rate of blind flowers will increase; if the temperature is too low, the flower buds will suffer frost damage.
Soil humidity should be kept between 60-70%. If it is too high, root respiration is inhibited and rot easily occurs; if it is too low, the aboveground parts wilt and may even die. Air humidity should be kept at about 80%, and humidity can be increased through misting and sprinkling water on the ground, or reduced through measures such as ventilation.
Introducing Hyacinth Planting Methods: Precautions You Must Know for Cultivating Hyacinths
Hyacinths have beautiful legends and symbolize a very good love story. There are many classifications, and of course also many colors, and different colors each have different flower meanings. They also have many uses, and can be used as a bride's bouquet at weddings. What are the hyacinth planting methods, and what aspects need attention?
Soil
For hyacinths, it is best to choose well-drained, not-too-dry sandy loam. The soil is required to be fertile, high in organic matter, with good aggregate structure, neutral to slightly alkaline, and a pH of 6-7. A culture soil can be prepared in the ratio of leaf mold 5 : garden soil 3 : coarse sand 1.5 : bone meal 0.5. Before planting, chemical agents such as formalin can be used. At a soil temperature of 10-15°C, apply the chemical to the soil surface and immediately cover with plastic film. After 3 days of warm weather, remove the film, air it for 1 day, then plant and keep the soil moist. Before planting, apply sufficient base fertilizer. For field cultivation, avoid continuous cropping.
Light
Hyacinths need only more than 5000 Lx to maintain normal physiological activity. If the light is too weak, it will lead to conditions such as weak plants, overly long stems, small flower buds, early flower fading and yellowing leaves. An incandescent lamp can be used for supplemental light at a distance of about 1 m; however, too strong light can also cause scorching of leaves and petals or shorten the flowering period.
Humidity
Soil humidity should be kept between 60-70%. If it is too high, root respiration is inhibited and rot easily occurs; if it is too low, the aboveground parts wilt and may even die. Air humidity should be kept at about 80%, and humidity can be increased through misting and sprinkling water on the ground, or reduced through measures such as ventilation.
Temperature
If the temperature is too high, even above 35°C, flower bud differentiation will be inhibited, deformed growth will occur, and the rate of blind flowers will increase; if the temperature is too low, the flower buds will suffer frost damage. Its bulbs need to be maintained at a low temperature for a period of time, otherwise they will not produce high-quality flowers and stems of sufficient length. The growth process of hyacinths includes a leaf formation stage, a flower formation stage and an elongation stage. By advancing the flower formation stage while providing the most effective low-temperature period, bulb flowering is forced. This is the reason hyacinths planted in the Mediterranean region can often bloom very early. By maintaining a relatively high temperature during the bulb planting stage, the leaf formation stage can be accelerated, and thus the flower formation stage is also advanced.
The above is what I have compiled for everyone regarding hyacinth planting. I hope it is helpful to everyone. Please continue to follow Duorou Huapu for more information.
The Origin and Cultivation History of Hyacinths
The Origin and Cultivation History of Hyacinths
The origin of hyacinths is in the northeastern Mediterranean, and they have a very long cultivation history, dating back to the 15th century. For more than 300 years, hyacinths have been a favorite breeding subject for European horticultural plant breeders, with breeding goals being novel flower colors, double flowers and large, beautiful blooms. The number of cultivated hyacinth varieties reached its peak at the end of the 19th century. Over the following 100 years, as many cultivated varieties were lost, hyacinth varieties declined somewhat. The remaining hyacinth resources have been preserved thanks to the efforts of hyacinth enthusiast Alan Shipp and others. Alan established a hyacinth germplasm resource collection center in Lithuania.
Hyacinths were first planted in gardens as a plant from Turkey. In 1453, after the Turkish Islamic ruler Mehmed II conquered Istanbul, he took a liking to growing hyacinths. From 1520-1566, the rulers of the Ottoman Empire also liked growing hyacinths, tulips and many other bulb flowers. Because of the influence of emperors and nobles who loved planting, hyacinths quickly spread from Turkey to European countries such as Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Austria and France. In 1613, a book published in Germany, Hortus Eystettensis, published a picture of a double-flowered hyacinth for the first time. In 1622, a book published in Paris, France, Theatrum Florae, included pictures of blue single-flowered, white single-flowered and double-flowered hyacinths. In 1629, the book Paradisus Terrestris published in Britain included pictures of 6 different hyacinths, two of which were double-flowered varieties. Later, yellow-flowered hyacinth varieties were introduced to Britain from Russia.
By the end of the 17th century, after tulip cultivation in the Netherlands began to decline, Dutch breeders began to shift their breeding attention to other flowers. The surrounding area centered on Haarlem in the Netherlands became an important region for hyacinth cultivation and the selection and breeding of new varieties. The local sandy loam is rich in organic matter, and the groundwater level is only 0.6-1 m below the surface, which is very suitable for hyacinth growth. Hyacinth variety improvement made great progress in the Netherlands. Pictorial materials from the early 18th century show that at most only 10-15 flowers were borne on each stem's inflorescence of hyacinths, but by the end of the 18th century the number of flowers per stem had risen to as many as 60. Although the trade volume of hyacinths never exceeded that of tulips, each new flower-color hyacinth variety produced by artificial selection could fetch a very high price when brought to market. For example, in the 18th century, the double-flowered variety 'King of Great Britian' discovered by Peter Voerhelm was a very profitable variety, with each bulb selling for 100 pounds.
In the 18th century, in a Dutch plantation, a red-flowered hyacinth produced a pale blue-flowered variety through bud mutation. This was very precious and rare at the time. It is said that the discoverer, fearing losing this variety, once hung it from the ceiling in a birdcage for keeping, and only took it out to plant when the planting season arrived. This mutant was preserved and named 'La Unique', and it became the parent of many later pale blue-flowered hyacinth varieties. Hyacinths produced flowers of many different colors through mutation, and the ever-increasing number of cultivated varieties also promoted the development of the hyacinth industry in the 19th century.
In 1838, Charles M Intosh, in his book Flower Garden, said that the cultivated hyacinth varieties grown by Dutch flower farmers numbered more than 2000. The book listed more than 200 varieties, with very rich flower colors including yellow, purple, as well as white, red and blue, among which some double-flowered cultivated varieties had dark centers, but today's commercially cultivated hyacinths only have single-flowered varieties
with dark centers.
During this period, it was popular to grow hyacinths in specially made glass containers filled with water, and the glass containers used for growing hyacinths in the Victorian era have now become collector's items for antique collectors. To this day, people still use glass bottles to grow hyacinths to show children the process of roots and sprouts.
In the 20th century, after the peak period of hyacinths passed, the cultivation area of hyacinths dropped sharply. World War I had a serious impact on the world horticultural flower industry and also led to the loss of many cultivated hyacinth varieties. The subsequent World War II caused the flower horticulture industry to continue to decline. By the 1970s, the worldwide cultivated production area of hyacinths had fallen to its lowest point. At that time, flower suppliers could use only slightly more than 50 cultivated hyacinth varieties for cultivation and production, most of which were varieties bred relatively well in the 17th century. From the 1950s to the 1970s, only about 10 new cultivated hyacinth varieties were bred worldwide.
For decades, people seemed to have lost interest in breeding new hyacinth varieties or recovering lost old varieties. Fortunately, a farmer named Alan Shipp is working hard to change the situation. He is collecting and propagating all cultivated hyacinth varieties, studying unnamed varieties, and striving to expand the range of hyacinth uses. He is the only flower supplier today who can supply a wide variety of Victorian-era cultivated hyacinth varieties. Alan's work has received enthusiastic help from many hyacinth enthusiasts, greatly increasing the scope of his hyacinth variety collection.
In March 1997, an unexpected letter brought Alan some quite important information. The letter came from Ms. Rita Riziulyte, head of the Vilnius flower research station in Lithuania. She informed Alan that their research station had collected and preserved about 60 cultivated hyacinth varieties. Alan later learned that 38 of them were varieties he had not collected, and some had even disappeared from Western Europe for more than 50 years. Among these 60 varieties, some are recorded by the international hyacinth variety registration authority, and other unregistered varieties can also be found in variety catalog documents from the 18th-19th centuries. What shocked Alan most were a variety called 'Sunflower' (note: a variety from before 1897) and a mysterious yellow double-flowered variety; in addition, there were 19 named but unrecorded varieties. People are working hard to find their original records from Western documentary materials, and after field trial planting, their variety characteristics will ultimately be evaluated.
Hyacinths are very easy to grow, and when planting, only sufficient light needs to be provided. In a spring garden, the decorative effect produced by the flower colors and fragrance of hyacinths is unmatched by many flowers. The exciting new hyacinth varieties from Lithuania will indicate an increase in people's interest in hyacinths and inspire people to pursue this treasure of the horticultural flower world.