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Coaxing a flower bulb to bloom indoors
Winter months could use some cheerful flowers, don’t you think? Learn How to Grow Spring Flower Bulbs Inside and have a the joy of flowering color during these days with less sunshine!
Sprouting flower bulbs inside takes some patience but it is so cool!! Some people call this “forcing” a bulb to bloom indoors, but I would rather call it “coaxing” a bulb to bloom indoors! Doesn’t that sound better?
How to grow spring flower bulbs inside
After watering and watching the plants grow for 6 weeks we were super pumped when the tulip budded out over the weekend. I have read that this can take longer, but our bulbs liked to be “coaxed” more than theirs like to be “forced” I guess!
Little Gardners "bloom" too
The grands planted bulbs with me 6 weeks ago. I kept several bulbs with me and they each took a couple bulbs home with them. They had varied degrees of success getting the bulbs to grow depending on their faithfulness in caring for the plants over such a long time.
The oldest of the grands had the best success as she hung in there the longest in continuing the watering. That is a clue that this project will work best for the older grands or with younger ones that have parent help in remembering to care for the bulbs.
Daily growth is fun to watch
My plants were located on my kitchen counter most of the time and it was amazing to watch what happened every day. The kids and I couldn’t wait to see the incremental growth of the plant and then the forming of the bud.
Tell the bulbs to "chill out"
I learned a lot about How to Grow Spring Flower Bulbs Inside. For example, the tulip bulbs need to be chilled for a period of time to simulate a winter freeze. This should start in the fall, which isn’t happening here unless you want to table this project until next fall. SO, it is important to purchase tulip bulbs that have been chilled (in your local garden store or online).
Bulb varieties
We chose to coax Tulips bulbs to bloom, but there are other options for bulbs varieties such as Hyacinths, Grape Hyacinths, Daffodils or Crocus. Next time we are going to try hyacinths, they are so beautiful.
Another option is to use other plant varieties that don’t need chilling like Paperwhites or Amaryllis.
Pots, rocks and soil...
Terra Cotta Pots work really well to sprout the bulbs as they dry out easily and have drainage holes in the bottom which is very important. If the bulbs get too wet they will rot. We used some cardboard starter pots that I had on hand. They worked fine, but did begin to deteriorate over the weeks.
Place a few small stones in the bottom of the pot to keep the soil from escaping out the drain hole (or a small piece of screen works well too). Then add a little Potting Soil Mix in the pots.
Which way is up?
The flower bulbs are placed with the pointed side up. Sometimes a bulb will already have a small sprout on it which goes up. The bulb will then root downwards of course.
Finish placing soil around the bulb, just to the top. Press the soil gently to get rid of air pockets.
Keep the bulbs watered
We sat our pots in a shallow baking dish so that they would not leak water onto furniture when watered. Using a Watering Can helped the little gardeners place the water more accurately- ha!
Take care to let the soil dry between waterings. The bulbs do not like to sit in water. They will rot. Not good!!
Place in sunlight
I’ve read that it is good to keep the bulbs cooler and away from direct light for the first couple weeks then place them in sunlight, but mine sat in the same spot the entire 6 weeks.
Once the sprout made its’ appearance it was almost possible to measure the growth each day with a ruler. We were amazed!
Budding out...beautiful
Finally the bud appeared. It’s such a temptation to help it open. That is a great teaching moment about patience to the kids and to yourself.
The bud was beautiful, especially in the wintertime after our "coaxing" time of 6 weeks!
It isn’t possible to time this exactly, but they may be blooming in about 8 weeks. As I said, mine bloomed in 6.
Blooming centerpiece or gift
The small decorative cans are available in discount stores for various holidays and fit the small pot size perfectly. The plant made such a cheerful centerpiece for a few days.
Don’t you think that they would be a perfect gift for someone who could use some spring sunshine right now?
Let me know how you do as you learn How to Grow Spring Flower Bulbs Inside. I would love a picture of your pretty blooms!
Supplies for How to Grow spring flower Bulbs Inside:
Small Terra Cotta Pots for the bulbs (with drainage holes, clay pots work well but can be plastic)
Place a few small stones in the bottom of the pot to keep the soil from escaping out the drain hole (or a small piece of screen works well too). Then add a little Potting Soil Mix in the pots.
The flower bulbs are placed with the pointed side up. Finish placing soil around the bulb, just to the top. Press the soil gently to get rid of air pockets.
Sit your pots in a shallow baking dish so that they won't leak water when watered.
Take care to let the soil dry between waterings so the bulbs don't sit in water and rot. Not good!!
Place the bulbs in a location that is cooler and away from direct light for the first couple weeks, then place them in sunlight.
"Coax" the bulbs for 6-8 weeks and enjoy the beautiful blooms!
bulbs to bloom, but there are other options for bulbs varieties such as Hyacinths
, Grape Hyacinths
, Daffodils
or Crocus
. Next time we are going to try hyacinths, they are so beautiful. 
s or Amaryllis
. 
work really well to sprout the bulbs as they dry out easily and have drainage holes in the bottom which is very important. If the bulbs get too wet they will rot. We used some cardboard starter pots that I had on hand. They worked fine, but did begin to deteriorate over the weeks.
in the pots.
helped the little gardeners place the water more accurately- ha!
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