Although I regularly force tulips in the garage, I have only tried to grow ranunculus indoors once before. No blooms. I am following the instructions and timings given on the package, but we will see if I get any blooms this time.
The point of “forcing” bulbs/corms is that you can give them a cold period and then warm them up earlier than would naturally happen outdoors, thus “forcing” them to bloom earlier indoors. It is always cheerful when they decide to co-operate! I have consistent good performances from tulips and daffodils.
The dry corms…
I soaked them overnight and planted them on November 14th. I soaked the soil puck at the same time.
Post soaking – they look good.
Planted with growing tips up, 1 inch deep.
November 27 – There are shoots already. Hopefully this is not a sign I left it in the warmth too long. (Following directions is not always a good idea, lol.) I put them in the garage (5 degrees F) and will bring it in after Christmas. Wish me luck!
I always grow amaryllis to add some January cheer when all the Christmas decorations are removed. Their huge tropical-looking blooms are magnificent, and once they get going you can literally watch the flower stalk grow each day until the flower blooms. (When I was a kid, I used to measure the growth on Mom’s plants every day!) Very satisfying. I plant them in a heavy pot rather than the one supplied as they get quite heavy, and will topple the plastic pot over once in full bloom.
I bought one amaryllis bulb this year to guarantee myself a bloom, in case my attempt to force last year’s bulbs to rebloom fails. I put them outdoors for the summer and then cut them back in the fall and brought them in and stored them in peat moss. I’ll bring them in after their cold period and see if I can get them to re-bloom or not. They are not as reliable as freshly purchased bulbs.
I chose the “Vera” variety as it felt like a “pink” year. If any of you have tips or tricks on forcing ranunculus or getting amaryllis to rebloom, drop me a comment!
Everyday Cheer 