Planting indoor gardening bulbs give us all the aromas and
colors of spring in the middle of winter. When planning for
indoor gardening, or even outdoor gardening, there are the
bulbs that need chilling before planting and bulbs that do
not.
This would be a good time to delve into
the bulbs that do not need to be chilled before planting.
These are the bulbs that are native to warmer climates and
are usually paperwhite narcissus bulbs and amaryllis bulbs.
They can grow in any type of container with potting soil or
a pot with little depth filled with pebbles or marbles to
hold the positioning of the bulb. The only thing you do is
add water and in about 4 weeks it should start to grow. For
stems that are short and sturdy start the bulbs with
indirect lighting and the temperature about 50 degrees F.
This is done for the first few weeks only and after that
raise the temperature a little at a time and give them more
light. When growing without soil the bulb should be 1/4 to
1/3 immersed in water.
The amaryllis is the most astonishing flower bulb to be
grown as a houseplant. They have that burst of color that
brings live to any home during the winter. Amaryllis
flowers are quite large and their shape is very much that
of a trumpet and their colors range from bright reds to
some striped petals. They appear intriguing and tropical
but are easy to grow.
When purchasing your amaryllis bulbs choose the ones that
are of considerable size and stout with some roots
attached. The indoor container for transplanting needs to
be half-again as wide as the bulb. Use a sterile potting
soil and make sure to leave 1/3 of the bulb above the soil.
This method ensures that when watering the houseplant it
will not seep into the bulbs neck. Keep the soil moist but
not wet and the temperature should be above 64 degrees
F.
Place the soil potted amaryllis bulbs in bright light and
you should see buds appear in just a couple of weeks.
You also need to leave enough room in the container for
a support stake for the stems get very tall. You may
want to turn the container on a regular basis so the
stalk will remain fairly straight. Once the flower
itself starts to bloom the plant will become top-heavy
so tying the stem to the stake before blooming is a
must.
When purchasing paperwhite narcissus bulbs see if you can
get 1 or 2 dozen at a time for planting every few weeks
continuously through the month of February. You will want
to store the bulbs in a cool dry place until ready for
planting. Paperwhites are easy to grow and they have a
beautiful assemblage of white flowers with a faint
fragrance.
Paperwhite narcissus will grow in a tall vase containing
rocks, a marble filled shallow container and a pot
containing soil. They look better when they are crowded in
a container. When planting the paperwhites place the bulbs
on your planting medium and then cover the bulbs with the
same leaving the tips of the bulbs exposed.
Water these containers until you reach the base of the
bulbs. The planting medium will keep the moisture level
just right for the bulbs. Place your container in a sunny
window and do not forget to water it occasionally. The
flower buds on the bulbs that have not yet been planted
will continue to develop in the bulb. Paperwhites will also
need staking as their stems will grow tall and become
top-heavy when blooming.
Both paperwhite narcissus and amaryllis are fantastic
indoor plants to be blooming during the winter. Both can
also be planted in the backyard garden for blooming in the
spring.