Forcing Paperwhites and Amaryllis
The cold weather turns outdoor gardeners into indoor gardeners. One way to cope with a long winter is to force bulbs for indoor bloom. The top choices are those bulbs native to warmer climates, they don’t need the cold to initiate blooming. Paperwhite narcissus such as ‘Ziva’ and amaryllis dominate this category for good reason; they are very easy to cultivate. Also look for Chinese sacred lilies, a form of narcissus — which is not Chinese, sacred nor a lily — to force as a yellow alternative to paper whites.
Follow these directions for indoor bulb planting:
For paperwhites, pick healthy top size bulbs at least 12 centimeters in circumference (these are European standard sizes) for best results. Amaryllis, look for Jumbo bulbs 40 cm which can produce up to 3 scapes and multiple flowers. Standard sizes are usually 32-34 cm. When shopping avoid supermarket/big box kits. They are no bargain, as the bulbs are often undersized and not guaranteed to be of bloom size. Bulbs should be firm, blemish free and have a brown dry skin.
Pick sterilized containers with large drainage holes. A good choice for is a clay bulb or azalea pot. These are shallower work well, usually not tipping over as the plants mature. They also wick excess moisture from the soil Be prepared to stake you paperwhites as they mature! I recommend Pro-Mix as a good sterile medium for planting, adding perlite, vermiculite or sand improves drainage.
Use a small piece of screen in the bottom of your pot to cover the drainage hole, and add broken clay shards, also for drainage. Fill your pots about half full with your potting medium and place bulbs relatively tightly into soil. Half to three quarters should show above the soil slightly.
Label your pots with the variety and date planted.
Saturate the pots with a good deep watering in the sink, you should see water dripping out. These bulbs need warm indoor temperatures to grow.
