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This month . . .
Coaxing Flower Bulbs
Learning Blooms Indoors
"A
bulb is a promise," Wendy Sherman tells her preschoolers in Sudbury,
MA. "You can do your part to provide certain conditions for them,
and then you have to hope that nature comes through with the rest."
These marvelous packages, each containing a complete miniature
plant and its lunch, can brighten winter classrooms with the prospect
of spring and provide a captivating theme for studies across
the curriculum.
Light
Up Young Minds
Take the history of bulbs. Students can discover why it's paved
with intrigue and greed, hysteria and financial ruin. Why, tulips
were once considered more valuable than gold! All kinds of flower
bulbs have had fascinating journeys from their places of origin
to other parts of the world. These tiny packages are clever adaptations
that enable plants to survive harsh growing conditions. Those
that thrive in classroom conditions grow so quickly that they
inspire math minds and science investigations. And, decorated
containers of bursting buds make great gifts.
Underground Personalities
Flower bulbs generally fall into two groups. Spring-flowering
bulbs are generally planted outdoors in the fall in all but
the warmest regions. Not only can they survive cold winter
months, but these hardy bulbs actually need a period of
chilling in order to bloom in the spring. This category includes
daffodil, tulip, crocus, and hyacinth bulbs. Summer-flowering
bulbs, many of which originated in tropical climates, are
much more tender. In colder climates, you need to plant them outdoors
in the spring after the last frost and dig and store them indoors
in the fall and winter. Amaryllis, dahlia, and gladiolus bulbs
are in this category.
But
in the cocoon of your classroom, your students can coax both
groups of bulbs to reveal their resplendent flowers by providing
the right conditions for growth. So what if a little trickery
is involved! In
this issue, we share advice on bringing on the blooms. The Curriculum
Connections feature ideas for using burgeoning buds as springboards
for learning.
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Materials
(Note: You can purchase bulbs at local garden centers and nurseries
or through print or online catalogs. You'll
find paperwhites
for growing indoors in the Kidsgardening store along with a sale on
collections of spring-flowering bulbs. Click
here for details.)
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For paperwhites: container without drainage holes; clean
pebbles (1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter); large, firm paperwhite narcissus
bulbs; water
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For
amaryllis: container with drainage holes that's about 3/4 inch
larger in diameter than the bulb, well-drained potting mix
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For
spring-flowering bulbs: firm bulbs (see chart,
below), pot or other container with drainage holes (or a special
vase for hyacinths), well-drained potting mix
Coaxing
Flower Bulbs
Forcing Paperwhite
Narcissus
Paperwhites are easy to bring to flower indoors, since they don't
need a special chilling or rest period. Their delicate flowers have
a strong fragrance that some people relish and others abhor!
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Prepare
the container. Fill a container without drainage holes with
pebbles to within an inch of the rim. You can use a plastic or clay
pot, or encourage students to think creatively about alternative
materials. For instance, they might find and decorate a variety
of recycled containers, or substitute colored stones, marbles, or
other medium.
- Plant the
bulbs. Set the bulbs on the surface of the pebbles, crowding them
together so they almost touch. Add more pebbles, covering the bottom
third of the bulbs. Make sure the bulbs are not actually touching
the water, or they may grow mold.
- Water and
wait. Maintain the water level described above and leave the bulbs
in a cool location (60 to 65 degrees F) with little or no light. (This
cool darkness encourages growth.)
- Check for
growth. After a week or two, have students tug gently on the bulbs
from time to time to test for root develpoment. Once the plants feel
rooted, move them to a bright spot without direct sunight. They should
flower in three to five weeks.
Tips:
Paperwhites
last longer when temperatures are no warmer than 65 degrees F. If
it's too warm, they'll grow quickly and become floppy. To keep them
standing tall, you can support them with a circle of sticks and twine.
Nurturing Amaryllis: Tropical Treasures
These tropical
natives are dramatic, fast-growing bulbs with brilliant blooms bound
to captivate your classes year after year. And they make wonderful
holiday gifts if you plant them in early November. Unlike bulbs from
cool climates that require chilling, the amaryllis hails from warm
regions and will bloom 4 to 6 weeks after planting. Here's how to
do it:
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Plant
the bulb. Plant amaryllis in moist potting mix with about 1/3
to 1/2 the bulb protruding above the soil. Since amaryllis thrive
in cramped quarters, leave no more than 1/2- to 1-inch of space
between the bulb and the container.
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Water
and wait. Leave the pot in a warm, well-lit spot, and don't
water it again until the first leaf or flower bud starts to grow.
Then keep the soil moist. Since timing varies, this should provide
some suspense for your sharp-eyed classroom observers.
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Enjoy
the blooms. Flowers will usually appear in five or six weeks.
When they appear, move the plant to a cooler spot out of direct
sun to lengthen the life of the flowers.
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Prepare
it for another year. To make amaryllis bloom another year, cut
off the flowers once they've withered, but leave the stalk and leaves.
Leave the plant in a sunny window or GrowLab® and treat it as
you would any houseplant, watering and fertilizing it regularly.
Leaves require light, nutrients, and water to photosynthesize and
produce food for another year of growth and flowering. The leaves
will turn yellow and die in late summer or fall, signaling the plant's
dormancy. Remove the leaves, stop watering and fertilizing, and
store the pot in a cool basement until signs of new growth appear
in the winter, and the cycle begins again.
 Putting
on the Chill
(Coaxing
Spring Bulbs Indoors)
Spring bulbs are
typically planted in the ground in the fall where they spend a cold
winter, not resting but growing roots, which give them a head start
on the spring. Because true bulbs contain a miniature plant and stored
food (starch), they're ready to spring forth when conditions are right
for flowering. By simulating the natural conditions bulbs experience
outside, you and your students can coax bulbs to bloom during midwinter.
(See the Easiest Bulbs for Indoor Forcing chart,
below.) You can purchase those that have been pre-chilled for forcing
or, better yet, have your students create the artificial winter bulbs
need. In either case, the largest, firmest bulbs will produce the
best show.
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Pot
'em up. Use clean pots or containers with drainage holes and
fill them with soilless potting mix or potting soil. Place 2 inches
of soil in the pot and place bulbs on it so they're almost touching.
Add enough soil to fill the pot and water well so the soil settles.
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Simulate
winter. Challenge your students, as a class or in small groups,
to brainstorm how to provide a "winter" for your potted bulbs. If
you have enough bulbs to spare, have students test several of their
ideas, even those you think may not succeed. Ideally, the potted
bulbs should be kept at temperatures between 35 and 50 degrees F
(40 to 45 is ideal), and placed in paper bags or under boxes or
burlap to exclude light. Consider leaving them in a cool cellar,
unheated garage, or refrigerator, or buried in a cold frame under
soil or leaves. Make sure they don't freeze.
Check the soil every four weeks, and water if it's dry to the touch.
Leave the bulbs under these cold conditions for 10 to 15 weeks,
by which point a root system and small pale shoots will have emerged.
- Bring on spring.
To encourage strong shoots and to acclimate them to their new conditions
once you bring them out, keep bulbs out of direct sun or bright light
for several weeks. Water when the soil is dry to the touch. The white
shoots will soon turn green as they begin to develop chlorophyll and
photosynthesize. As soon as flower buds appear, put pots in brighter
light on a windowsill or GrowLab®. Once the flowers bloom, in
about 2 to 4 weeks, less direct light and cooler temperatures will
encourage them to bloom longer.
Tip: Although
most bulbs cannot be forced to bloom indoors more that once, many
stand a chance of blooming the following year if planted at the recommended
depth outdoors once the weather has warmed in the spring. (Note: tulips
that have been forced will typically not bloom again.)
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Easiest Bulbs for Indoor Forcing (Coaxing!)
Tender
Bulbs (No chilling required)
Paperwhite narcissus — Grow in gravel or sand.
Amaryllis — Plant in early November for holiday flowers.
Spring-Flowering Bulbs (Need chilling)
Crocus — Chill for 12-14 weeks. Grow in gravel or water.
Hyacinth — Chill for 12 weeks. Grow in special 'hyacinth'
vases of water.
Dwarf iris (Iris reticulata) — Chill for 15 weeks.
Grow in well-drained soil mix.
Grape hyacinth (Muscari) — Chill for 16 weeks. Grow in
soil mix.
Tulips — Chill for at least 15 weeks. Grow in soil mix.
Daffodils — Chill for 12-14 weeks. Provide lots of strong,
bright light for forcing.
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Copyright©
2003 National Gardening Association
Growing Ideas Classroom Projects is a benefit for NGA's Members
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Contents
Pg.
1: Coaxing Flower Bulbs
Background
Materials
Coaxing
Flower Bulbs
Easiest
Bulbs for
Indoor Forcing
Pg.
2: Curriculum Connections
Which End is Up?
Discovering
a Colorful History
Exploring Bulbs:
From the Inside Out
Grappling
with Growth
Play
the Pollinators
Pg.
3: Resources
Web Sites
Dutch
Bulbs Award!
Great Deals on
Bulbs
Fundraising
with Bulbs
Related
Articles
Turn
on Learning With Bulbs
Forcing
Tulips Indoors
Planting
Bulbs
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