The bulbs need to be 40 degrees or colder. I think for at least 8 weeks. I would recommend potting them up and putting pots outside now. They should bloom at about the normal time.

Thanks so much! Just what I needed to know:-) I'll get them potted up right away and out on the porch.
VG

Vegangirl, unless your porch is enclosed, you'll want to insulate those pots with leaves or mulch or perhaps a Styrofoam cooler. I'm in a different zone 6 from you, but here, bulbs left outside all winter in uninsulated pots don't tend to make it. In my experience, the best thing to do is to pot the bulbs in well-draining, frost-proof pots and bury the pots in the garden over the winter. They'll be insulated by the surrounding soil (just like bulbs planted straight in the ground) and will bloom at their regular time.

One more thing: newly planted bulbs need a few weeks ABOVE freezing to develop roots. Temps at about 45-50*F are ideal for this, I believe. If you're having warm (i.e., 40* or above) weather, go ahead and put the pots outside right away. But if temps dip below freezing at night, you might want to pot the daffs up now and water thoroughly, then put them back into the basement. Meanwhile, if you can, dig a trench in the yard big enough to accommodate the pots, and put them into it after 2 or so weeks.

Good luck!

Amanda

Amanda, Thanks for the extra information. Our lows have been in the 20's this week and were in the single digits last week. The ground is frozen so I can't dig a trench. I wish I had potted them up in Nov:-( I'll figure out some way to keep them cold enough after the roots form, but not freezing. Thanks again!
VG

This is what I did last year with my daffodils and hyacinths(& will be doing again soon!)

I find a very deep pot - one which will allow 5 inches of soil to be covering the bulbs from above and 5 inches of soil to be remaining below the bulb. (around 11/12 inches in total I suppose) I plant the bulbs at the depth recommended in the pot. I use a lot of sand & gravel mixed in - as bulbs usually like well draining sandy soil that could prevent rot.

I water the bulbs in well (sometimes soaking the bulbs for a few hours prior). If you have bonemeal, add it the bottom before planting. Fertilize the water you use for the first watering, and leave the pot somewhere in the garage where it is not freezing but cool (single digits will be fine). The location should also be in a dark place.

Let the pot stay there for two to three weeks depending on if there is rapid growth happening. If you see the soil sort of pushing up quickly, that means the bulbs are sprouting stems. Just as long as they are not breaking the surface of the soil everything should go smoothly as planned. Note: The cooler it is, the less rapid the growth.

After the wait period (or root development period) aclimatize the pot to the actual weather outdoors (as you would an indoor seedling by leaving them out for an hour or two and gradually increasing their stay outdoors). I think of this as tricking the bulbs into thinking that it was fall when you planted them, and pretending winter is beginning with the first frost and ground freeze. Within a week or even a few days (depending on how cool your garage has been) you should be able to leave the entire pot outside without worry and the bulbs will not notice their artificial environment or circumstances. Just pile some more soil on top of the pot to make sure any fast growing shoots are not about to break the surface, and mound the entire pot (or pots) with snow. (You can also dig a trench as someone previously mentioned and stick them in there).

Daffodils are really tough (depending on the variety), hyacinths just need really good drainage and resent being waterlogged.

Overall, good luck - but I doubt you will need it... 8^)

Video.

Hi Vegangirl,
I agree with Video. As long as the bulbs have a few weeks to establish roots before freezing they should be fine. I potted bulbs up late, gave them a few weeks to root and then put them out in an unheated garage. The pots then froze and were solid blocks of frozen dirt and bulbs for about three months but then thawed out and bloomed normally.
Be careful if you put them outside in the open yard, the pots heat up and cool down quickly out in the open..... the freezing and thawing may waterlog the pot, turn it into a muddy icecube and kill the bulbs.

also when Video says "not freezing but cool (single digits will be fine)", remember it's Celsius not F. ;~)

LOL Yes, as Kato_B pointed out, I think in Celsius...

....growing up in Canada I have absolutely no idea what farenheit is. 8^)

"Be careful if you put them outside in the open yard, the pots heat up and cool down quickly out in the open..... the freezing and thawing may waterlog the pot, turn it into a muddy icecube and kill the bulbs."

Yup! You've received great advice from everyone, but that was what I was worried about with the pots out on your porch. It's not the cold that kills them, it's the freeze-thaw. In my zone 6, we have that for months, so things in pots need to be insulated from heating up/cooling down too quickly. An unheated garage works wonderfully. If you don't have one, try burying the pots in a big pile of leaves, mulch, or compost. You might want to make a cage out of chicken wire or screening to hold the leaves/mulch in place on windy days.

And when all else fails...there's the refrigerator, which is where my potted bulbs go. I live with a very, very patient non-gardener. :)

Amanda

Wow! Thanks, everyone for the great tips. LOL, I saw that Video was in Montreal and quickly figured out it was a Celsius temp:-) We have the freeze/thaw problem too. I'm glad to know the pots can freeze and be OK. I don't have an unheated garagebut do have an unheated storage building. I saw a red squirrel in there last week so I'll have to protect the pots from him, I'm afraid. Thanks again!!
VG

I don['t think your squirrel will bother the daffodils. Tulips yes, but daffodils are poisonous, and I've never had any problem with any little critters eating them. I also had no success with the pots outdoors, maybe it was the freeze/thaw that did them in. I force hyacinths in my refrigerator every year. I have an extra refrigerator in the basement, so I put in a few pots in the fall, and take them out after 8-10 weeks. I take 1 pot out every 3 weeks or so. In fact, I am taking my first one out tonight. That way, I have flowers indoors over the winter, and the hyacinth fragrance perfumes the whole room. They do take up space in the refrigerator though, but I do some in hyacinth glasses, which don't take too much space. I've never tried daffodils this way though.

hpny2, Oh that's right! I forgot that daffodils are poisonous. Well, that's great:-) I love the fragrance of hyacinths!! It would be nice to have it all winter long:-) It sounds fairly easy so I might try that next year.
VG