I grow hyacinths and other bulbs using the 'forcing' method. I can never locate a 'proper' forcing vase so I improvise by using a small vase or jar - something slightly smaller in diameter than the actual bulb so that the bulb sits in the neck of the vase. Fill the container with water and make sure the bottom of the bulb does not contact the water - about a quarter inch clearance. Put it in the fridge, the roots will eventually reach down into the water and wait until the shoot at the top of the bulb appears (this can take anywhere from 6 - 10 weeks). Then put in a dark cupboard for about 10 days until the shoot is starting to turn green, then place on the window sill for light (not full sun). After that - enjoy to your heart's content. You can only get one season from the bulbs this way but it's worth it. And don't forget - there are many bulbs we Banana Benders can enjoy by growing this way.
LYN

BigW often has them as a kit, with a limited choice of what bulb is included. Bulb Express has them too.

(Needless to say, I have no financial interest in either of these companies)

Ooo, there's a problem with our fridge but. It's got tomatoes and apples in there. Could the ethylene they release kill off the bud in the bulb? Will I have to get Mum and Dad to put the apples, tomatoes, citrus etc. in the pantry while I have my bulbs in there? What do I do?

I had a look in Meredith Kirton's 'Dig' today, and her method is to put a deep layer of gravel in a pot with no hole, fill it with water, and have the bulbs rest on the gravel just above the water. Also, what bulbs can be forced in our climate?

Saintin

Blow the food! One has to have one's priorities straight.

If your parents refuse to cooperate you could always resort to eating all the fruit to get rid of it. :)

Great idea Liatris! I must say though, Dad might kill me if I eat all his peaches! I might have to exercise my cookery muscles and concoct poached peaches, peach melba, peach muffins etc. to get away with it.

BTW, I have rummaged a few garden centres and none of them have bulbs. When do they appear in the shops? I was hoping to buy some to throw in the fridge to start forcing them.

Oh well. Happy gardening!

Saintin

Saw some in Kmart this week.

Where abouts, Amelie? I'm in Morningside, so my closest Kmart is at Cannon Hill.

Saintin

You won't have to wait long - soon they'll be everywhere you look.

Perhaps you could get around the peach problem by telling your dad you're doing it for Mothers Day? ;)

Sunnybank - check out the Kmart brochures. Big W should have them too, and Bunnings. On Better Homes and Gardens tonight - Noni was talking about growing bulbs in the little vases. I'm sure I've seen them for sale somewhere ...
A lot of people on the forums get their bulbs through specialist mailorder companies (better quality and good range) - there have been previous posts regarding this subject. Might be worth re-asking as it's that season now.

I had a squiz in the Kmart catalogue, but there's nothing there so far. Will have to venture into the store to see if they have any bulbs.

Crossing my fingers,

Saintin

Saw bulbs in Big W yesterday.

Just three words said last night made me race into my house. My brother only had to say 'Your bulb's here'. I got my hyacinth and forcing glass! And Bulb Express was nice enough to include 10 free Freesia bulbs.

There seems to be only ONE dilemma. I really want to put the hyacinth bulb in a cool environment like the fridge, but Mum said that the tomatoes HAVE to stay. What is this!!!? Before we moved, we always had them in the pantry. So the fruit stays.

Would it be okay to store the forcing glass and bulb in an esky, if you put a few litres of cool water in the esky, and then keep the glass in the water and close the esky lid? Apparently, I'm not meant to store the bulb in a closed container, but the image of the container only looked like an average lunchbox. Advice please!

Saintin

Saintin, I asked Ian at Bub Express about this - his response basically was that your dad BADLY needs a beer fridge. He tells me beer and tulips get on quite well.

Have solved the beer fridge problem. I used my auntie's! She also has a tiny fridge not more than about 30-40cm in width and height that's she's willing to give to me for forcing bulbs!

I've decided to make a little more sensible decision and have got jonquils. They should be okay, right?

Saintin

P.S. Six weeks to go until I get my hyacinth back now

OK - first thing is to get those tomatoes OUT of the fridge. Anyone who knows anything about tomatoes knows that they should NOT be stored in the fridge. They are completely tasteless if refrigerated. Nothing tastes better than a home grown tomato, ripened in a bowl on the bench, and they sit there enticing you to eat them. Think I'll go munch on one now..........

Fridges are for stratifying iris seeds, storing pollen, starting growth on lillium scales, etc, etc. What is this obsession with keeping food in the fridge. Food is meant to be eaten.

Haha Sparaxis I totally agree!!! My dad would always get mad at me because I take up the whole bottom shelf with little pots of seeds I have to stratify. And yes I do keep my tomatoes in a bowl, next to the toaster so I can have tomatoes on toast whenever I feel like it :-)

Lauren

'So what's the best plan of attack to the mindnumbing androids called Parents? It seems that no matter how hard teenagers may try, Parents are always willing to have their own way, even if the tomatoes may taste like a watery lump of grainy paper pulp because of refrigeration. Just how much longer will teenage gardeners have to wait until their wishes for forcing bulbs in the vegetable crisper are granted? Only time will tell.' -Liz Hayes 'Oppressed by the Parents', 60 Minutes.

Ideas anyone? My parents are a stubborn lot and still refuse to take the tomatoes out of the fridge. 'They'll rot!' they cry. 'They won't last as long!' they declare. They also insist on frozen vegetable and instant meal packs!!! They taste like nothing except greenish water.

What can I say to make my parents see reason and logic??

Saintin

Ah, that one's simple. Learn to cook!

Haha - Saintin - the answer is "grow Up" and I mean that in the nicest way possible. Wait a little while and you will be free to make your own choices.
My home grown tomatoes haven't seen the fridge at all, and we have had heaps of luscious fruit. The last 4 buckets full are ripening slowly in the laundry.
If your parents are not reasoning, logical creatures, then nothing will change them. I have been trying to make my mum understand me for 53 years - it really isn't worth the angst.
As a child, I knew I was different in the way I thought about things, and my mother always called me the "black sheep' of the family. Funny thing is - I always thought that was meant to be a compliment :-) I could never see any problem with following my own mind, although I heard the expression "If I said it was black you would say it was white" so many times that I did eventually develop the stubborn habit of never agreeing with my mother on principle :-)

I got my vase from Tesselaars - and use it for hyacinths

I used a taco sauce container that had a perfect sized neck for it. (no the container wasn't empty yet, but it was when I was through, you have to have priorities)
:-)

As a parent I am totally dunbfounded that your parents are being so controlling of the fridge. If either of my twins (13) showed even the slightest interest in gardening or bulb forcing I think I would celebrate by buying them their own fridge. I think you should make your parents aware of the fact that if you are not able to develop your bulbs then you are going to change hobies and take up learing the drums. Let me tell you with drums and saxaphone jam sessions going on in my house I would gladly sacrifice the whole fridge, for afternoon peace. NAH they are fun kids I encouraged them in the 1st place and love seeing them together and their friends making a riot.

Fancy kits are nice, but any shallow dish will do. I did, however purchased a bag of decorative rocks to plant them in. One caution...be careful not to over water. The roots will reach for the water in the bottom of the container, if the bulbs sit in water too long they will rot and i don't think that's the smell you're going for with hyacinth.

I purchased tulips in early spring, in full bloom, in a glass container that had a graded platform which held the bulb suspended several inches off of the bottom of the container. When I purchased them I was told to keep the water level so the bulbs were 3/4's covered. I think this may have been a forcing container but I am not sure. Did they keep the water level 1/4" below the bulbs until they became rooted and then increase the water level. I love this container and would love to start more bulbs but I am not sure how. Can you help me.

I'm sorry, but I cannot help you. I am in the same situation, for I have never forced a flowering bulb. I would like to know how to root a hyacinth bulb quickly, and efficiently. Any advice would be welcomed!

Amaryllis Man