How to grow Tulips and Hyacinths in water – Step by step
To grow tulip bulbs in water you will need a glass vase, some marbles, the tulip bulbs, and of course water.
In the process you need to ‘trick’ the bulbs, pretending they survived the winter, so they can flower. This means that they have to experience a constantly cold environment while in a dormant state.
As a general rule, short-stemmed tulips tend to respond better to the growing process than long-stemmed varieties.
The most important thing is to choose healthy, large and firm bulbs.
Place a few marbles in a clean vase up to 1/3 of the way up the jar. Their purpose is to allow you to use less water in the process and to allow the roots of the tulips to rest on them.
Place the tulip bulb upside down inside the vase until it gets stuck inside.
Pour clean water up to 1cm below the bulb. It is very important that the bulb does not touch the water.
Leave the vase in a cool, dark environment to let it grow. You must wait around 16 weeks. You will need to change the water regularly. Always keep the water at the same level.
When the 16 weeks are over you can put the vase in the sunlight. Don’t forget to change the water regularly.
The right climate is very important to ensure the growth of tulips inside the water. For this, you may need refrigeration and also sunlight immediately after 16 weeks. If you live in areas with long winters then this might not work.
Chill for the time recommended for the species. They can get cold in the coldest, darkest place in your house; basement, garage or fridge, just be careful not to put them next to apples. The gas given off by fruits like apples will prevent them from blooming.
To grow a hyacinth bulb this method is a particularly easy way to bring a little spring into your home before they start to bloom naturally. You can use pots created especially for this purpose , or any vase or vase with a mouth small enough to hold the bulb without letting it fall into the water.
The purpose of a reinforced glass is to keep the bottom of the bulb away from the water. A bulb sitting directly in water will rot, but if the basal plate (the bottom of the bulb where the roots grow) is just out of reach of the water, it will begin to take root and eventually flower.
Hyacinth bulbs must be chilled before they will flower. You should place the bulbs in a marked paper bag , make sure the bag is protected from moisture and leave in a cool place for 8 weeks. This can be the fridge, or some other cool, dark place where the temperature does not exceed 50º C.
Place the vase in the light, but not in direct sunlight for the first 10 days when the bulb turns green and grows rapidly. Filtered light in a room is perfect.
