Enjoy spring flowers during cold months
stevek
Posts: 29,046 ✭✭✭✭✭
in Sports Talk
I just thought it would make for a nice pleasant change to talk about something else here, rather than discuss sports all the time. There's more to life than just sports you know.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Enjoy spring flowers during cold months
By Elaine Gaston - The Sun News
You don't have to wait until spring to enjoy your daffodils, crocuses and tulips.
With a little extra work, you can enjoy these blooming beauties and others throughout the winter in the warmth and protection of your home. You'll just have to force them to bloom.
Gary Forrester, environmental horticulturist with Clemson University Cooperative Extension Center, offered tips on how to force bulbs and care for them through the winter.
The most common to force bloom are daffodils, hyacinths, crocus and tulips, Forrester said. Others that can be forced include Dutch iris, netted iris, snowdrop, grape hyacinth, winter aconite and star-of-Bethlehem.
To force them, Forrester outlined the four phases and offered care tips:
Choose bulbs marked as easy to force. Handle them with care so as not to damage them and store them in a cool, dry place until they're ready for planting.
Bare bulbs can be stored in a mesh or paper bag in the vegetable bin of the refrigerator. Some bulbs are poisonous, so avoid storing them where children can reach them.
If you plant now, blooms will emerge in February. Those planted in November will burst forth in March and April.
Use sterilized, well-drained potting media or mix your own, combining potting soil, sphagnum peat and perlite. Fertilizer is not needed.
Bulbs must be exposed to cool temperatures between 35 and 40 degrees to prepare them for leaf and flower growth. The ideal cooling period is from 12 to 16 weeks. Store in an unheated basement, crawl space or an old refrigerator. You'll need to keep an eye on moisture content.
Once you're ready to force them, relocate them from the cooling site to a cool, well-lit area, which will encourage leaf growth and the formation of flowers. When the shoots begin turning green, move the plants to a warmer spot where they also can receive additional light. Rotate the pots so they get equal amounts of light.
Expect to see flower buds in three to four weeks. To extend the blooming plant's life, move it to a cooler room at night.
Contact ELAINE GASTON at 626-0299 or egaston@thesunnews.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Enjoy spring flowers during cold months
By Elaine Gaston - The Sun News
You don't have to wait until spring to enjoy your daffodils, crocuses and tulips.
With a little extra work, you can enjoy these blooming beauties and others throughout the winter in the warmth and protection of your home. You'll just have to force them to bloom.
Gary Forrester, environmental horticulturist with Clemson University Cooperative Extension Center, offered tips on how to force bulbs and care for them through the winter.
The most common to force bloom are daffodils, hyacinths, crocus and tulips, Forrester said. Others that can be forced include Dutch iris, netted iris, snowdrop, grape hyacinth, winter aconite and star-of-Bethlehem.
To force them, Forrester outlined the four phases and offered care tips:
Choose bulbs marked as easy to force. Handle them with care so as not to damage them and store them in a cool, dry place until they're ready for planting.
Bare bulbs can be stored in a mesh or paper bag in the vegetable bin of the refrigerator. Some bulbs are poisonous, so avoid storing them where children can reach them.
If you plant now, blooms will emerge in February. Those planted in November will burst forth in March and April.
Use sterilized, well-drained potting media or mix your own, combining potting soil, sphagnum peat and perlite. Fertilizer is not needed.
Bulbs must be exposed to cool temperatures between 35 and 40 degrees to prepare them for leaf and flower growth. The ideal cooling period is from 12 to 16 weeks. Store in an unheated basement, crawl space or an old refrigerator. You'll need to keep an eye on moisture content.
Once you're ready to force them, relocate them from the cooling site to a cool, well-lit area, which will encourage leaf growth and the formation of flowers. When the shoots begin turning green, move the plants to a warmer spot where they also can receive additional light. Rotate the pots so they get equal amounts of light.
Expect to see flower buds in three to four weeks. To extend the blooming plant's life, move it to a cooler room at night.
Contact ELAINE GASTON at 626-0299 or egaston@thesunnews.com
0
Comments
1994 Pro Line Live
TheDallasCowboyBackfieldProject