Hyacinth is ornamental plant, as if it came down to us from a vintage picture. After all, it attracts not only its amazing beauty, but also an extraordinary aroma! About what planting and caring for fabulous hyacinths planted in open ground, as well as what varieties and methods of propagation exist, and, finally, how these flowers are used in landscape design and which plants are best combined with, you will find out in the article!

Description: varieties and varieties of hyacinths

The amazing hyacinth flower with the most delicate colors and captivating aroma is one of the first to begin to bloom in spring garden, driving gardeners crazy with its colorful and fragrant inflorescences. Rich color palette ranging from snow-white and yellowish to burgundy and resin-colored, complemented by the amazing shape of the inflorescences, it amazes the imagination. No wonder they call it hyacinth universal plant: This rain flower is great for planting in the ground and early forcing in greenhouses. You will learn further about how to plant and care for the plant, what propagation methods exist and how picturesque hyacinths are used in landscape design!

Hyacinths have many colors and shades

The homeland of hyacinths is Asia Minor and Greece. Here you can find wild flowering plants at every step. The flowers owe their popularity largely to Holland, where famous breeders were actively involved in their cultivation. This is where many come from hybrid varieties who came to our country. By the way, about varieties. Information from sources varies, but, as breeders assure, there are at least three types of hyacinths in nature:

• Transcaspian (Hyacinthus transcaspicus);
• Litvinova (Hyacinthus litwinowii);
• eastern (Hyacinthus orientalis), which became the ancestor decorative varieties this plant.

Oriental hyacinth

Blooming only once per season, hyacinths are usually distinguished by flowering dates: garden culture can be early, mid and late flowering.

In the middle zone of our vast country, delicate hyacinths bloom early, making worthy company with the first tulips. Weather conditions inherent in a particular region can shift the flowering time by 2-3 weeks, so these plants are considered very sensitive to climate and air temperature. The duration of the flowering process is from 7 to 15 days, again taking into account whether the weather is favorable or not.

Planting a plant

Plant hyacinths in the ground in the fall

Important! When choosing the moment to plant, first make sure that the plant's bulbs can take root before frost. This will increase all chances of wintering, and already next spring your garden will be filled with colorful and fragrant hyacinths. If you plant flowers too early, you may not see shoots: the bulbs will simply die. But too late planting threatens that the bulbs will not have time to form their root system, and the soil will already freeze.

When choosing a place for planting, remember that the homeland of capricious hyacinth is warm countries, therefore they should be planted on sunny and windless hills, having prepared the soil in advance. The flower makes special demands on it: the soil must be permeable with a considerable content of humus. However, it is better not to resort to using fresh and slightly decomposed humus. If the soil is dense and clayey, then it is mixed with peat and sand. On soil with high acidity, a gardener will not be able to grow a luxurious flower bed, so such soil will have to be diluted with limestone or chalk.

Soil liming

Attention! The soil for planting is dug up to a depth of 40 cm, mixed with mineral and organic fertilizers, if necessary, add lime. Then the soil is leveled and covered with film in anticipation of planting. This will prevent weeds from appearing.

Before planting, the material is carefully examined. It is better to get rid of soft and diseased bulbs immediately. For planting, use medium-sized bulbs, since the plants grown from them will be easier to withstand bad weather, but larger bulbs are more suitable for forcing.

Hyacinth bulbs

Hyacinth bulbs are planted to a depth of 15-17 cm at a distance of 15 cm from each other. If the baby is small, then the depth and distance will have to be slightly reduced. Having completed the planting work, the soil is sprinkled with a mulch layer (sawdust, peat, fallen leaves), and after the temperature drops to 0ºC and persistent cold weather appears, it is covered with a film or other covering material, which is then removed. in early spring when the ground thaws a little.

Hyacinth care

Delicate and quivering hyacinths used in landscape design are very demanding to care for, therefore Special attention Care should be taken to keep the soil around the seedlings clean. Periodically it loosens. This will help create the plant favorable conditions growth. If your hyacinths are not happy abundant flowering, then the soil is probably not moistened enough.

Be sure to loosen the soil around hyacinths

Hyacinths love water very much, they especially need moisture during the dry season. During its growing season, the plant requires feeding, and culling is considered a mandatory preventive measure, which is carried out 2-3 times per season. The peduncle is not torn off by hand, but carefully cut off with a knife; if you do not plan to cut the hyacinths at all, then the wilted flowers are torn off and the peduncle is left.

Fertilizer and feeding of hyacinths

The key condition for growing flowering plants is regular feeding. First time mineral supplement occurs in early spring, when sprouts are just beginning to appear. Superphosphate, ammonium nitrate or potassium chloride can be used as fertilizers. With the formation of the first buds, the plant is fed a second time using the same fertilizers. The crop is fed the third time after flowering, when the hyacinth must store nutrients for the formation of renewal buds and the formation of axillary buds. Potassium is used for feeding, phosphate fertilizers, as well as potassium chloride and superphosphate, previously dissolved in water.

Advice! After making necessary fertilizers, the soil is thoroughly loosened!

To make the plant feel comfortable, it is better to mulch the soil.

Plant propagation

Typically, breeders use the seed method to breed varieties. Crops grown in this way will delight you with their colorful inflorescences only after 5-7 years. The seeds are sown closer to October in a container with soil mixed with humus and fine sand, and grown in closed greenhouses for 2 years.

The process of natural reproduction of flowers proceeds extremely slowly. An adult bulb can form only one to three children. If the baby is easy to separate from the mother bulb, then it is grown separately, otherwise it is not broken off, but planted in the ground together with the mother bulb.

Sprouting hyacinth bulb

The bulbs selected for propagation are pre-treated with a solution of potassium permanganate (1%) and dried over the next two days.

Diseases and pests

Grown hyacinths rarely suffer from pests and are almost not susceptible to disease. However, if signs of pest damage were noticed (cessation of growth, bending of peduncles, wilting or yellowing), then the reasons may be the following:

• contaminated material was used for planting;
• unsuitable soil (waterlogged or acidic);
• excess mineral supplements;
• improper culling of bulbs for planting;
• incorrectly carried out prevention;
• violation of disembarkation rules.

Hyacinth disease bacterial rot

Of the diseases that hyacinth may encounter, the most common is bacterial yellow rot, which turns the bulbs into a slimy formation with a pungent odor. As a result of infection, the crop stops growing, and spots and stripes may form on the leaves. The diseased plant must be removed from the flower bed, and the vacated hole is carefully etched with bleach.

Hyacinths: combination with other plants

In landscape design, fabulous hyacinths go well with many spring bulbous plants that bloom around the same period as hyacinths. The most organic and picturesque tandem is formed by:

• bright blue hyacinths and sunny daffodils;
• blue hyacinths and snow-white tulips;
• orange hyacinths and scarlet tulips.

Hyacinths look great with other spring flowers.

Hyacinths in landscape design

Hyacinth is a universal flower, because it is successfully grown in flower beds in open ground, in flowerpots and pots on windowsills. These look incredibly elegant flowering plants one color scheme in the company of plump and short ones perennial crops. A garden path framed by well-groomed hyacinths, as well as trees and shrubs decorated with them, will look wonderful. Gardeners claim that it is better to plant hyacinths together with other plants so that after they bloom, the soil does not become empty.

Growing hyacinth at home: video

Hyacinths in the garden: photo

You will look at the hyacinth flowers and imagine how beautiful the flowers of paradise are, if such beauty is scattered on our sinful earth, the sensation of which is not only purely aesthetic, but almost physical - to the point of awe!

Hyacinth is part of the lily family, which includes about 30 species flower plants. Most of them grow in Mediterranean and South Asian countries. The most popular is the oriental hyacinth, widespread in Greece, Syria, Lebanon and Southern Turkey. In the south of Russia, unpretentious white and blue hyacinths are common, cultivated on summer cottages and city flower beds.

Hyacinths have been known since the times of the Roman Empire, although they became widespread in Europe only at the beginning of the 16th century, especially among elite connoisseurs of fragrant and beautiful blue flowers. Over time, from the 17th century onwards, hyacinths became the subject of professional breeding and by the early 19th century their flowering family numbered approximately 2,000 varieties. The flowers have become large, double and simple - one thing has not changed - the romantic aroma. Nowadays, in European countries there is a whole flower industry for growing hyacinths.

Bright hyacinths are the smile of early spring! As soon as the frosts recede, they throw out their green “ears” from the cool soil, listen and are followed by a flower arrow filled with buds on a plump stalk, which gradually opens its amazing flowers until the entire bunch is completely revealed. Bright and delicate candles of hyacinths of various colors have been displayed for quite a long time. What a flexible flower this is: it agrees to grow and bloom even on the windowsill at home!

Growing and caring for hyacinths

Hyacinths, if possible, are best planted in sunny or half-lit areas of the site protected from the wind. When growing hyacinths, you must remember that they prefer light and fairly loose soil, with a moderate humus content, allowing good penetration of moisture and air. The place for hyacinths should be level, but with a slight slope that does not allow precipitation to stagnate. In some cases, it is necessary to do drainage in this case or create bulk beds, taking into account that the groundwater should drop by at least 50-60 centimeters. Otherwise, the bulbs will rot and die.

After flowering of the hyacinth, it is necessary to cut off the peduncles as high as possible from the bulb, and the leaves will fall off on their own over time, so that the bulbs receive from them everything useful for further growing season. By the beginning of autumn, it is necessary to mulch the hyacinth growing area, without removing dried leaves, with ripe (two-year-old) compost. Firstly, feeding the bulbs will begin immediately in the fall; secondly, such mulching will protect the hyacinth bulbs from the winter cold. Thirdly, in the spring you will get abundant growth and luxurious flowering of a healthy plant.

How to replant and propagate hyacinth

This is what beginner gardeners most often ask after some trial and error. In the conditions of the southern part middle zone In Russia and its southwestern territory, hyacinth bulbs are planted in the soil from September to early October-November (in the very south) - neither earlier nor later. This is due to the peculiarities of the hyacinth growing season: if you plant it earlier, it will begin to grow and die in the first frost; later, they will not have time to take root before the soil freezes.

At the beginning of November, planting hyacinths is troublesome: you need to first insulate the flowerbed with straw or leaves, plant the bulbs at least 15-20 centimeters deep at an interval of at least 15 centimeters, and cover the top from rain, snow and frosty wind with plastic wrap, securing its edges well . For any planting method, intending to get large inflorescences in the spring, add a pinch of complex to the planting hole. mineral fertilizer, sprinkle it with soil and place the hyacinth bulb.

At good choice places and proper care some types of hyacinths feel good and bloom annually in the same place for several years in a row, growing in a mat. But according to all the rules, it is better to change the place where hyacinth grows annually to avoid the accumulation of pests and viruses that infect them. Returning to your previous place can only happen after 3 years. This rule also applies to other bulbous plants - they have common pests and diseases. Bulbs, such as tulips, should not be planted in place of hyacinth.

When preparing for hyacinths, you need to take into account the following: the dug up soil should allow natural shrinkage, so as not to do this during rains along with the thin roots of the hyacinth bulb that has awakened to grow - they can tear. It is better to dig up the soil using two shovels, since the hyacinth roots go deep up to 50 centimeters. If the soil is clayey, add sand and peat along with humus (per 1 m2 - up to 15 kilograms), wood ash and superphosphate.

It is ideal to propagate hyacinth by children, by lateral bulbs from the mother bulb, of which several are formed around it over the summer. These bulbs are carefully separated during the hyacinth's summer dormancy period and planted in a prepared area in early autumn, where in 2-3 years they will turn into reproductive specimens and bloom.

Theoretically, hyacinth can be propagated by seeds, but in gardening practice this is almost impossible: they will bloom only after 5-6 years and there is no guarantee of reproducing parental qualities.

Pests and diseases of hyacinth

Like many plants, pests and diseases in hyacinth are a sad result improper care. Leaves turn yellow - most likely overmoistening, shading, drafts. Shade during flowering can cause leaf lethargy and elongation. Improper watering with drops falling on the buds can lead to them not opening. Violation of the dormant period can also slow down the growth of hyacinth.

Here are several reasons for hyacinths not blooming: insufficiently large bulbs were selected for forcing; maintenance of bulbs selected for forcing with violations temperature regime(exceeding the forcing temperature by 4-5 warm degrees deforms hyacinth flowers); premature removal of bulbs to open sunlight.

Naturally growing hyacinth has almost no insect pests - it is still cool for them while it is blooming. And most of all, hyacinths suffer from yellow bacterial rot, which turns the bulb into mucus with an unpleasant and pungent odor. Sick plants should be destroyed immediately. Etch the growing hole with a 5% formaldehyde solution or bleach and keep it in quarantine for several years.

Many summer residents strive to grow hyacinths on their property, planting and caring for them in the open ground requires a certain amount of time. In this article we will look at how to grow these beautiful flowers (even in those regions where the ground freezes in winter), when to dig up hyacinths, how to store the bulbs, and how to propagate the variety you like.

Hyacinths in a flowerbed (photo by Nadezhda Abramovich, Krasnodar)

In early spring, as soon as the snow melts, green arrows of hyacinths sprout from the ground. This flower with a charming and pronounced aroma comes in all shades of the rainbow. The tassel-shaped inflorescences can be either regular or double in structure; there are usually 20-30 buds on the peduncle.

Planting hyacinths in the ground: choosing bulbs and where to plant them

The perennial hyacinth is a bulbous crop; the size of the bulb may vary depending on the type of flower. Planting material is considered mature by 5-6 years, when it is fully formed. The tuber is a scaly sphere with a renewal bud - it is this that affects its growth. By the 5th year, adult bulbs usually acquire children, which form near the bottom and are hidden under the scales.

Hyacinth, photo of flowers:

When choosing tubers, you should pay attention to the following nuances:

1. Bulbs terry species often smaller in size, unlike their regular counterparts.
2. To grow flowers in open ground, the tuber must have at least 4 cm in diameter, a full-fledged active bud and multiple scales. Elasticity and heaviness are indicators of the healthy state of the bulb.
3. The appearance of the bulb should be perfect - no damage, wilted sides, or mold.
4. Root buds should be present on the lower part of the tuber (near the bottom).
5. The bottom of a bulb suitable for planting should be approximately one and a half to two times smaller than the bulb itself (we are talking about volume).

The pledge of long-term and lush flowering is not only high quality planting material, but also the landing site itself. You can plant a flower garden near trees or bushes, but not very close to them. The place for plants should be windless and well lit by sunlight. The soil needs to be loose; if your site is dominated by chernozem or loam, then it is advisable to add peat to it in advance (sand can also be used). Turf soil or leaf humus are excellent conditions for the development, growth and flowering of hyacinths.

As a fertilizer, organic matter gives good results, but manure should not be used. If the soil is acidic (pH above 6.5), then it should be diluted with dolomite (limestone) flour. Hyacinth tubers do not like excessive humidity. If groundwater on your site lies close to the surface (closer than 0.5 m), you cannot do without arranging high beds. In addition, the plants will have to provide a high-quality drainage substrate, as well as make a slight slope of the ridge - for better outflow of water during rains and spring melting of snow. With the arrival of spring raised beds are warmed up faster by the sun's rays, hyacinths bloom much earlier.

When to plant hyacinths

The best time to plant bulbs is mid-September/October. It should be taken into account that if you plant a tuber too early, it will begin to develop, but will not survive the winter and will freeze. If you plant hyacinths too late, they will not have time to take root and get used to the place - accordingly, they will also die. If you are late with planting, then hurry up by the first week of November - this is the most late date. To do this you will have to resort to additional measures- cover the planting site with fallen leaves, spruce branches or any other covering to prevent the bulbs from freezing.

Is it possible to plant hyacinths in spring? I often see gardeners asking about spring planting hyacinths. Most likely, this question arises if you bought or were given a blooming hyacinth in a pot. What to do with the onion in this case? First, let the flower bloom. Secondly, you should not immediately transplant the bulb into open ground. Let the bulb ripen: reduce watering, leave the flower alone, wait until all the leaves turn yellow and begin to die. It will take about a month and a half. After this, release the bulb from the pot and leave it in a shaded place until September-October (timing depends on the region). And then do as the advice recommends planting hyacinths in the fall.

Growing hyacinths in open ground

It is highly advisable to prepare the soil in advance - dig to a depth of approximately 40-45 cm and add the required additives (depending on the composition and condition of the soil). Limestone (200 g), wood ash(150 g), superphosphate (50-70 g), magnesium sulfate (10 g) or potassium (20 g) are added at an approximate rate per 1 m² of land. To prevent the fragile young roots from being damaged during planting, digging up the soil at the site of the future flower garden is also important. When deepening the bulbs, the soil temperature should be approximately 8-11 degrees, the distance between the tubers should be no more than 10-15 cm. If flowers are planted in beds, then the row spacing should be approximately 18-22 cm. If you want different varieties hyacinths bloom at the same time, make sure that all tubers are approximately the same in size.

Hyacinth, photo of bulbs:

The area for the future flower garden is mulched with leaves or some other suitable material and covered with plastic film to retain heat. After the tubers are buried, the area is sprinkled with sawdust or peat, and it can also be covered again with foliage or coniferous spruce branches. Special covering material is perfect for these purposes. With the arrival of the first days of spring protective covering can be removed to make way for the hatching hyacinth sprouts.

As mentioned above, the bulbs must be healthy, but if you are still afraid of fungal manifestations, you can first soak them in a fungicide solution. The width and depth of the hole for the tuber should be equal to two of its sizes - approximately 15-25 cm, you can pour a little sand on the bottom, and then bury the tuber bottom down (about 13-15 cm). The bulb is sprinkled with soil, which needs to be lightly compacted and then watered. Root system the plant absorbs moisture and nutrients from the ground within a radius of approximately 20 cm from the tuber - this should be taken into account. Small onions should not be deeply buried; they should also be planted quite densely.

How to care for hyacinth

After the protective cover is removed, plant care will consist of weeding, regular watering, loosening the soil, and fertilizing. It should be borne in mind that hyacinths do not tolerate weeds in the vicinity. When buds begin to form and flowering time arrives, fertilizing the soil becomes especially important. After pecking the sprouts, the flowers can be fed with saltpeter (25-30 g per 1 m²).

The second stage of fertilizer follows during the period when the buds gain color. Now besides ammonium nitrate you can add potassium chloride (25 g) and a phosphorus additive (for example, superphosphate, 35 g). At the end of flowering, superphosphate and potassium chloride are applied to the area - 35 g of each product per 1 m² of area. Fertilizers are used to treat row spacing or spaces between flowers; fertilizing is always followed by watering.

Hyacinths - how to care after flowering? Unfortunately, this wonderful period is fleeting; after the flowers dry, you should continue to saturate the roots with moisture. In order for the tubers to recover well after flowering, watering and fertilizers should come first. If you live in a “cold” region, then you cannot leave hyacinths for the winter; they will have to be dug up - these are necessary measures for the further favorable formation of replacement buds.

If you live in Kuban, Crimea, and the northern Caucasus, then annual digging of tubers can be avoided, but only if the summer is very hot. It should be borne in mind that bulbs left in the ground will produce much fewer flowers next year.

Hyacinths have not been transplanted for a long time (photo by Anna Nepetrovskaya, Novokubansk, Krasnodar Territory)

When to dig up hyacinths after flowering

The optimal period is the last weeks of June - the first half of July, when the leaves of the plant become yellow and weak. The above-ground part of the flower is removed, the tubers are removed from the soil, washed with water and dried thoroughly. Next, we carry out an audit - we throw away damaged (or with obvious signs of disease) copies. If there are undeveloped children on the bulb, they are separated and set aside for growing. Before storage, all tubers must be treated against diseases and pests.

Planting material, photo:

After all manipulations, the bulbs should rest for about 7-10 days in a well-ventilated place at an air temperature of +17..+20 °C. To do this, they need to be laid out on clean paper, and after the specified time has passed, hidden in paper bags. It is the period after flowering, as well as the time of processing and storage of tubers, that are the most important for hyacinths. At this time, the planting material is acclimatized, the scales dry out, and the tubers are prepared for the summer period.

If the summer temperature is sufficiently high, air access and moderate humidity should be provided to the bulbs (if the thermometer reaches +30°C). About three weeks before planting, the temperature in the room with the bulbs should be lowered to +16 °C - this will help them adapt before planting.

How to propagate hyacinths at home

Separately, it is worth considering methods of reproduction, since tubers can produce flowers over the course of two or three years, but at the same time they will not have children. To do this, the bulbs need stimulation, which is carried out in various ways.

Cutting out the bottom of a hyacinth tuber

Even when planting on the site, the place where the largest bulbs are planted is determined. After the leaves of the plant turn yellow, the tuber is removed from the ground and immediately, without allowing it to dry out, they arrange a “shower” under strong pressure of water. During this process, old scales are removed along with the soil. Next, the bulbs are laid out in one layer in a ventilated box, taken out to a shaded place, and dried for about 7-10 days. After this time, using a sharp knife, a wedge-shaped cut is made on the bottom, in which the kidney and the bottom itself are completely removed. The cut area must be treated with crushed activated carbon.

After this operation, the tubers are placed in a container, the bottom of which is covered with a layer of perlite. The bulbs should be placed with the cut bottom facing up. Next, the container is placed in a large plastic bag(you can use garbage bags) to create the required microclimate. At a temperature of + 30 °C and high humidity Children will appear at the cutting site, and after 2-3 months they will reach about 1 cm, acquire the rudiments of roots and send out small shoots. If cutting the bottom was done in the first months of summer, then the tuber with children can be planted in the soil and covered with sawdust (or peat).

If time is lost, then the tubers are turned upside down, placed in a container with soil, placed in the cold (refrigerator, basement), and with the onset of spring they are planted on the site.

After the hyacinths have bloomed, what should you do with them next? With the onset of August, these tubers are dug up (by that time they are already covered with children), and the children are separated. By the beginning of September, the young generation of hyacinths is buried in the soil and covered with a 10 cm layer of mulch (sawdust, coniferous spruce branches, foliage, peat). At the end of the first winter, the mulch layer is removed, but left in place after the second winter. In the third year, such hyacinths give color and delight you with a wonderful aroma.

Reproduction by scales from bulbs

Large tubers (about 5-6 cm in diameter) are cut into 4 parts, after which some scales are separated from the bottom, and the “wound” surface is treated with crushed activated carbon. Next, take a container with perlite or clean sand at the bottom; you can also use crushed charcoal with ash. The broken scales are placed in this container, then it is placed in a transparent plastic bag, securely tied and kept for 2 months in not too bright light.

In this case, the air temperature should be approximately +19..23 °C, but in the second stage, which lasts one and a half months, the temperature should be reduced to +16..19 °C. During this period, several bulbs will form on the scales. Storing young livestock is similar to the method described in the first method.

Propagation of hyacinths by leaf cuttings

To do this, you should wait until the flower stalks set and separate a couple of leaves from the hyacinths; they need to be cut as close to the base as possible. Next, the leaves are treated in a solution that stimulates root formation (for example, “Heteroauxin”) and buried 3-4 cm in a container with clean sand (or perlite). This container, again, is enclosed in a plastic bag, tied and placed in a moderately lit place for a month and a half. The air temperature should vary between +10..17 °C, humidity – 80-90%. After the specified period, you will be able to see bulbous buds on the cuttings, and after 50-60 days - young roots and small leaves. Next, the plants are planted on the site, each cutting subsequently produces 6-10 children.

Cutting the bottom as a method of propagating hyacinth

In this procedure, the bottom is not removed, as in the first case, but is cut crosswise. A pair of crosses are made on large tubers, and one on smaller ones. Damaged areas are treated with powdered activated carbon, then the bulbs are placed in warm room(+20..22 °C) so that the “crosses” open. All further actions are similar to the recommendations described above. With this method of stimulating the tuber, it is possible to obtain approximately 10-16 large young bulbs.

In order for these harbingers of spring to delight you with long-lasting flowering, lush tassels and an amazing aroma, you need to make an effort. Now you know how to grow hyacinths; planting and caring for them in open ground, although fraught with difficulties, are undoubtedly worth the effort and time spent.

First flowers (photo by Lyubov Belykh, Krasnodar)

Hyacinth is a bulbous plant that can be successfully grown both in the garden and at home. Therefore, many amateur gardeners want to grow this flower on their windowsill so that they can admire it even in winter, during the cold season. Such a desire is quite feasible. However for successful cultivation The hyacinth needs to create appropriate conditions that are as reminiscent of garden conditions as possible, and provide it with proper care.

Preparing to grow hyacinth at home

To date, breeders have developed several dozen varieties of hyacinth. And most of them are suitable for growing at home. But in order to grow strong and beautiful flower you need to prepare properly:

1. Bulb selection. First you need to select suitable material for planting. It is recommended to use bulbs with a diameter of at least 5 cm. Because it is easier to grow a full-fledged plant from a large bulb. A small bulb may throw out leaves, but not produce flowers. In addition, you need to make sure that it is dense, without rot or damage. And immediately before planting, it is advisable to treat it with a disinfectant solution.
2. Choosing a pot. Then you need to select the appropriate pot. It should be wide and shallow. The pot must have drainage holes.
3. Soil preparation. You can buy soil or prepare it yourself. To do this, you need to mix turf, compost, leaf soil, humus in equal proportions and add a large number of sand and

When growing hyacinth at home, there is one caveat - this flower cannot bloom for several years in a row. Flowering is stimulated by artificial forcing, which weakens the bulbs. Therefore, after 1–2 years they need to be planted in the garden so that they go through a recovery period.

Planting and caring for hyacinths indoors

After preparation necessary materials, you can start planting the bulbs. Correct fit and care for hyacinths room conditions include the following steps:

• A drainage layer is laid on the bottom of the pot; expanded clay is well suited for these purposes.
• Cover with a small layer of soil.
• Then a thin layer of fine sand is placed.
• Bulbs are placed on top of the sand. You can plant one bulb in a pot, or several, so that during flowering a whole bouquet is formed. In the latter case, the bulbs are laid out so that they do not come into contact with each other or with the pot (the optimal distance is 2–3 cm).
• The bulbs are carefully pressed into the ground and covered with the remaining soil. The top of the soil can be sprinkled with a thin layer of sand to protect the planting material from rotting.

The bulbs are not completely immersed in the soil; their tops must remain in the air.

Now the plants are given a period of rest so that the bulbs take root well. The pot is placed for 1.5–2.5 months in a dark and cool place, for example, in a basement. The air temperature in this room should be from +5 to +10 degrees. If there is no basement or cellar, flowers can be placed in the refrigerator. However, be sure to ensure that the temperature in it is at least 5 degrees Celsius. During this period, it is necessary to monitor the condition of the soil to prevent it from drying out.

A dormant period is necessary for the successful cultivation of hyacinths indoors. If the plant is brought out into the light earlier, it may still be weak, develop poorly and, as a result, not bloom. It is also not recommended to keep it in the dark. The plant will throw out its leaves, all its strength will go into them, and as a result the formation of buds will be delayed.

After the bulbs have rooted, an artificial spring is arranged for the hyacinths; for this, the flowers are moved into the house. Here hyacinths should be kept in a bright room, with a recommended air temperature of +10–15 degrees.

As soon as the plant begins to bloom, it is transferred to desired room, and place it away from radiators. In order for hyacinth to delight its owners with lush, luxurious flowers for a long time, the air temperature should not be higher than +20 degrees. In addition, it is necessary to exclude the existence of drafts and provide the plant with good lighting.

How to care for hyacinth at home?

To grow lush, beautiful flowers, you need to take care of them. How to care for hyacinth at home so that it blooms as quickly as possible and pleases its owners with beautiful flowers for a long time?

Caring for hyacinth is relatively simple and includes three mandatory components:

• watering;
• good lighting;
• fertilizer.

Watering. The basis for caring for hyacinth indoors is proper care. The soil must be moist, so you must carefully ensure that it does not dry out and water the plant in a timely manner. This requirement is important during growth, flowering and wintering. However, stagnation of water is also destructive for this plant and can provoke fungal infection. Therefore, you need to make sure that excess water goes into the pan, and be sure to drain it from there.

During watering, you only need to moisten the soil and make sure that water does not get on the buds, bulbs or in the axils of the leaves. To do this, it is recommended to pour water into the edge of the pot or tray.

Good lighting. From time to time it is necessary to turn the flower to the lighting from different sides. This promotes uniform plant growth. In the evening and on cloudy days, you can additionally highlight the plant using fluorescent lamps. If there is insufficient lighting, the plant may wither, shed leaves and young buds.

Forcing hyacinths at home

A pleasant feature of hyacinth is the ability to combine its flowering with a certain period or holiday. For this purpose, hyacinths are forced out at home. It comes in three types:

• early - the bulbs are planted in October, and the hyacinth blooms by the New Year;
• medium - planting is carried out in November, and flowering occurs at the end of January - beginning of February;
• late - the bulbs are planted in December - January and the flowers are admired in March - April.

The period from planting to flowering averages 2.5–3 months.

For successful forcing of hyacinths at home, the bulbs must go through several stages of preparation with a gradual decrease in air temperature. After digging, they should be stored for 2 weeks in a warm and humid place with an air temperature of +28–30 degrees. Then for 2 weeks they are placed in a cool room with a temperature of +22–25 degrees. Further, for 2 weeks even colder conditions are created - +15–17 degrees. And after this, the bulbs are ready to be planted in a pot.

What to do after hyacinth blooms?

Like all flowering plants, hyacinth fades over time. What to do with hyacinth after flowering at home? To save its life, it is necessary to cut off the flower stalks and not stop watering and fertilizing the plant until the leaves completely wither. At this time, the mother bulb is restored and can form daughter bulbs.

Then you need to remove the hyacinth from the ground, clean off the withered leaves and put the bulb to dry for 2-3 days. If after digging up the bulb the children are already well developed, you can separate them. If they do not detach well, it is better not to touch them until next year. Since it is advisable not to use faded bulbs for re-forcing, they are transplanted to garden plot. Planting is carried out in the fall, and next year they will already delight the owners with flowers in the flowerbed.

To obtain bulbs that can be used for indoor growing, the plant is not allowed to bloom normally. The buds are cut off so that the bulb can recover. In the fall, it is taken out of the ground, dried and the forcing procedure is carried out again.

Propagation of hyacinths at home

Hyacinth reproduces by children (daughter bulbs), which are carefully detached from the adult bulb. Natural division occurs slowly; in one year, the mother bulb can form a maximum of 4 children. Therefore, in floriculture, an artificial method of propagating hyacinths at home is used. To quickly get a large number of children, they practice special techniques - cutting and notching the bottom.

Before artificial propagation begins, the bulbs are treated with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate and dried at an air temperature of +20–23 degrees for 2–3 days.

Cutting the bottom. This technique is carried out after a period of rest. Using a teaspoon, carefully cut out the bottom of the bulbs, then store them in boxes with the cut side up at an air temperature of at least +21 degrees. After 2–3 months, small babies in the amount of 20–40 pieces begin to form on the sections.

After the babies appear, the bulb is planted in a cool greenhouse. Young bulbs begin to grow and throw out their first leaves. After growing season they are taken out of the ground, separated and planted for growing. After 3-4 years, the ripened bulbs throw out their first flower stalks.

Notching the bottom. This method is similar to the previous one, with the difference that the bottom is not cut out, but 2–4 cuts 0.5–0.6 cm deep are made in it. Processing and storage conditions are the same as in the first method. The number of children with this method decreases (8–15 pieces), but they will be larger and stronger. The growing period in this case is reduced to 2–3 years.

The process of growing hyacinths at home is not at all difficult, but very fruitful. To successfully complete it you need to have a great desire and a little patience. And, of course, follow all the rules and recommendations that relate to planting and caring for hyacinths indoors.

How to grow hyacinths at home - video