Hyacinth Care: Tips and Advice for Plant Health.

Types of Hyacinths

Initially, botanists included hyacinth (hyacinthus) in the lily family, then they allocated it its own niche – hyacinthaceae, and now they call it a perennial asparagus plant.

Characteristics of hyacinth:

• flowers are simple, bell-shaped, waxy or double, grow on peduncles 10-40 cm high and are collected in rare or dense inflorescences of 20-75 pieces, which have an ovoid, narrow or broadly conical shape;
• leaves are basal, strap-shaped, fleshy, grooved, dark green or emerald, reach 20 cm in length;
• hyacinth bulbs are on average 4-6 cm in diameter, annually overgrown new scales.

Hyacinths growing in open ground bloom and delight the eye with abundant flowering from the second decade of April to the first decade of June. Indoor specimens can be forced at any time of the year. Cut, barely blossomed flowers will stand in bouquets for 5-7 days.

Hyacinth originated in the Mediterranean, in the Middle East and North Africa, but for the miracles of selection we should thank the Dutch masters. New unusual varieties come to flower markets around the world from the city of Haarlem. Just look at the photo of hyacinth flowers of Dutch selection.

The color range of hyacinths is diverse, they can be:

• blue;
• light blue;
• azure;
• purple;
• lilac;
• pink;
• crimson;
• purple;
• coral;
• scarlet;
• black;
• white;
• with several shades.

Since the confusion with biological families, about 30 varieties of plants have separated from hyacinths and only 3 remain.

Litvinov’s hyacinth is a red-listed perennial, named in honor of its discoverer and growing in the wild in Central Asia. It has oval bulbs, modest growth (12-24 cm), pale gray-green spreading leaves and one or two peduncles with a dozen bells on each.

The flowers are soft purple-blue in color with a dark stripe in the middle of the petals, have no aroma, and appear in April. The species tolerates severe continental winters well, it has no decorative varieties and looks nondescript.

The Transcaspian hyacinth is also listed in the Red Book, grows in the foothills of the Kopetdag, stretches in growth no more than 20 cm, has light grass-green leaves and 1-2 peduncles with a sparse brush consisting of 5-10 pale blue flowers. The Transcaspian hyacinth likes to hide in the shade, blooms in May, has almost no scent and is not used by breeders.

The oriental hyacinth is the most common species, which has given rise to more than 400 ornamental varieties. It grows up to 35 cm, always has one peduncle, but on it dense curly inflorescences are formed from an average of fifty flowers. Particularly luxurious brushes reach 8-10 cm in diameter.

The natural color of the leaves of the oriental hyacinth is dark green, the petals are bright blue and snow-white, and the bulbs are purple-pink. It blooms longer than its fellows, from April to May, while exuding a thick, captivating aroma.

After flowering, all varieties of hyacinths produce a fruit in the form of a capsule containing small black seeds, and a baby is formed on the bulb.

Hyacinth seeds and bulbs should not be touched with bare hands due to the high concentration of poisonous oxalic acid.

How to care for them?

Growing hyacinths will not be difficult if you choose a good place for them and do not deviate from the recommendations of florists. High-quality care for hyacinths at home and in the garden, maintaining a comfortable temperature, humidity and lighting is the key to their health.

Check out a selection of the easiest to care for indoor plants.

Location

The ideal place for this crop is an open, elevated or slightly sloping area, warmed by the sun’s rays and quickly drying out after heavy precipitation. Like most bulbous plants, hyacinths do not tolerate waterlogging; they begin to rot from excess moisture.

The soil must be light and loose. Sandy loam with a neutral reaction, seasoned with mineral fertilizers and humus, is well suited. Fresh organic matter, such as manure or bird droppings, cannot be added – it will rot, increase the temperature, promote rotting, the proliferation of pests and the development of diseases. If the soil is acidic, it should be limed six months before creating a hyacinth flowerbed.

You shouldn’t create a flowerbed around spreading trees – the roots will suck all the valuable substances out of the soil, and the crown will create unnecessary shade.

Pots with indoor hyacinths can be safely left on a well-lit windowsill during the growing season, budding and flowering, and after they have finished flowering, it is recommended to move them into the shade.

Temperature conditions

You can’t choose the weather outside, but hyacinth can’t be called a “freezer” plant; in the conditions of central Russia, it can be quite grow.

At home, you need to try to maintain an optimal temperature, about 20-23 degrees. Hyacinths do not like heat, and if you are lucky enough to buy a flower in the middle of winter, do not put the pot with it near the radiator.

This crop also does not like drafts, so do not keep it on tables in walk-through rooms, near slightly open windows and balcony doors.

Lighting

If the place for planting hyacinths in the ground is chosen correctly, they will have enough desired light, and at home, flowers should be illuminated for at least 15 hours daily. When there is not enough sun, you need to resort to the help of special lamps.

To ensure that your hyacinth greenhouse receives all the possible attention from the sun’s rays, arrange it on the southern or southeastern side.

Watering

It is important to find a balance in this matter, because hyacinths are equally sensitive to over-wetting and over-drying of the soil. In the first case, the rhizomes rot and the buds fall off, and in the second, the leaves turn yellow and the flower stalks wither.

At the beginning of autumn, the bulbs are planted in the ground, they need to be well watered so that they take root. A couple of times a week, you need to spend 5-15 liters of water per square meter of the flower bed, depending on the weather. Thread-like roots go from the bulbs 18-20 cm into the soil, which means that it needs to be saturated to at least this depth.

In early spring, when hyacinths wake up after wintering and are in dire need of water to activate growth, the soil is usually damp, so you don’t have to water them. And then everything depends on the situation – you need to grab a watering can as soon as you notice that the bed has dried out.

In the summer, after flowering, it is better to reduce the frequency of watering to a minimum. But you can’t allow a crust to form on the surface of the soil, it needs to be loosened more often and deeper so that the root system of the hyacinths has enough air.

Chlorinated tap water is not suitable for hyacinths, it needs to settle for at least a couple of hours. Melt or well water is perfect, but it needs to be warmed up to room temperature first. You shouldn’t water the flowers with warm water.

Indoor plants are watered once every 3-4 days, but always check the substrate beforehand – if it is wet, the procedure should be postponed. Water is poured either into a tray, from where the roots will take it through the drainage system, or into a pot, but carefully so as not to wet the bulbs, leaves and flowers. Excess water is drained from the tray. Sprinkling is not necessary and even harmful.

Indoor hyacinths are most actively watered during the flowering period, otherwise this time will be shortened. But a flower that is entering a resting phase should not be deprived of regular moisture early and abruptly, because then it will bloom worse in the next season.

Feeding

Hyacinths growing in open ground need to be fed 3 times:

• at the beginning of the growing season – with superphosphates and saltpeter;
• during the formation of buds – with superphosphates and potassium sulfate;
• at the end of flowering – with the same fertilizers.

Additives can be added in dry or liquid form, the soil must be well watered before this.

It is advisable to feed indoor hyacinths with a universal mixture for bulbous flowers weekly from the beginning of the growing season until flowering.

Replanting

When a person who is not knowledgeable in floristry is presented with a blooming store-bought hyacinth, the question arises: should it be replanted? Absolutely not, the plant should not be disturbed at this stage. If you want to save the bulbs and plant them in a flowerbed next season, wait until all the leaves have dried and prepare to grow hyacinths correctly.

If replanting is unavoidable, do the following:

1. In a pot at least 15 cm deep with a drainage hole in the bottom, pour a 5 cm layer of expanded clay, pebbles or vermiculite, add 2 cm of sand on top.
2. Carefully remove the bulb from the original container along with the soil lump and lightly press it into the sand.
3. Fill the bulb with nutrient substrate for indoor plants so that half of it is visible outside.
4. Water with settled clean water, avoiding the bulb.
5. Place the pot away from drafts and direct sunlight.
6. If the hyacinth is just getting ready to bloom, cover the sprout with a paper cap or bag so that the flower stalk grows and gets stronger.
7. After the buds appear, remove the cap and enjoy the flowering.

Garden hyacinths need annual replanting. If they are not replanted, they will stop blooming and may even die.

The procedure is carried out in stages:

• June ― dig up the bulbs;
• July ― disinfect them with a solution of potassium permanganate or copper sulfate;
• August ― dry the planting material at 24-26 degrees, reduce the temperature to 16-18 degrees for storage, and start keeping it in conditions close to the street 2 weeks before planting;
• September – October ― planting the bulbs.

Features of forcing

Forcing is an agrotechnical technique by which a plant is artificially brought out of its dormant period and made to bloom at an unusual time.

Hyacinths are easy to force and are often subjected to it, since they bloom for a short time and only in the spring, and you want to admire them and inhale their delicate aroma at other times of the year.

Preparation begins during the budding period. Experienced gardeners notice powerful flower stalks and cut them off as soon as the buds are colored, so that all the potential goes into the bulb. From such material, the healthiest and strongest, with a diameter of 5-6 cm, it will not be difficult to force hyacinth to any special date, starting with the New Year, ending with March 8 or Easter.

Forcing is done as follows:

1. Selected dried and disinfected bulbs are planted in pots or boxes on a 4-5 cm drainage layer, sprinkled with fertile soil to 2/3 of the height, watered well once and hidden in a dark, cold place, where they will remain for 2-3 months (temperature 4-8 degrees, a regular refrigerator will do).
2. When arrows 5-6 cm high appear, pots or boxes with hyacinths are moved to a warmer and lighter place, for example, on a windowsill, where the temperature during the day is kept at 13-15 degrees, and covered with paper caps.
3. After pulling flower stalks to a height of 8-12 cm, remove the protective caps, transfer the plants to a well-lit and moderately warm place (up to 20-22 degrees) and begin to water regularly.

From the moment of transfer to a warm room until flowering, 3-4 weeks pass, and the entire process takes 2.5-3.5 months. Taking this into account, you can force the plant to bloom at the right time. If you want the hyacinth to bloom in February, start forcing in mid-October, in March – in mid-November.

You can force the hyacinth in water. To do this, select a container with a neck about 4 cm in diameter, put a couple of pieces of charcoal on the bottom to prevent rotting, and so that it does not float, fill it with coarse sand. Fill the container with soft water, rain or melted water, and lower the bulb into it, with the distance between its bottom and the surface of the water being 1-2 cm.

Such a preparation is stored in the fall wrapped in dark paper or cloth at a temperature of 4-8 degrees, periodically checking the condition and adding water. In a few months, the root system will stretch out, leaves will develop and a flower stalk will appear. Then you can plant the bulb in the ground and act according to the above scheme.

How to plant correctly?

It is best to plant hyacinths in the garden in late September – early October. If you do it earlier, the plant that has become active at the wrong time may not survive the frosts; if you do it later, the bulb will not take root well.

Theoretically, you can plant hyacinths in early spring, but in order for them to bloom in the same season, the bulbs will have to be stressed – an hour before planting, put them in the freezer, this measure will stimulate the flower bud.

Planting hyacinths:

1. 2 weeks before the deadline, dig holes or a trench of the required depth so that the soil has time to settle.
2. The depth for large bulbs with a diameter of 4-8 cm is 16-20 cm, for small ones, up to 1 cm, ― 4-6 cm.
3. Complex fertilizer is evenly distributed along the bottom at the rate of 20-50 g for each bulb.
4. Form a planting “pie” – 3-4 cm of fertile soil, 2-3 cm of ash, then a handful of river sand, in which the bulb is planted and sprinkled on top with another 1-2 cm, and, finally, a mixture of peat and turf soil flush with the surface of the bed.
5. Mulch planting, lightly watered and covered with agrofibre, if the climate requires it.

What do you need to know about propagation?

Hyacinths are propagated by seeds and babies. The first method is for breeders, it is quite complicated, but the second one also requires time, experience and patience. The flower produces 1-2 babies annually. They should not be separated, it is better to dry them and plant them for another season for further growing. After a couple of years, the babies will be ready for independent development, but the hyacinths that grow from them will bloom for the first time in another 2 years.

The development of babies can be accelerated. To do this, cut the mother bulb crosswise from below or make a cone-shaped cut at the bottom, thereby destroying the growth point. This is started at the beginning of summer, immediately after digging, and healthy, large bulbs aged 3-4 years are taken for propagation.

The cut sites are sprinkled with crushed coal, the bulbs are placed in wooden boxes with the bottoms up and taken to a dark, dry and warm place (24-26 degrees) for healing. After about a month and a half, you need to bring the humidity in the room to 80-85%.

As a result, after 2-3 months, several dozen babies will appear on each mother bulb. In October, these families should be planted without dividing them, with their bottoms facing upwards to a depth of 10-12 cm. Only after 2 years can the brood be separated and used.

Important points about diseases and pests

The main pests of hyacinth:

• flower hoverflies – their larvae penetrate the soil and feast on the bulbs;
• thrips and aphids – feed on the juice from the leaves;
• mole crickets – large (up to 6 see) beetles, dig the ground, damage the root system;
• onion mites – gnaw passages in the bulbs, having previously corroded the bottom;
• stem and gall nematodes – affect rhizomes and stems, cause deformities.

The most difficult to cope with nematodes, this is not always possible. Other predatory insects that are not dangerous to hyacinths, such as ants, can help cope with aphids and thrips, so do not rush to spray with poisons. A competent crop rotation will protect against the invasion of ticks – you can plant legumes on the site before hyacinths.

With other pests and in advanced cases, you will have to arm yourself with one of the effective drugs:

• “Aktara”;
• “Mukhoed”;
• “Tabazol”;
• “Medvetoks”;
• “Akarin”;
• “Fitoverm”.

Non-infectious diseases of hyacinth and their causes:

• apical flowering – temperature changes during storage of bulbs;
• loss of inflorescences – hypothermia of bulbs, early planting, waterlogging of the soil;
• rot of the tops – too high a temperature and humidity at the beginning of the growing season;
• green tops and curved inflorescences ― a short period of cooling of dug out bulbs;
• sessile inflorescences ― excessive humidity and temperature, early planting.

Symptoms of viral diseases:

• tobacco curly streak virus ― dark spots on leaves and stems, necrotic areas inside the bulbs;
• hyacinth mosaic virus ― pale green streaky spots on the leaves that decrease in size and turn yellow, whitish on the peduncles dashes, on the petals – the same thin stripes.

Unfortunately, it is unrealistic to cure a viral disease. In such a situation, it remains to destroy the affected plants and disinfect the garden tool.

Bacterial infections of hyacinth and their signs:

• yellow rot – a characteristic smell of decomposition of plant tissues, yellowish-brown or brown stripes of watery plaque on the leaves and peduncles, blackening and drying of leaves from the tops, gradual transformation of the bulbs into a sticky glassy substance;
• soft rot – stunted growth, lack of flowering, wilting of the above-ground part and wet rotting of the bulbs.

Sick plants should be burned, and the soil in which they grew should be disinfected with a solution of manganese or bleach. Hyacinths can be planted again in such a place only after 2-3 years.

To prevent bacterial and fungal diseases, it is necessary to prepare the planting material well: dry it, disinfect it.

Fungal diseases of hyacinth and their symptoms:

• penicillium rot – the above-ground parts of the plant are covered with a greenish fluffy coating and gradually rot;
• gray rot – the leaves are covered with yellowish-brown spots, as are the bulbs, between the scales of which blackish sclerotia (clusters of mycelium) are visible, then an abundant gray coating appears and the plant rots;
• sclerotial rot – the scales of the bulbs become transparent and white sclerotia are found between them, the leaves turn yellow, wither and fall off;
• rhizoctonia – reddish-brown dents appear on the leaves, then the ends turn brown, the entire bush becomes entangled in harmful mycelium and dies;
• fusarium – the flower lags in growth, the tips of the leaves turn yellow, a pale pink powdery coating appears on the bottom of the bulbs, then they rot, and the plant dies with them.

Mold loves excess moisture and heat, these factors must be eliminated. For prevention, hyacinths can be sprayed with the drug “Topaz”. Sick plants should be disposed of, the soil disinfected, deeply dug up and returned here in 5-6 years.

What to do and how to care for after flowering?

After flowering comes the most crucial period, because the success of further cultivation of these capricious plants depends on the correctness of the actions of the gardener.

So, the hyacinth has finished blooming – care consists of the following steps:

1. Cut the flower stalk to a height of 10-15 cm.
2. Reduce the frequency of watering.
3. In mid-May, stop watering and wait until the leaves are completely dry.
4. Remove the bulbs, carefully clean them from the soil, disinfect them with potassium permanganate and dry them on paper in the shade at a temperature of 24-26 degrees.
5. Send the material for storage in a cardboard or wooden container in a dry, dark and cool place (18-20 degrees).

Hyacinths are flowers with character, but fans of this culture are ready to sacrifice time and effort for the opportunity to see these lush fragrant inflorescences on their plot and breathe in the spring with full lungs!