unorthodox way of chilling bulbs for forcing

16 years ago

If I plant tulip and Narcissus bulbs in pots for forcing and keep them stacked outside on a sheltered side of the house, what, assuming they get enough moisture, are the drawbacks, and how detremental is the probability that they'll freeze? I'm from Minnesota, and I know that the soil always freezes far below the level that bulbs are, and they aren't destroyed.

My plan is to chill the bulbs in their bags in a big cooler (they've been there a month so far), then plant them in pots of soil during the next warm spell. I don't have a garage or a basement, and the garden is all beach roses, so close to the water that during storms the entire garden is subjected to waves or salt spray (any other plants get pickled with some regularity), so I can't bury them, and there isn't another place around the side of the house where I could dig up the soil or pile seaweed on them. I have a thermometer in the cooler, and bring it in to warm some on really cold nights, although it's read in the teens in there and the bulbs are doing just fine.

Do they need to be in total darkness always? Does an occasonal increase in temperature, say to 55 degrees, invalidate the cooling period? It seems to me that here in New England, the soil frequently freezes and then thaws, while in MN they are solidly frozen all winter long, so either way must work.

I'd appreciate any help/observations from others who understand more of the lore of chilling/forcing than I do. Thanks.

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Comments (5)

NHBabs z4b-5a NH
16 years ago
They need to have some time to grow their roots, so in addition they need some cool, but not freezing temperatures while they are in the dirt. Can you somehow put insulation around the pots (deep mulch for instance and hope that the bit of warmth from the foundation and house will keep them above freezing?)

The other problem I can foresee is that the tulips may well get eaten by the rodents unless you have a wire cage around them or something similar. The narcissus should be okay since they are either bad-tasting or poisonous and so don't get eaten.
ptowndune
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks, nhbabs, for your response. I read somewhere in my research that bulbs can stand below-zero temps for a brief time if they have developed roots, so I planted them all in pots, stacked them by the foundation with milk crates over the pots of tulips, and am hoping we don't get Minnesota-type weather this year. I put them on the south side where the sun warms things up to nearly 60 on mild days, so I am hoping that such warming won't inspire them to go for it, break the surface and freeze before I start bringing them in. I've got a month to go...
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NHBabs z4b-5a NH
16 years ago
They can stand below freezing temps, but won't grow the roots that they need if the temperature is consistently too cold. It's best if there aren't too many temperature swings, so I hope that they are shaded enough, either by the milk crates or by the house, and why insulation is good. (In the ground the soil provides the insulation.) If they do start getting shoots, that isn't necessarily a problem, as my garden bulbs often start sprouting and then get additional cold or snow dumped on them. They are fine once it finally gets warm enough for them to really grow and bloom.
veilchen
16 years ago
This is unorthodox, but I once stored tulips in a mesh bag in one of the crisper drawers of my refrigerator. After a certain # of weeks I took them out, potted them up, and kept the pots in the house. A few weeks later they bloomed.

I did choose tulips that were known as "good for forcing".
ptowndune
Original Author
16 years ago
Well, they're all frozen now in their pots out there - I just hope they made some roots before they froze. It's supposed to get warm this coming week so I think I'll start bringing pots in as they thaw. I can't wait any more. And it's almost time to go find some forsythia bushes!

If I ever decide to chill bulbs in my fridge, I'm thinking I could use those "green" bags that absorb ethylene gas so I can keep fruits in there too.

unorthodox way of chilling bulbs for forcing

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unorthodox way of chilling bulbs for forcing

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NHBabs z4b-5a NH

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