Content
Hyacinth is a bulbous perennial plant with fragrant flowers collected in a raceme. Previously it was included in the Liliaceae family, now it is classified as Asparagus. The culture propagates by bulbs. In order for the plant to grow and develop well, you should dig up hyacinths annually after flowering, and also ensure they are properly stored.
Do I need to dig up hyacinths after flowering?
Although the crop can grow in one place for up to three years, gardeners who have been growing flowers for more than one season are advised to dig up hyacinths every year. The plant is not adapted to unstable weather conditions and sudden temperature changes, since its homeland is the Mediterranean and Asia Minor.
Problems that gardeners face if they don’t dig up hyacinth:
- Bulbs can rot from excess moisture. During the dormant period that follows flowering, they stop using water.
- Hyacinths do not tolerate frost well. Even if they survive, they may not bloom, or the inflorescences will be too sparse, and the bush itself will be sickly and weak.
- If you do not dig up the bushes after flowering, it is difficult to determine whether there are diseased specimens among them, which can cause infection of healthy tubers.
- In summer, hyacinth roots become a tasty treat for rodents, insects and worms.
- Babies can form on the tuber, which will die over time, and the whole bulb will rot if they are in their proximity.
After flowering, bulbs stored in improper conditions are more likely to become infected.
Is it possible not to dig up hyacinths every year?
It is allowed not to dig up hyacinth after flowering in the southern regions. But it is necessary to plant baby bulbs in a timely manner, as they will thicken the plantings, which will negatively affect flowering.
When to dig up hyacinth bulbs for the winter
When to dig up hyacinth depends on the region. As a rule, the procedure is carried out after flowering - from the last ten days of June to mid-July. You should be guided by the leaves of the plant. When they fade, it means that the crop begins to prepare for a period of dormancy.
Experienced gardeners do not recommend waiting until the above-ground part dries completely after flowering hyacinth. Finding bulbs to dig up will become difficult. In addition, if you dig at random, you can damage them in large quantities.
Step-by-step instruction
When cultivating hyacinths in open ground, it is recommended to dig them up after flowering on a warm, fine day.
Step-by-step instructions on how to dig up hyacinth bulbs for replanting after flowering:
- The procedure is carried out after the plant has finished flowering, when the leaves have turned yellow and withered. Watering the crop is stopped a week before digging the bulbs out of the ground.
- It is better to remove hyacinth using a garden shovel or pitchfork. To avoid damage, the soil is pryed as deep as possible and at a distance from the bush.
Dig up all the tubers, regardless of their size. After this, check again to see if there are any small children left in the ground.
Treatment of bulbs after digging
If you had to dig up hyacinth in wet weather and it is covered with wet soil, you should not remove the soil manually. It is necessary to wait until the soil dries (the protective husk is very thin and can be damaged) or rinse the tubers in warm water.
If after flowering the leaves are not dry enough, the flower along with the above-ground part is left in a dry, ventilated place until they die completely. The tubers will receive nutritional components all this time. Only after this they are separated from the shoots.
After digging, the dried bulbs are sorted, damaged ones are removed, and those that are too small are grown in pots before planting in open ground.
Storage rules
The dormant period of the plant after digging is approximately 95 days. How to properly store hyacinth after flowering:
- Before storing tubers, they and their containers are disinfected. The bulbs and boxes are treated with a solution of potassium permanganate and then dried. The hyacinth is laid out to dry so that it is not exposed to direct sunlight. The room must have good ventilation.
- Some gardeners recommend making an incision at the bottom to remove the bud, and then treating this area with activated carbon powder.
- Each copy is loosely wrapped in paper or placed in a fabric bag. Occasionally, sawdust or peat are used for storage.
- To keep the plant alive, it is sprayed with water from a spray bottle.It is necessary to monitor the air humidity in the room. The indicator should not exceed 70%, otherwise the planting material will begin to mold and rot.
- Hyacinth is regularly inspected for pests and fungal infections. To protect planting material from insects and rodents, tubers are treated with insecticides.
- If a fungal infection is detected, the area is first cleaned with a knife, then sprayed with universal preparations that protect against diseases.
Stages of hyacinth storage after digging:
- The first phase lasts 7-10 days. Tubers are stored at a temperature of +20…25ᵒС.
- The second phase lasts two months. The air temperature in the room is maintained within +25-27ᵒС.
- In the last month of storage, the room temperature is reduced to +17ᵒС.
Two weeks before planting in open ground, the tubers are hardened by reducing the room temperature to +10 ᵒC
Recommendations from gardeners
The culture requires increased attention from the gardener.
A few recommendations from experienced gardeners for digging hyacinth bulbs in open ground and storing them:
- The procedure cannot be carried out before the rhizome receives more nutritious components from the stem. If the deadlines are violated, the plant may not bloom next year. When the above-ground part of the hyacinth does not die off for a long time, they continue to care for it, but reduce the number of waterings.
- If the plant tubers were located next to specimens affected by fungal diseases, they must be treated with a disinfectant.
- For preventive purposes, to protect the planting material, after washing the tubers, soak them in hot water for 10 minutes (the temperature should not be higher than 50ᵒC). After this, the bulbs are disinfected by soaking for 30 minutes. in a solution of potassium permanganate (take 2.5 g of potassium permanganate per 5 liters of water), or place it in karbofos.
- If it is necessary to speed up the drying process of the bulbs, the temperature in the storage room in the first two stages is increased by 5-7ᵒC.
- By providing the crop with the correct temperature regime, it is possible to grow bushes with an even stem. In addition, a gradual decrease in temperature makes the plant more resistant to winter frosts.
- After digging, the tuber is cleaned carefully so as not to damage the small bulbs that form on it after flowering. They are also treated with a disinfectant solution, dried and planted in indoor pots. Hyacinth babies are looked after by providing regular watering and feeding. After a few years, they will grow to such a size that they can be planted in open ground.
- Violation of the rules for storing plants leads to the formation of mold (at high humidity in the room). Therefore, it is necessary to inspect the material once every two weeks. When diseased specimens appear, remove them from the general mass and dispose of them. To prevent mold from spreading to other tubers, the remaining ones are treated with a solution of potassium permanganate.
The most suitable time for planting hyacinths in open ground is the second half of September or the beginning of October. If the procedure is carried out later, the tubers may not have time to take root before the onset of stable cold weather. It is also not recommended to plant the plant ahead of time. Shoots that appeared before frost will die.
Conclusion
Whether hyacinths need to be dug up after flowering depends on the region. In the southern regions, where winters are not so cold, the plant can be left in the ground. In all other climatic zones, you should not just dig up the tubers, but also learn how to process and store them. If you neglect the recommendations, this will affect the intensity of flowering.
