Aftercare of bulbs forced in water

Question

I was given tulips and hyacinth bulbs (tulips in one container, hyacinth in another) forced in water. My question is….can I save the bulbs to plant in soil at another time? If so, how do I do so? The tulips flowers are spent but still alive in their container (stems still green), the hyacinth is still blooming but close to being spent; it’s still in its container as well.

Answer 1

Yes, you can save the bulbs, although hyacinths typically come back better than tulips do after being forced. After the foliage turns yellow, remove the bulbs from the containers, pat them dry, and air dry them for a week. Then, dust with a fungicide if available, and store them in a paper bag surrounded by peat moss or sawdust, or hung up in pantyhose.

In spring, plant them in your garden. They probably won’t flower this year since they’ve used up so much energy already, but the hyacinths at least will probably flower the year after.