How to force more bulbs in the same space

Every year, I come up with some gardening experiments, usually associated with season extension or forcing flower bulbs.  This winter is no different.  I have a few bulb experiments that I'll detail in a few blogs.  I know it sounds kind of crazy, but I already have some bulb experiments planned a year out, for winter 2011-2012!

This year's mental daydreaming resulted in 3 different experiments.  Normally I just plant my bulbs in their pots and put them in The Bulb Box for their chilling.  The pots take up a lot of room, so my first experiment is to see if I can get more bulbs chilled in my limited space.   By manipulating the chilling, water, soil and timing requirements perhaps I can get 3-5 forced pots out of a 2 pot space.  If I'm trying to sequence 3-5 pots through, I'll want to start early.  If sucessful, I might have tulips blooming as early as just before Christmas and continuing till the end of February!


Trying to start this early dictated my second experiment.  I'll need to start the chilling during the warm summer season.  I won't be able to use the refrigerator because it's already full.  Also, fruits and vegetables can give off ethylene gas which causes problems with bulb development and, as a general rule, we don't mix food with inedible or poisonous items.  I'll use The Bulb Box as normal for the cooler weather; but to jumpstart the season during warmer weather, I'll put the base of The Bulb Box on a shelf and use the lid  with re-freezable ice to create a highly efficient ice box.


The cedar sides on my outside raised beds are getting too old and need replacement, so I've dug up my bulbs.  This leads to my 3rd experiment, sequencing bulbs through the garden and into my forced flowers.  I'll blog about them later.


Bulbs go dormant during the summer presumably to live through the relative drought conditions.  To avoid flowering again when the fall rains arrive, they use the chilling requirements to tell them spring as arrived.  Normally, I just plant the bulbs I want to flower in the pot, water and chill them.  With the drought/chilling distinction, I'm going to look at the pot as a chilling container that holds more bulbs than will eventually be forced in it.  Rather than describing it in English, I'll try to in pictures.


The bottom layer:

The top layer:

These are red tulips, about 24 per pot, and 2 pots.  Normally, I force about 8-10 large flowers per pot, so this represents 5 pots of forced bulbs.  In mid October, after 2 months, I'll start shifting them over to potting soil, some moistened, with 2 layers of bulbs and soil per pot.  The pictures show a lot of sphagnum moss.  I've chosen  it to help insulate the bulbs, evening out the temperature they see,  absorbing water before I want the bulbs rooting. and allowing some air flow to help keep down any mold issues.  I hope it works!

Stay tuned!!!

Darrell