Q&A for How to Grow a Hyacinth Bulb in Water

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How can I keep my hyacinth bulb for next year?

Andrew Carberry, MPH
Food Systems Expert
Andrew Carberry is a Food Systems Expert and the Senior Program Associate at the Wallace Center at Winrock International in Little Rock, Arkansas. He has worked in food systems since 2008 and has experience working on farm-to-school projects, food safety programs, and working with local and state coalitions in Arkansas. He is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and holds a Masters degree in public health and nutrition from the University of Tennessee.

Andrew Carberry, MPH

Food Systems Expert

Expert Answer

If you want to keep the bulb for next year, grow it in soil instead of in water. You can use the same basic process, but planting in soil allows the hyacinth to store energy for next year.

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Question

Should I keep the water full in my hyacinth bulb container?

Andrew Carberry, MPH
Food Systems Expert
Andrew Carberry is a Food Systems Expert and the Senior Program Associate at the Wallace Center at Winrock International in Little Rock, Arkansas. He has worked in food systems since 2008 and has experience working on farm-to-school projects, food safety programs, and working with local and state coalitions in Arkansas. He is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and holds a Masters degree in public health and nutrition from the University of Tennessee.

Andrew Carberry, MPH

Food Systems Expert

Expert Answer

Keep the water filled up just to the bottom of the hyacinth bulb, but not covering it.

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How long with a hyacinth live and produce flowers?

Community Answer

Hyacinths are perennials in Hardiness zones 5-9. After about 2 years, the bulb will begin to divide itself into more bulbs. The smaller bulbs it produces are bulblet, and they are like its children.

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Question

Should the bulb touch the water?

Community Answer

The bulb should be placed as close to the water as you can without it actually touching it. Once the roots have grown, the water should be at least 1 cm below the bulb, closer to 1 in, to give a little breathing room.

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Question

Do hyacinths need feeding while they are in bloom?

Community Answer

No. All the food for a hyacinth is stored inside the bulb. You can fertilize it after planting it outside.

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When can I move the hyacinth plant from the water container into a soil pot?

Community Answer

You can do so any time after the flower has bloomed, but do not place them in the ground when it is hot (85+ degrees). The shock may kill the plant. If you would like to repeat this process, then the bulbs need to go into the ground during a growing season before they are ready to try again.

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Question

After the bulb has bloomed, how long should I wait before planting it in soil?

Community Answer

Plant it immediately. Just be careful not to plant it in hot or soggy soil. Moist is good, wet is bad. Temperature differences can shock and/or kill a plant, and hyacinths like full sun with temperatures in the low 60s F. They can adjust, but it takes time and exposure.

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Question

What do I do after the hyacinth blooms and dies, can I preserve the bulb for another year or does it have to be planted? I live in Arizona, so that's not really an option.

Community Answer

I live in Arizona, hyacinths can grow there. After it blooms, you have two options - throw away the bulb or plant it now. If you live in a warm section of Arizona like Yuma or Phoenix, dig up the bulb annually and keep it in a dry, cool part of your home like a garage or a shed. Wait until September and refrigerate the bulbs. Take them out and plant them again when the temperature goes down to 55F, usually in late November to early December. There is half a chance of regrowth. If you live in Flagstaff or Hawley Lake, hyacinths can be left in the ground.

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Question

Can I replant the bulb after the bloom?

Community Answer

Absolutely. Just be careful about the temperature. If it is too hot or too cold, the shock may kill the plant.

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Question

What should I do if the hyacinth flower dies?

Community Answer

Plant it outside or throw it away. You can also compost it. Those hyacinths can never be forced again.

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Question

Does the bottom of the bulb actually touch the water?

Community Answer

No, it should not. The bulbs need room to breathe. Putting it right on top of water will make it rot.

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Question

Can I grow other bulbs in water?

Community Answer

Yes, many others. Daffodils, tulips, grape hyacinth, crocuses, irises, and snowdrops can all be grown in water.

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Question

I planted about 12 hyacinth bulbs last year, but I never got a bloom out of them. How do I make them bloom?

Community Answer

They need sun to bloom, also the planting depth of the bulb may be too deep.

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Question

What does it mean when the plant tilts to one side?

Community Answer

It usually means the flower stock is heavy or the flowers are trying to track the sunlight. Put your hyacinth closer to indirect sunlight. Tilt the sides a few times a day.

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Question

I just purchased two of these and I'm wondering what to do when the flower has died. Also, what other bulbs can I do this with?

Community Answer

The bulb should either be potted or placed in the ground. This process starves the plant, making it consume its stored energy. If the bulbs are not placed in fresh soil, they will not be able to store more energy to repeat the process. This works for almost any plant with a bulb that stores energy; potatoes and onions as well. A similar technique is also used to sprout avocados.

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Question

What is wrong if my hyacinth bulbs have been in water for over a month and still have no roots?

Community Answer

You may be trying to force them in a location that is too warm or sunny. Move them to a cool, dark basement or garage and the roots might appear.

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