[Ebook Việt Hoá] The Instant Guide to Healthy Houseplants: Muscari hyemalis (Grape hyacinth)

English

What better way to cheer up a dreary March than with the glorious blue flowers of the grape hyacinth? A native of Iran but now naturalized in most temperate climates, it is a good choice for growing in pots or bowls indoors; it flowers from late winter through mid-spring. Choose firm, clean, healthy bulbs and plant 6-8, just covered, in a 5 – in (2 3-cm) half pot in early autumn. Keep in a completely dark, cold place, either under straw outdoors or in a cool, dark closet or cellar indoors for at least 8 weeks. When tips of shoots are beginning to show, move into a cool, light, airy room, taking care not to break the tender young shoots. Pots can also be kept outdoors in the garden (take care to protect them from mice and slugs) and then brought in just as the buds are about to open. 

Light 

Requires total darkness for 8 weeks after planting, then full, indirect light. 

Temperature 

Maximum 40-45°F (4-7°C) while in darkness. Move into light place at maximum 60°F ( 16°C) for flowering. Flowers will last longer if cooler. 

Water 

Soak soil after planting, then do not water until pots brought into light. Water 2-3 times a week to keep soil moist but not waterlogged. 

Humidity 

Needs dry, airy conditions. Do not spray. 

Feeding 

Feed with diluted liquid house- plant food at manufacturer’s recommended strength every  14 days while growing and flowering. 

Soil 

Use loam-based potting soil. 

After flowering 

Cut back flower stem. Allow foliage to die down naturally. Cut back foliage when withered and place pot in a cool place. Lift bulbs the following autumn, separate offsets and plant both offsets and parent bulb in the garden. 

Offsets 

• 1. Parent bulb will produce offsets. When foliage has died down after flowering, remove bulb from pot and leave to dry out. 
• 2. Gently separate offsets from parent bulb. 
• 3. Plant offsets outdoors at a depth of 2-3 inches (5-8 cm). They will be ready to flower in 2 years. 
• 4. Parent bulb should also be planted outdoors, as it will not flower again in a pot for 2 years. Topdress before shoots appear with general garden fertilizer

What Goes Wrong 

• Leaves pale, flower stems floppy: Too dark. Move to a lighter location. 
• Gray or white mold on leaves: Fungal disease. Do not spray with water, as this makes plants susceptible. Keep in a well-ventilated room. Bulb may still produce flowers, but do not save. 
• Leaves yellow, flowers droop, scummy surface on soil: Waterlogging, which can occur easily if bulbs are grown in bowls without drainage holes. Prevent by putting layer of gravel in bottom of bowl before planting. If soil becomes waterlogged, allow to dry out before watering again. 
• Flowers die quickly: Too hot and stuffy or too much direct sun. Keep in a well-ventilated room at maximum temperature of 60°F (16°C). Protect from direct sunlight. 
• Leaves droop: Too dry. Water 2-3 times a week to keep soil just moist but not waterlogged. 
• Growth of bulb is slow and weak: If grown outdoors, small C-shaped grubs of vine weevil may be present. Dust soil with diazinon. Do not pot in garden soil. 
• Leaves, but no flowers, emerge: If bulb has been repotted from previous year, it may not have been well fed. Feed every 14 days with diluted liquid house- plant food if bulbs are to be saved. Do not pot offsets, which take 2 years to flower. 
• Flower stems very short:  Bulb planted too late in season. Plant in early autumn. Do not save these bulbs for repotting, although they will bloom again if planted in the garden. 
• Flower stems eaten off at ground level: Seen on plants grown outdoors and due to either cutworms or slugs. Apply slug pellets if slime trails are present but keep away from pets and children. Dust cutworm with diazinon or pyrethrum.