How to Care for Hyacinths After They Bloom
A detailed introduction about how to care for hyacinths after they bloom and key points for maintaining hyacinth flowering period in the field of green plants and flowers. Corrections are welcome if there are any mistakes!
This year's Spring Festival was a bit quiet. How are your hyacinths doing? If the hyacinths started blooming before the New Year, they should be wilting by now. Many flower enthusiasts treat hyacinths as disposable flowers, discarding the whole pot after the flowers fade and the leaves turn yellow, and buying new ones the following year. If hyacinths are hydroponically cultivated, they really can only be discarded after flowering, as the leaves will quickly turn yellow. However, if your hyacinths are soil-grown, don't throw them away after they fade. Do three things, and the bulbs will grow larger, like a big onion, and you can enjoy flowers next year without buying any.
1. Trimming the Withered Flowers
After the hyacinth flowers fade, on sunny days, you can trim the withered flowers. When trimming, leave a 3 to 5 cm stem and only cut off the top part, allowing the bottom part to dry naturally. If you cut the whole flower spike directly from the pseudobulb, the wound may become infected, leading to bulb rot. After trimming the withered flowers, do not let the hyacinth get wet or water the leaves. Wait for the wound to heal naturally, then you can resume normal care.
2. Appropriate Fertilization
Hyacinths consume a lot of nutrients during flowering. After trimming the withered flowers, we should fertilize appropriately to keep the leaves green and promote pseudobulb recovery. Fertilization should mainly focus on compound and organic fertilizers. If you have well-rotted organic fertilizer, you can bury some around the pot edge to provide energy for the hyacinth bulbs. If you don't have organic fertilizer, you can apply a balanced compound fertilizer with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium when the temperature is suitable, which can also ensure pseudobulb growth. Fertilizing hyacinths after flowering must be done at an appropriate temperature, which is between 15 and 28 degrees Celsius. Don't fertilize if the temperature is too low; just let the plant grow and fertilize later when the temperature is suitable.
3. More Sunlight
After the hyacinth flowers fade, ensure sufficient sunlight, with a daily minimum of 4 hours. Sufficient sunlight makes the hyacinth leaves green and shiny, and the photosynthesis is thorough, producing more organic matter. This organic matter will be transferred back to the bulbs, making them grow rapidly and become larger. If there is insufficient sunlight, the hyacinth will only grow leaves and not bulbs, resulting in poor pseudobulb recovery. Next year, the plant may still grow but with few flowers or not bloom at all. More sunlight can also prevent yellowing leaves. With insufficient sunlight, hyacinth leaves tend to grow excessively, and the leaf tips will turn yellow.
When Can You Harvest the Bulbs
After the hyacinth flowers, it can continue to grow as long as the temperature is suitable. When the temperature is consistently above 28 degrees Celsius, the leaves will gradually turn yellow and enter dormancy. If the hyacinth leaves do not turn yellow, they should be well-watered, fertilized, and provided with plenty of sunlight to allow the bulbs to grow. When the temperature rises and the hyacinth leaves are completely yellow and dry, you can harvest the bulbs. Clean the yellow leaves, dry the outer skin in a cool and ventilated place, then pack them in a plastic bag and store them in the refrigerator. When autumn ends and winter arrives, you can plant them again, and they will sprout and bloom.
How to Care for Hyacinths After They Bloom
What to Do If Hyacinth Leaves Turn Yellow
If your hyacinths are soil-grown and the temperature is below 28 degrees Celsius after flowering but the leaves are gradually turning yellow, it may be due to overwatering and root rot. In this case, you should check the roots by removing the pot, clean the decayed parts, soak them in a fungicide solution to kill bacteria, and then replant them in healthy soil. It is crucial to replant after pot removal to allow the bulbs to recover. Otherwise, even if the bulbs look good, due to excessive nutrient consumption during flowering and lack of recovery, they may only grow leaves and not bloom the following year.
How are your hyacinths doing now? For soil-grown hyacinths, don't throw them away after flowering.复兴 is simple; grow them into big onions, otherwise, you're throwing away money.
Have you understood the detailed introduction brought by the Green Enthusiast Network on how to care for hyacinths after they bloom and the key points for maintaining the flowering period of hyacinths?