You can enjoy the beautiful and fragrant blooms of your hyacinth bulb prior to spring by following these steps. We will be using a process that does not require soil:
1. Select the container you will use. You may select either a bulb forcing vase (shaped like an hour glass) or a water tight container that can hold pebbles.
a. If you use the vessel with pebbles, place about 2 or 3” of pebbles (pea stone, small river rocks, small decorative rocks, marbles) in the container. Place your hyacinth bulb(s) on the pebbles, roots facing down. Add more pebbles, until only 1/3 of the bulb is still exposed. Add water until is only about 1/8” from the bottom of the bulb to create a reservoir for the roots. Insure the bottom of the bulb stays above the water level. You do not want to rot out your bulbs.
b. If you use the forcing vase, you may want to add pebbles as well to add weight to the vase. They can sometimes tip over as the bulb grows. Then add water up to the narrow part of the hour glass. Place the bulb in the vase. Again, insure the bottom of the bulb stays above the water level.
2. Place container in a dark, cool place for 4 to 8 weeks. Ideally the bulb will stay under 50 degrees F.
3. Check the water level occasionally, and add more water as needed. We want the roots to maintain contact with the water, but the bulb to stay dry.
4. When the roots have developed and the leaves begin to emerge, move your container to a brightly lit window in a cool room. They will perform best if they stay under 65 degrees F. Warmer temperatures will make your bulb stretch.
5. Enjoy your hyacinth blooms!