Hyacinth care: water, cut & overwinter

With good care, the colorful hyacinths show their blooming splendor every year. We give tips on the most important maintenance measures for hyacinths.

Hyacinths (Hyacinthus) are basically easy-care bulb plants that require little attention. We explain to you what you should consider when caring for the hyacinth, watering and fertilizing, cutting and wintering.

Water the hyacinth

Hyacinths require very little water and do not tolerate waterlogging at their roots. They are adapted to warm, dry areas and use their bulbs as a storage organ for water and nutrients. Therefore, water should only be used sparingly, if at all. Hyacinths in pots can suffer from prolonged heat and drought in summer, even if the leaves have already been drawn in. In such extreme cases, you should also be given small amounts of water to get through the hot season. Before wintering, it should not be watered at all.

Fertilize hyacinths

The long-lived bulb plants can stay in the same spot in the garden for many years. Even large planters often house the pretty early bloomers for a long time. In the year after repotting, the hyacinths feed on the nutrients in the fresh potting soil. In order to keep the garden and pot in bloom in the years after, fertilization is recommended. Mainly organic long-term fertilizers like ours Plantura organic flower fertilizer, are particularly suitable for the long-term supply of hyacinths with nutrients. In March at the beginning of leaf shoots and before flowering, the granules are loosely distributed around the plants and, if possible, incorporated on the surface. In this way, the hyacinth bulb can absorb and store nutrients for months until the leaves are drawn in. After the hyacinth has bloomed, however, you should not fertilize any more, because the plant then hardly absorbs any more nutrients.

Cut hyacinth

Hyacinths are well suited as cut flowers, the magnificent flower is cut off at the bottom with a sharp knife. In the case of faded hyacinths, the flowers and the stem are removed so as not to waste energy on seed formation. Be sure to leave the leaves undamaged when you cut the hyacinth. After flowering until summer, hyacinths begin to transport all the nutrients and water contained in the leaves into the bulb. The leaf yellows and dries up by itself. These completely dry leaves can be plucked or cut back if necessary to improve the look of the bulb plant. However, the cutting measure is not absolutely necessary.

Hibernate hyacinth

When drawn in as an onion, hyacinths are hardy to -15 ° C. However, late frosts in spring can damage the young shoots. On cold nights, carefully cover the hyacinths with some brushwood, coniferous twigs or jute to protect the delicate bloom above all. Hyacinths in pots can hibernate outdoors if the planter has been protected from freezing with jute, fleece or similar materials. If the plants are already sprouting fresh green and there is another sign of frost, it is better to bring the hyacinth into the house.

Keep the hyacinth as a potted plant in the apartment, if it should be kept in a cool, sheltered place during the winter. A good place for the hyacinth bulbs, also to stimulate flower formation, is the refrigerator. Make sure that the onions are not too moist and start to rot. After about eight weeks, the hyacinth can be placed in a bright and cool location. It begins there after a little water with the root growth and the formation of shoots. After about a week you can bring the hyacinth into the warm living room.

The colorful one tulip (Tulipa) is another popular early bloomer. We give tips on planting and caring for the bulb plant.