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A Beginner’s Guide to Transplanting Hyacinth Bulbs: Tips & Tricks

Hyacinth is one of the elegant flowers that symbolize peace, beauty, commitment, and one’s power, and pride, and this plant uses its bulb to develop into a new plant.

Transplanting Hyacinth bulbs during mid-fall or early winter will encourage optimal growth and blooming the following year. In addition, deadhead spent flowers to help retain bulbs’ energy and ensure they receive proper care after transplantation.

Reading the article all the way through will save you from purchasing new Hyacinth bulbs and teach you how to transplant them yearly.

When to Transplant Hyacinth Bulbs?

Hyacinth is a one-of-a-kind hardy perennial with attractive blooms in various royal colors.

The enchanting Hyacinth blooms stay with us for almost 2 to 3 weeks during spring.

But before the flower loses its beauty, you must preplan transplanting Hyacinth bulbs.

The ideal time for your Hyacinth to transplant would be amidst fall or just before winter kicks in with a snowy blanket.

Purple Hyacinth
Mix 3-4 inches of compost into the soil to speed up Hyacinth growth.

Hyacinth has a bulb on its base that stores all essential nutrients for plants’ health and growth.

But with time, the chances of low to no nutrients on the bulb increase, causing poor blooms.

Therefore, you shall consider transplanting your Hyacinth once the quality and quantity of blooms drop.

Other than that, we often tend to redesign our garden occasionally, so you may need to transplant Hyacinth by then.

To keep your Hyacinth plant happy and healthy, you shall transplant them before or after flowering.

I suggest transplant bulbs before spring to promote better, vigorous blooming and overall plant growth.

You may also transplant Hyacinths to force blooms indoors like the Daffodil flower. 

After successful blossoms, transplant Hyacinths from the pot to the ground in early Spring.

But outdoor Hyacinths won’t ask for transplanting if they are thriving at their original place with a yearly appearance.

When to Dig up Hyacinth Bulbs for Storing?

I also had a Hyacinth plant flaunting its beauty in my garden. And then I made a grave mistake by digging their bulbs a bit earlier than I was supposed to.

Next year Hyacinth did not sprout at all. 

Therefore, beware of digging up Hyacinth bulbs too early, as bulbs take time to store energy.

Generally, you shall wait till the end of the flowering season, usually in autumn, to dig up Hyacinth bulbs. 

You can store the bulbs in a cool, dry place for about 6 to 8 weeks and maintain a temperature of about 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pink Hyacinth
Transplant Hyacinth bulbs after flowering ends or before it.

While waiting for the right time to dig, you shall timely deadhead any spent blooms.

Be sure to water the plant until the foliage turns yellow and dies back, and cut back the dead foliage before digging.

But do not remove leaves until they have become brown and dry to the touch.

Doing so can prevent energy waste through seed production, promoting better foliage and blooms.

However, if you think of growing Hyacinth from seeds, leave some flowers on the plant.

How to Transplant Hyacinth Bulbs?

Transplanting Hyacinth from pot to ground is easy with a simple procedure.

But you must gather these necessary tools and materials before shoving your hand in the dirt to transplant Hyacinth.

You need Gardening Shears, Garden forks, Shovels, Trowel, and Gardening Gloves to transplant Hyacinth Bulbs.

Now let us get started with transplanting Hyacinth bulbs, shall we? 

But wait!!! Did you wear garden gloves? Please do because Hyacinth is toxic and can cause mild skin irritation due to its oxalic acid content.
  • Before transplanting the bulbs, find a proper location where the plant will get full sun.
  • Using a garden fork or trowel, loosen the soil a few inches away from the plant base to avoid damage to the bulb.
  • Pull out the bulb and remove the soil attached to it by subtly shaking them. 
  • Sort the bulbs depending on their sizes and remove the offsets.
  • Dig up a hole almost four to six inches deep with enough width.
  • Remove any rocks, weeds, or debris.
White Hyacinth
Hyacinth sprouts back in Spring from its bulbs.
  • Add organic compost and bulb fertilizer to the soil to ensure ingredients-rich soil. 
  • Place the bulbs in the hole while ensuring the pointy side is up, and lightly cover them with soil.
  • Ensure to keep the bulbs four or five inches away from each other to avoid clashes for nutrients.
  • Thoroughly water to soak the garden bed’s top five or six inches after transplanting Hyacinth bulbs
  • Apply few inch layer of mulch to top the garden bed. It maintains moisture and protects bulbs during the winter.

After transplanting Hyacinths, leave them for rest, as they will go through cold dormancy to bloom back in Spring.

Pro Tip: If you can not transplant the Hyacinth bulbs straight away, you should keep them in a dry, cool place to use when the right time arrives.

Care Tips for Hyacinth Bulbs After Transplanting

Besides waiting for Spring, you still need to care for your planted Hyacinth bulbs.

Therefore, carefully follow these care routines for your recently transplanted Hyacinth bulbs.

  • Consider placing your plant where they receive at least seven or eight hours of full sun or partial shade.
  • Let the soil dry in between watering routines to avoid too much water in the soil resulting in premature bulb rotting. 
  • Continue watering even in winter after the soil dries up. Use chopsticks or fingers to test the soil moisture.
  • Provide a well-draining, light, and loose soil full of organic matter while ensuring the pH level is between 6.0 to 7.0.
  • Your plant will easily survive outdoor cold if you live between 4 to 8 USDA hardiness zones. But consider storing bulbs indoors if it gets way too cold in winter.
  • You shall artificially chill the Hyacinth bulbs if the temperature in winter does not drop below 60°F.
  • Ensure to add balanced 10-10-10 bulb fertilizers or fish emulsions while transplanting bulbs.
  • Squirrels, chipmunks, and hamsters feast on Hyacinth bulbs, so consider using deterrents to keep them away.

The bulb’s health condition and the energy accumulated in it decides the flower quality.

From Editorial Team

Conclusion!

Transplanting Hyacinth from pot to garden is a brilliant way to help plant bulbs and store enough energy.

Planting the Hyacinth bulbs 8 cm apart boosts the growth and reduces the chances of disease outspread.

Do not hurry to dig up bulbs! Let flowering end before transplanting bulbs, and follow aftercare carefully.

Happy Gardening!

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