LADYBUG SAYS ... PUTTING FORCE INTO THE FLOWERING BULBS

Since many have inquired about forcing bulbs, here goes another column on my favorite topic spring flowering bulbs.

About the easiest of all plants to force are the Dutch flowering bulbs hyacinths, tulips, narcissus and crocus. In these the bulbs contain the flower bud, fixed inside the bulb the spring before, ready to bloom when given the proper conditions.

The best container for bulbs to be forced is the red clay pot of the type known as a bulb pan. This is quite low and usually rimless. However any flower pot will do, as long as it has good drainage. Put a piece of a broken pot over the hole and about an inch of soil and then it is ready for planting.

Since the bulbs are considered expandable, they need little or no room for root growth and can be planted practically touching. While some professional growers leave the top of the bulb exposed, it is a better practice to cover them with about a half inch of soil.

Potted bulbs may be kept out of doors to root and brought into a 60-degree temperature later. One of the best places to store bulbs for forcing is an old refrigerator, since the temperature there is an even cold. It is important that they have water during this period.

Some bulbs can be forced earlier than others. Hyacinths are the easiest and most reliable. However many varieties of tulips, narcissus, and crocus do quite well. All should be planted now, or as soon as bulbs are available on the market, if you desire flowers by the holidays or early January.

There are other suggested methods. At this time of year, plant four or five tulip bulbs in an 8-inch pot. Add soil to cover bulb tips. Press soil down well. Cover with an upturned empty pot and bury in an outdoor spot and leave until mid-January. When shoots are three or four inches high, bring into a cool, dim room until buds grow well above the leaves.

Hyacinths can be forced for early bloom by setting bulbs singly in four-inch pots. Water well, then slip pot into a plastic bag, leaving six inches of the empty bag at the top for the shoot to grow. Set in a cool, dark basement and keep soil moist. Remove bag and bring into warmth and light when stalk is about six inches high.

Paperwhite narcissus are the easiest of all bulbs to grow indoors. Just plant them in pebbles (no soil), add water to the base of the bulbs and set in a cool light window. The bulbs will bloom in about six weeks and often have to be staked.

Some of the most delightful of all flowering plants are the small bulbs, such as Muscari (grape hyacinths), Iris reticulate (very early bright purple miniature iris) and Dutch crocus. Any of these can be planted, several to a five-inch pot and stored outside to root along with the tulips. The only difference in handling is that they should be kept much cooler.

A number of other bolbous plants (most of which grow from tuberous roots) are well suited for indoor culture, though not to forcing. These include achimenes, amaryllis, tuberous begoias, caladiums, calla lilies and gloxiana.

By all means do not toss out the bulbs once the blossoms have faded. Forced indoor bulbs can be stored and planted outside in the garden. When the foliage starts to yellow, reduce the amount of water gradually until the bulbs are dried out completely. Wait until the weather is mild and the ground workable before planting. Slip the bulbs into an area as a group.

Bulbs that have dried off can be separated when they are planted, which increases the likelihood of more flowers later on. It may take two or three years for the bulbs to bloom again, although they often do so the next year. However, bulbs that have been forced cannot be forced again.

Our bulbs and most of those of the world come from Lisse, in The Netherlands. No people on earth love flower bulbs more than the Dutch. The first commercially produced bulbs grew here more than 400 years ago.

Each spring, the famous Keukenhof garden in Lisse features more than six million tulips, daffodils and crocus on 70 acres of expertly maintained parkland.

Each year the Dutch produce approximately nine billion flower bulbs for export. Tulips alone account for about 2.8 billion bulbs, which is quite an output for a country about half the size of Maine.

Holland exports more than a half billion dollars worth of bulbs each year. The Germans are their best customers, followed by the Italians and then the United States. Japan has recently risen from 20th place to sixth among flower bulb importers.

A brand new handbook from Brooklyn Botanic Garden on bulbs for summer and fall blooming, written by Judy Glattstein, garden writer for The New York Times, can be obtained by mail for $6.95 plus $3.25 for postage and handling from Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, 1000 Washington Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11225.