Forcing amaryllis and muscari bulbs: An At Home Journal (Week 7)

Muscari (grape hyacinth) bulbs continue to grow stems. A thickening stem cracks the neck on one of the amaryllis bulbs.Jan. 20:

Amaryllis bulb #1: This week's exciting event is the sight of a thick, stiff stalk bursting through the neck of the amaryllis bulb in the tallest vase.  The bulb is also showing the tips of three more stems. 

Amaryllis bulb #2: The bulb in the shorter vase has a thickening shorter stem with three more layered stems emerging on the opposite side. 

Muscari bulbs: The grape hyacinth bulbs have an abundance of lush, thick green stems. I resisted the urge to pluck off a wayward stalk just to make a better photograph. The purplish bump at the end of one stem is still there, making me hold hope for at least one flower.

I confess that I have little hope that these bulbs will bloom. I figure that like larger hyacinths, they needed a cooling period that would replicate winter. Since they were sprouting, I decided to just put them on top of marbles in water to see what would happen. That was before I read up on forcing bulbs in water and learned that they might grow, but are unlikely to flower without the requisite chilling period of about three months.

Either way, I am appreciating the thick growth of stems as an unusual houseplant. It's pretty amazing that they are growing vigorously in the wide vase with only water and marbles.