This Winter You Can Easily Wax Your Flower Bulbs
I’ve long loved keeping bulbs blooming all winter long in my home, but I’m usually not very good at watering and caring for them. I like wax bulbs for many reasons, mainly because they are hands-free. You really can’t mess them up; you just put them somewhere and go. They do not require watering, just a little sunlight.
How to wax flower bulbs for the winter
You’ve probably seen waxed light bulbs for sale, usually costing around $20-$30 each. However, the lamps themselves are actually quite inexpensive. Even this late in the season, I bought three giant amaryllis bulbs from Lowe’s for $21. Typically these waxed bulbs use amaryllis, although you can also grow daffodils, tulips and all sorts of other bulbs at this time of year – I just haven’t seen them waxed.
My point is that you can save a lot of money by making your own wax bulbs and they make great gifts. All you need are the bulbs and some wax, and once you’ve waxed the bulbs, they won’t need any water or fertilizer; it already has everything he needs.
Worth mentioning: The bulbs are perennial, so when planted outdoors they can come back again and again, provided that when you cut the germinating flowers, you leave behind enough leaves for the plant to survive until next year. However, once you apply wax to the bulb, it is quite difficult to turn it into a bulb that you plant outside; this will require scraping off all the wax and growing out the roots. Most people who push bulbs inside aren’t actually planting them outside—they just throw them away after they bloom. It’s also worth noting that if you cover the bulbs with wax, you will never be able to compost them.
Peel the bulbs.
The wax won’t stick to the papery outer leaves of the bulb, so the first thing to do is peel them until you get to the pale center of the bulb. Like an onion, you simply peel away the outer part to expose the center.
Cut off the roots
Bulbs have a so-called basal plate from which roots grow. If you cut it off, the bulb, trying to survive, will receive a message that it must immediately flower and sprout. It is also helpful to place the light bulb on the flat side. Using a serrated knife, cut above the roots but below the bulb sphere.
Soak then dry
The magic of a waxed bulb is that it keeps all the moisture inside the bulb so once the wax is applied it will never need water. But first you need to soak the bulbs, so take a bowl of warm water and soak the bulbs for four to eight hours, but no more. You don’t want it to be flooded.
Place the bulb on a towel and let it air dry for a few hours. Don’t worry, the bulb won’t dry out; only its surface will be.
Prepare the wax
There are all types of wax, from soy wax to paraffin wax, or even the kind you use for crayons. I’ve read reviews that say you can use any wax, but I prefer soy wax. You can easily buy soy wax online ; you won’t need more than a pound or two, and you can color the wax using dyes made specifically for it. (Or you can use undyed soy wax, which is translucent.) You want to melt it into something you won’t mind destroying, and I find plastic deli containers are the perfect size—large enough to hold bulb. fits in so you don’t waste wax by melting too much. You probably have a few and they are microwave safe. Otherwise, it will be a pain to remove wax from a pan that you intend to use for something else. Since you want to dip the light bulb, you need to melt enough that the light bulb is almost completely submerged in water. Fill the jar with soy wax flakes and let them melt; Continue adding wax until the jar is two-thirds full. The best way to melt them in the microwave is to fill a container with the cereal and then microwave for thirty seconds at a time, opening the microwave and checking between each serving. As the wax melts you will need to add more. Overall, it took about six minutes of microwave time to completely melt all the wax; it does not require any stirring.
Before you begin your dive, you will also need a container of the same size filled with cold water.
Lower the light bulb
Grab the bulb by the shoot at the top and slowly dip it into the wax. You’ll stop about an inch and a half from the shot at the top. Count to five and then slowly pull the bulb back out and let it drip over the container of wax. As soon as the dripping stops, go to a jar of water and quickly dip the light bulb. Move quickly or you will end up with lines in the wax. This should harden the wax. Use a kitchen towel to gently dry it. The water on the flask will prevent the new wax from sticking to it.
You will need to dip each bulb three or four times in total. You will take the bulb out one last time and instead of letting it drain, quickly move the bulb onto the foil and set it to a flat size. The wax accumulates a little at the base. Keep it there until the wax hardens enough for the light bulb to stand on its own, then let the wax cool completely before removing it from the foil.
Now place the bulb near a window and watch it grow. You will see a sprout in about 10 days.