Hi
Do hyacinth multiple by itself next year or I need to do something about it myself? if not then can you please tell me the steps and the time to do that? Thank you so much.
You can reproduce Hyacinths reproduce in two ways, one way is to follow Mother nature’s course: That is propagating by seed or with offsets. Propagation by seed will require some patience, as once ripened seed is collected, they must be planted in trays and kept in a cool spot, undisturbed for one year. Even after transplanting you will have to wait for several years for these new plants to flower.
Mature plants will slowly produce offset or bulbets at the base of the bulb. These can be gently pried off the mother bulb and planted directly into the garden. Again, it may take a hyacinth several years to produce offsets and then it will take several more years for those offsets to produce flowers.
You can also boost nature along by using one of the following techniques to produce multiple new offsets in a slighter shorter time frame; These techniques are known as scooping and chipping:
Scooping:
First, the entire basal plate of a dormant bulb (i.e., where the roots grow) is scooped out by a sterilized scalpel or sharpened teaspoon, making a crater. The outer rim is left intact. This exposes the base of the leaves that cover the bulb. Dip the bulb in fungicide. Scooped bulbs should be placed (with cut surface facing upwards) on a layer of moist, coarse sand in a dark, warm place keeping the sand moist after around 3 months, little bulbs will form on the cut surfaces of the scooped area. In late fall, plant both the main bulb along with its attached bulblets right-side up and cover with 5-7.5 cm (2-3 inches) of soil. Once the mother bulb’s leaves have died in the early summer, lift the new bulbs, which should be around the size of peas (the mother bulb will have died). Plant the bulbs in beds or pots, lifting and replanting every year until they reach full size. It may take 4 or 5 years before the bulbs will flower.
Chipping:
Another way to propagate hyacinth bulbs is by chipping, which involves using a mature dormant bulb. Remove the outer skin and trim the roots, take off the growing tip and nose of the bulb. With the basal plate at the top, cut (chip) the bulb into 8-16 similarly sized sections. Ensure that each chip has a portion of the basal plate. Treat with fungicide. Drain the chips for 12 hours, then place them in a clear plastic bag that contains fine vermiculite (10 parts) and water (1 part). Blow the bag up (as you would a balloon) and seal it. Keep it in the dark at 20 degrees C (68 degrees F) for around 3 months and check from time to time to remove rotting chips. The layers (scales) of each chip should separate out, with bulblets forming between the layers, right above the basal plate. Pot up each chip individually, with the basal plate facing down and cover the little bulbs by 1 cm (1/2 inch) of compost. The scales should remain exposed and will slowly rot as the bulblets grow.
A word of caution: It is best to wear gloves when handling Hyacinth bulbs as some people experience an allergic reaction, the bulbs can release oxalic acid and irritate the skin.
You may find the following sites useful for the care and propagation of Hyacinths.
RHS. Hyacinths. https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=614
RHS. Bulbs: propagation. https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/Profile?pid=101