From our perspective, the most common and critical issue is a lack of sufficient winter. We are not like the tropical plants that enjoy constant warmth; our bulbs require an extended period of cold dormancy, a physiological reset known as vernalization. This chilling period, ideally between 35-48°F (2-9°C) for 12-16 weeks, is not optional—it is the essential signal that tells our internal biological clock that winter has passed and it is safe to emerge and bloom. When humans "force" us but skip or shorten this chilling, they disrupt our natural cycle. The result is a weak, stunted flower stalk, or worse, an abundance of leaves with no bloom at all. You are essentially asking us to perform without giving us our necessary backstage preparation.
Once our green tips emerge, we instinctively seek the sun. Our very growth is governed by phototropism. When placed in a dim location, we are compelled to stretch desperately towards any available light source. This is not us being "leggy" or "floppy" by choice; it is a survival mechanism that results in weak, elongated, pale stems that cannot support the weight of our own flowers. Conversely, placing us in direct, scorching sunlight or right next to a heat source is equally disorienting and stressful. It causes our soil to dry out too rapidly, desiccates our roots, and can scorch our tender leaves and blooms, drastically shortening our display. We require bright, but indirect, light to thrive.
Our relationship with water is a delicate one, centered entirely on our bulb. We store all the energy we need for a single flowering season within that bulb. Overwatering is a grave threat; it suffocates our roots, creates an anaerobic environment, and invites rot and fungal diseases that can quickly destroy us from the bottom up. A waterlogged bulb is a dying bulb. Underwatering, while less immediately fatal, causes immense stress. It forces us to try to sustain growth and bloom with insufficient resources, leading to wilted, crispy leaves and bud blast (where flower buds dry up and abort before opening). We desire consistently moist but never soggy conditions, with excellent drainage to protect our foundational bulb.
This is not so much a growing problem as a philosophical one from our viewpoint. The common practice of discarding us after flowering is a misunderstanding of our nature. We have expended a tremendous amount of energy from our bulb to produce those flowers for you under forced conditions. While it is true that re-forcing us the next year is difficult, it is not our preferred path. Our goal is to recharge. If allowed, our leaves will continue to photosynthesize and send energy back into the bulb for next year's growth cycle, even if that cycle is best completed planted outdoors in a garden. Being treated as a short-term disposable decoration ignores our perennial nature and inherent will to persist and live.
