January is typically a dormant period for plants in the American upper Midwest.
A climate of cool, often cold, days and freezing temperatures at night stimulate plants to take a rest, go inactive, and resist the spring and summer urge to grow. One expects plants to store nutrients in preparation for the spring surge. I can imagine the roots sipping moisture and nutrients from the soil rather than slurping them up like a teenager with a straw and their favorite soft drink.
Communications broke down. The message became scrambled. If winter temperatures now drop to their long term average instead of the warm spell last week these eager bulbs will have their buds frozen off. Whoa!
