Natural Rain Water Is Best

The recent rainfall has done wonders for the soil. And now with overcast conditions, moist soil and constant showers, it's almost perfect (apart from the wind) for planting. After deliberating long and hard, I decided to lift the daffodils early and get some more dahlias in, just in case the dry weather comes back.

It's always best to work with nature. But, apart from this, I don't like watering, at the best of times - I always feel it's cheating, somehow. And plants don't grow as well on tap water as they do on natural rain water.

Laid bulbs, leaves in tact, out on floor in a cool, light spot, out of direct sunlight. Will have to watch they don't dry out. Normally, flowering has been over for 3 or 4 weeks by this time. But this year, because I used a mixed bag of bulbs, some flowers have only just finished. Growing is always a compromise.

Bulbs In Pots Do Work

If you remember, late last September I put a few daffodil bulbs into 15 cm (6 inch) pots and, after getting them started, buried them 10 cm (4 inches) deep in the space left behind by the dahlias. The bulbs seemed small - too small for the pots - so I didn't expect too much. They're not fantastic. But at least I can remove them early - complete with pot, if necessary - to plant up the beds. This is good. However, they didn't seem to flower any earlier than the rest (as I had hoped), but this might be due to variety (some flower earlier than others).

You might be wondering why I don't remove them now to make room for a dahlia re-plant. Well, I could. But there's no rush. As I have told you before, Mother Nature has a way of catching up. I know the daffs are late, but they're not nearly so late as they were in January. They've caught up brilliantly. Things always do. Getting the best results is more about timing - picking the right moment - than about being first; a bit like the hare and the tortoise in that respect. Last year there was little difference between early and late-planted dahlias (because I had started the dahlias well before planting) In fact, if anything, the late-planted might have done better. You need to understand that the soil hasn't really warmed up properly yet, especially down below. Come May...Now that's a different story...

Feed Potassium To Avoid Fallen Daffodils

So much for the ericaceous feeding, back in February. It wasn't the wrong time; it was the RIGHT TIME; but unfortunately the WRONG FEED. Daffodils should be fed twice: once in February (in the UK) at the beginning of spring growth to fuel flowering, and again at the end of flowering to feed the bulbs .

Of course, the cause of the problem is TOO MUCH NITROGEN, which gives excess soft growth. It also gives loose bulbs, which can cause problems. Whilst ericaceous feed is not really high in nitrogen, a better feed for spring bulbs is the one I usually use: high potash (potassium) - tomato feed, or 'Phostrogen'. These will harden the stems and tighten the bulbs. Had it not been for the recent strong winds, this problem might never have occurred. But, as is often the case in life, they did - and it did.

Daffodils in Pots Planted

Lifting the dahlias has made room for spring bulbs. The bulbs planted in pots have now rooted and have been planted 20 cm (4 inches) below the top of the bulbs. There is no sign of shoot development yet.

Increasing Daffodil Stock

How to Propagate Daffodils

A bulb is not a root, as many suppose, but a compressed underground stem with scales representing the leaves. These scales are formed around the basal plate and arranged in an onion-like (another bulb) fashion. They hold a food supply to sustain dormancy and the development of the new shoot which develops from the centre of the bulb.

There are two kinds of bulbs:

• tunicate
• scaly
  

Daffodils are tunicate bulbs.


If the basal plate is cut through so that the base of the scales is also cut, the development of new offsets is stimulated. Scoring a cross is an ideal way to do this.

However, it is important to ensure that the bulb is not infected with disease, such as blue mould, which could be carried on the knife and infect other clean bulbs (fungal diseases often gain entrance through wounds).

If in doubt, sterilise the blade with a flame, or similar, between operations.

Bulbs in Pots

Since I have some 2 litre (6 inch) black pots doing nothing, I thought I might try some daffodil bulbs in pots this year.

I usually plant daffodils after the first frosts. But this can be as late as November, which means they flower later in the spring, thus making it impossible to replant with dahlia tubers before early summer (unless they are planted between the daffodil clumps).

• Place about 5 cm (two inches) of soil in the bottom of the pot
• Add and mix in about 5 mls (a teaspoonful) of bone meal
• Add another 2.5 cm (inch) of ordinary soil
• Place bulbs (leaving some room for growth) on the soil
• Cover bulbs to just over top, leaving room for watering
• Place in a cool place
  

These should be fine until the ground is cleared and prepared (even much longer, if necessary). They can then be buried, pot-and-all, so that the top of the bulbs is about 10 cm (4 inches) below soil level. This can be done gradually if new shoots have developed - it will speed up the growth process (because green shoots are kept in daylight).

Blue Mould on Bulbs

This daffodil bulb is infected with Blue Mould, caused by a penicillin mould (fungus). A dark rot, usually at the base of the bulb (it can also be on the side), causes softening of the tissue.

The mould usually enters the bulb from the soil (often from a wound), but symptoms only develop during storage at too high a temperature in damp conditions. Infected bulbs rot in the soil after planting, and infect the surrounding soil with the disease.

So always plant only firm healthy bulbs and discard any which are suspect. If you damage any bulbs, dust each wound with sulphur powder.

Storing Daffodil Bulbs

With the dahlias now coming through, it is time to lift the daffodil bulbs and crocus corms. I know this is not recommended, but I left them in for the first time last year; and of those planted in soil, I lost every daffodil bulb except one. Those grown in compost in the pots survived.

Have had a problem with bulb rot (not sure which one) for a few years, now. Usually remove soft bulbs before re-planting in autumn.

I always leave the leaves attached. These die back naturally and the bulbs dry out on the concrete floor. This ensures there will be enough feed going into the bulb to support flowering next year. I used to have a problem with blanks. But this seems to have sorted it.

Once sure they are absolutely dry, I hang them up in an open supermarket carrier bag, making sure the air can get around them. This seems to suit them fine.