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.

Hyacinth Shoots Through

I had almost forgotten about these hyacinths under a bucket in the garage. They are certainly going to have to get a move on if they are to flower for Christmas. No, seriously, there's not much chance of that; they are not developed enough, probably because it has been too cold. Of course, I could always warm them up and force them along. But I don't want to do this; they will turn spindly and thin. Better to wait and let them flower in their own time.

Plants have all sorts of ways to tell what time of year it is and where they are. Hyacinths need to go through a period of several weeks (preferably at least 10) of cool darkness, so they can be fooled into thinking they're underground and it's spring. Many seeds and storage organs need a prolonged period of temperatures around freezing before they will flower, a process called 'vernalisation' (some seeds need cold treatment before they will germinate; a process called 'stratification') . Fortunately, this fact has been accommodated by the retailers who have pre-treated their wares. Special 'Christmas' hyacinths have already been heat (cold) treated, so all we need do is plant them cool and dark till they come through, then place them gradually into a light.

Note that the shoots are just starting developing chlorophyll (the stuff they need for photosynthesis) and turning green in the light. The compost is mouldy and too damp. This could be because I used multi-purpose instead of bulb fibre. I know it's not ideal, but the idea of 'My Broken Garden' is one-size-fits-all, if possible, since this keeps the costs down.

Dormant Bulb

If you're wondering why I'm showing you a drawing (don't you think my hand's becoming steadier since I gave up the drink?) of an 'onion', can I just say, that's not an appropriate attitude. No. With the hyacinths and daffodils now through, I thought I might point out firstly that a bulb is not a root, it's a modified shoot (I never shall get the hang of this botany thing - just when I thought it was safe . . ..). It has a very short stem and fleshy storage leaves. Also, the roots are called 'adventitious' because they grow from the stem.

The amazing thing about bulbs is that they contain next year's plant in miniature, including the flowers. So if you buy bulbs from the nursery or garden centre and they fail to flower during the season, don't blame yourself, it's not your fault - it was the bulb's (or the nursery's).

Incidentally, if your daffodils have been blanking (growing leaves only, without flowers) recently, they might have become over-crowded. Try lifting them and re-planting - it often does the trick. Add a little bonemeal to the soil first to help them along.

How About Hyacinths?

If you are looking for something to keep you occupied whilst filling up a spare window sill, how about pot hyacinths?

You can buy specially treated bulbs in garden centres at the moment.

If you fancy this, why not look up how to grow them online, then get the goods and have a go. You can let me know how you got on. They should flower in about 10 weeks from planting, so there is just time to have them ready for Christmas.

What do you think?

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).