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Planting Daffodil Bulbs

When?

• To achieve optimum flowering results, it is important to plant your daffodil bulbs at the right time. The best time to plant daffodil bulbs is in the fall, from September to November, depending on your geographic location.
• When buying bulbs, select the largest ones. The larger the daffodil bulb, the more stems and flowers will be produced.

Where?

• Most daffodils are winter hardy and can be grown in USDA Zones 3-9 with the exception of the Tazetta daffodils. Most Tazetta daffodils are not hardy to the more northern climates, but are terrific performers in USDA Zones 5-9. Included in this group are the world-famous but tender paperwhites which can be grown outdoors in USDA Zones 8-11.
• Daffodils are easily grown in fertile, well-drained soils in full sun or part shade. Best flowering occurs with at least 6 hours of direct sun per day. In warm climates, some afternoon shade can help to prolong bloom and keep flower colors from fading. Do not plant daffodils in waterlogged soil (they are susceptible to rot) or deep shade.
• Slightly acidic soil is best, so you may add soil sulfur if you have alkaline soil.
• Versatile and long-lived, daffodils are perfect for beds and borders, rock gardens, containers or window boxes.They look great around shrubs, under deciduous trees or in naturalized areas where they provide spectacular drifts of color when planted en masse or mixed with other flower bulbs. For best visual impact, plant your daffodils in groups (at least 6 bulbs).
• In addition to their garden uses, daffodils are also very important as cut flowers and even have some degree of importance as container plants.

How?

• Dig over the soil to loosen it, at least twelve inches deep (30 cm), and fork in plenty of organic matter to improve soil structure and drainage.
• Plant your daffodil bulbs with the top or pointy end up.
• A general rule for planting depth is to plant the bulbs at a depth at least twice the height of the bulb, with a minimum of 2 in. (5 cm). Plant bulbs deeper in sandy soil than in clay. Not planting bulbs deeply enough results in poor rooting. The bulbs will emerge unevenly and produce short spindly plants. Planting too deeply, however, can result in rotting as well as late emergence.
• Space your daffodil bulbs about 3 to 6 inches apart (7-15 cm). In containers, place the daffodils on the potting compost so that they almost touch.
• Water immediately after planting and keep them moist until the rains come. Keep the soil moist during the growing season. Continue watering for three weeks or so after blooming time - then stop watering.

A number of planting techniques can be used for flower bulbs.

• One is to lay out the bulbs evenly over the location being planted. It would be advisable to start by laying out the bulbs at the proper distance apart; this will prevent unwelcome surprises when you come to the end of the border. Before the bulbs are laid out, the soil should be thoroughly loosened to a depth of 10 inches (25 cm). Next, you can simply plant the bulbs and they can easily root.
• The easiest planting method uses a raised planting bed. After laying out the flower bulbs, cover them with a layer of soil about 4-6 inches (10 to 15 cm) thick. After planting, the planted area should be evenly raked and then possibly mulched with organic material 1-2 inches (2 to 5 cm) thick. This will keep the soil from drying out, freezing or panning.
• If you want a more natural look, it would be best to scatter the bulbs and then plant them where they have fallen.
• You could also plant flower bulbs in the grass. A piece of sod can be lifted for planting each cluster of bulbs. After positioning them, just replace the sod. Once the sod has been tamped down properly, the planting location will be invisible after a few days.
• Layered (lasagne) planting extends flowering by planting bulbs with successive flowering periods in layers. The flower bulbs that will bloom last are planted at the deepest level and the earliest to bloom in the spring will be planted closest to the surface. This method can be applied when planting directly in the soil or in pots and containers.

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Daffodil Bulbs Care

After bloom care

• Remove the faded blooms after flowering to keep your daffodil plants from investing so much energy in the production of seedpods instead of new bulbs (unless desired for naturalizing). Deadheading also keeps the display looking its best.
• Do not remove the foliage until it withers - about 4-6 weeks after blooming. During this period, they store energy in the bulbs for next year’s bloom. Cutting off the foliage before it has died back naturally may prevent the bulbs from storing enough energy. As a result, your daffodils may not bloom next spring. 
• It is also important that daffodil bulbs that rapidly increase in number should not be allowed to produce excessively large clusters since this can reduce individual bulb growth. It would thus be better, once the leaves have died, to dig up bulbs that are tightly massed together, split them up into smaller quantities, and replant them.

Feeding

• Perennial bulbs like those of daffodils extract a lot of nutrients from the soil, so these bulbs will need supplementary fertilizing. During the growing season, inorganic fertilizers are the best choice since they contain the exact proportions and concentrations of nutrients. They also dissolve easily, so that plants can absorb them more efficiently.
• Inorganic fertilizers should be used only during the growing season; applied at other times, they will leach out of the soil and be wasted. Also, be careful not to apply too much inorganic fertilizer; excessively rapid growth results in weak plants that are then more vulnerable to diseases and pests. Applying too much fertilizer can also burn plants.
• Flower bulbs being used for perennial displays and for naturalizing in borders and beneath shrubs will benefit from an application of fertilizer just as their noses become visible in late winter or early spring. An application of 2 kg of 12-10-18 compound fertilizer per 100 m2 (109.36 sq. y) will do wonders. If you supply this in two applications with a week in between, the bulbs can absorb the nutrients better.

Daffodil bulbs in the grass

Grass in which flower bulbs have been planted should not be mowed until six to eight weeks after the flowering period. By then, all the aerial parts of the plant will have died and any seed produced will have had time to mature.

Mulching

Apply a thick mulch of organic matter, such as well-rotted garden compost over the soil surface in autumn or spring. This will help to prevent weeds and the soil drying out.

Propagating

Daffodils can be propagated by seed, division of chipping the bulbs.

Pest and Diseases

• Daffodils contain oxalic acid—a substance that makes them deer or rodent resistant. They are toxic to dogs, toxic to cats, toxic to horses.
• Ingestion may cause severe discomfort. Can also be a skin irritant.
• Daffodils are relatively trouble free, but keep an eye out for slugs and snails, narcissus basal rot, narcissus bulb fly. 
• Soil-borne pathogens and other living organisms can hinder the growth process of flower bulbs. By selecting the right planting material, choosing the right planting location, and providing proper care, you will get more pleasure from your flower bulbs. If, for example, you have planted perennial bulbs in a damp or shady location and you notice brown tips on a leaf during flowering, the culprit could very well be Botrytis. It would thus be advisable to cut such a leaf away before neighboring plants could be infected.