When to dig up daffodils after flowering

The article provides advice on when to dig up daffodils after flowering, how to do it right.

Daffodils are one of the first spring flowers that appear in our garden, pleasing to the eye with bright green leaves, harmoniously combined with white and yellow flowers. And yet, this is one of those plants that steadfastly tolerate lack of attention to themselves, high humidity and drought, changeable spring weather with fluctuating temperatures. Many of us water daffodils every other time, let alone digging the bulbs.

For those who nevertheless decided to tackle daffodils "close", for example, transplant an overgrown family or share part of the growth with a neighbor, we will tell you when and how to dig them out correctly.

When to dig up daffodils: features of the bulb

Daffodil bulbs: photo

Daffodil bulbs, unlike other flowers, such as gladioli or tulips, ripen after two or even three years. All this time, the tip (baby) grows on the onion, which then separates to become an independent plant.

If daffodils grow on a large area and their plantings are not thickened, one bulb, depending on the variety, can give from 2 to 6 children. The strongest and most developed of them will begin to bloom in the next season. And everything will happen again. By the way, today there are more than thirty thousand varieties of narcissus. And the registration of varieties of daffodil is attributed to the competence of the Royal Horticultural Society.

The leaves of the daffodil, like other bulbous ones, wither and die off after the end of the growing season, and the active processes of laying future buds, both maternal and daughter, flower stalks, as well as plant foliage, continue in the bulb. Dug up bulbs quickly lose moisture and begin to dry out. Therefore, the storage period is limited, literally, to two months. After this time, the daffodils must be planted in a new place. In winter, planting material for daffodils is not stored.

Do I need to dig up daffodil bulbs

Daffodil bulbs: photo

Many gardeners love these flowers for their simplicity in care, including the lack of the need for annual digging and replanting. However, as noted, daffodils reproduce with the help of children. And if each season, each of the daffodils will increase their number, soon, the area with flowers will be filled with many lush bushes with a large number of peduncles. This is undoubtedly a beautiful sight, but the growing family will lack neither space nor food, and, in the future, the plants will not have the strength to form flower stalks. As a result, you will observe on your site only the lush bright green of the "bushes" of the daffodil.

It should be noted that some growers are deliberately in no hurry to dig up daffodil bulbs, since a number of hybrid varieties do not tolerate transplanting well, after which they may not produce peduncles for a period of time.
The fact that it is time to start transplanting a daffodil can be seen by taking a close look at the plant itself.
If the stems of plants and their leaves are directed straight vertically, then, with a transplant, you can wait. And, in the case when the bush becomes sprawling, the leaves fall apart - it's time to dig out the plants.

Without transplanting and losing, at the same time, decorative properties, daffodils can grow in one place for up to 5 years.Further, children formed in large numbers are already beginning to bulge out of the ground, flower shoots become shorter, and flowers - small.

Gardeners have different approaches to digging up daffodil bulbs. Some try not to touch the bulbs for as long as possible, while others dig up the plants every year, giving them a little respite. Those who sell cuttings, at the end of the flowering of daffodils, also dig them out of the ground in order to collect the planting material and, soon, plant it in a new place. Indeed, already next season, the daughter bulbs will give flower stalks. By the way, growers involved in cultivation, including daffodils, recommend not replanting plants during the growing season, otherwise they will shed their peduncles and bloom again only next spring.

When to dig up daffodils after flowering: the best time to dig up

Experts advise against rushing and digging up daffodil bulbs immediately after flowering. Wait until the leaves begin to turn yellow and wither. This means that the above-ground part has "given" all the nutrients to the bulb and there is no need to leave it in the ground longer. It is not worth removing green leaves, even a little wilting, prematurely. Many people cut off such foliage, because it loses its decorative effect and spoils the appearance of flower beds or flower beds. However, in this case, the onion will not receive enough substances necessary for the formation of green mass and flowering in the next season. And to preserve the attractive appearance of the flower beds, lush flowering annuals can be planted next to the daffodils, which will cover the withering leaves.

When the summer is rainy, the leaves begin to wilt later. Therefore, taking into account all the factors, it is recommended to focus on a period of one and a half, two months, after the end of flowering.

If you wait until the aerial part is completely dry, you can “lose” the planting site of the bulbs, since the fallen dry leaves will simply be blown away by the wind. In this case, there is a high probability that the bulbs will be damaged during digging to such an extent that you will lose some of the planting material.

In addition, if you delay digging, the bulbs can start to grow and begin to release roots, which again can be damaged by removing the bulbs from the soil or scraping the soil from them. Bulbs that have received such damage take root more slowly, grow worse and are more likely to be exposed to various infections.

The time to dig up the daffodil bulbs depends on the end of the flowering of the daffodils. But, in different regions, both the beginning and the end of flowering depend on the climatic characteristics. For example, in the southern regions - this is already mid-June, and in Siberia and the Urals, in June, daffodils are still blooming, bulbs are dug up here at the end of July, early August and, the plants are transplanted almost immediately without sending for storage. These dates may also depend on the plant variety, since there are both early and late varieties among daffodils. Therefore, in any case, when determining the time for digging the bulbs, in addition to recommendations, you should be guided by your own observations.

By the way, it is important to remember that the leaves and bulbs of the plant contain alcoloids lycarin and daffodil, therefore daffodil is classified as a poisonous plant. Eating them can lead to poisoning. And the cases of using both bulbs and leaves in cooking did take place. Mistakenly, buyers mistook the daffodil bulbs for onions and the leaves for a vegetable very common in China, used in the stuffing of dumplings.

The content of these substances in the plant protects it from rodents, which do not touch the bulbs of the daffodil, unlike, for example, tulips. Some gardeners practice planting daffodils in front of other plants, also loved by rodents, as a kind of protective curb.

In addition, it has been noticed that if there are other flowers in the same vase with daffodils, the latter wither rather quickly.Such wilting, according to experts, is due to the release of these toxic substances into the water.

How to dig up daffodil bulbs correctly?

Before starting to dig up daffodils, it is advised to feed the plant. It is better to apply fertilizer immediately after flowering. Phosphate-potassium fertilizers are used for these purposes, which contribute to better ripening of the bulb.

Watering the plants is stopped the day before the expected digging.

Dig up the daffodil bulbs carefully using a pitchfork or shovel. They try to grab the bulbs with a clod of earth, place them on a film and, after that, carefully break them apart. Further, the bulbs are cleaned from the ground, the remnants of the leaves are cut off.
Plants must be carefully examined. Those that have signs of disease or mechanical damage are destroyed.

The selected planting material is washed and immersed in a solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection. For these purposes, you can also use solutions of various fungicides. However, it is not necessary to keep the bulbs in solutions for more than half an hour.

After, the bulbs are well dried. Usually, they are laid out in a well-ventilated area so that they are not exposed to direct sunlight. It is not advised to leave the bulbs on the street. Firstly, you can not make sure that the sun does not hit the bulbs and the plants get burned. In addition, narcissus flowers have a strong, intoxicatingly sweet scent, which is partly exuded by the bulbs, thereby attracting the narcissus fly. This insect resembles a fly in appearance, and a bumblebee in color. An adult insect feeds on nectar and pollen, and they lay eggs on the bulbs. After a while, larvae hatch from them, which, in fact, feed on the pulp of the bulbs, harming them.

In the case when you plan to transplant daffodil bulbs to another place, then the bulbs are dug out with a large clod of earth and with it are transferred to the planting site. Slowly, trying not to break up the lump, so as not to damage the roots, the bulbs are placed in a pit and covered with loose soil.

If the need for a transplant arose during flowering, for example, on an old site you plan to erect buildings, or simply use it to plant other plants, then it is better to pinch the peduncles so that nutrients are spent on rooting the onions.

When planting thickened plantings, remember to slightly increase the distance between the bulbs so that the latter can form more daughter bulbs. Having found damaged or rotten bulbs during transplantation, it is better to sort out the "family" and hold it for some time in a disinfectant solution. Only after this can the daffodils be transplanted to a new place, otherwise, you may completely lose it.

When to dig up daffodil bulbs and how to store bulbs

In this case, we are not talking about storing daffodil bulbs, in our usual sense. The shelf life of daffodil planting material is very short, only 1-2 months. This is due to the rapid loss of moisture on the bulb. Longer storage will simply lead to its death, or, the bulb will be so depleted that, taking into account the forces and nutrients spent on rooting after its autumn planting, it will simply not be able to give flower stalks for the next season.

After processing and drying, the bulbs are sorted into varieties, and adult and daughter bulbs are also separated. The planting material is placed in boxes, in one layer and placed in a room with an air temperature of +20 ... + 22 degrees and, most importantly, with an air humidity of at least 70%.

In order to avoid the appearance of pests on the bulbs, it is recommended to cover them with agrofibre or spunbond. From time to time, planting material must be checked and, when signs of illness or pest infestation appear on it, remove from storage and destroy such onions. In addition to visual inspection, the onions can be felt.As a rule, rotten bulbs, such as those affected by the larvae of the daffodil fly, become soft. Although in appearance, they are not particularly different.

Take care of your daffodil bulbs, and in gratitude from them you will receive a lush and long flowering.

When to dig up daffodils and whether it is necessary: ​​a useful video