what happened my daffodiles

T

trekie

Guest
hey can anyone tell me why my daffodils did not bloom this year. i have had these for years and i dig them up every year and plant them in oct as i did last year. this year they look very skinny and weak with no blooms..not one.......what happened
 
Could be a number of factors.

Most likely cause is that they are exhausted, and need to rebuild their energy source - the bulb itself.

Firstly, when do you dig them up? You should wait until the foliage turns yellow before cutting it off/removing it (and don't tie the foliage up into little bows as many people do) and digging them up. The daffodil builds itself up after the strenuous exercise of flowering by photosynthesising until the leaves wither. If any do flower, 'dead-head' them once the flower finishes - this means you remove the growing seedhead, which takes valuable energy which would otherwise go towards replenishing the bulb for next year.

Secondly, why do you dig them up? Daffodils are completely hardy in our climate, and are far better left in the ground all year round, where they will multiply - you only need to dig up established daffodils to divide congested clumps.

Thirdly, daffodils start producing roots in August - October is late to be planting them - they're relatively large bulbs and need a long growing season if they're to flower reliably every year.

Alternatively, your daffs may have a virus or be subject to insect attack, but I would reckon its more likely they are simply too weak to flower this year.

To remedy this situation, leave them in the ground and feed them weekly from now on with a high-potash liquid fertiliser - something designed for flowering plants or tomatoes would be ideal. Keep feeding them until the leaves turn yellow. Don't dig them up this year - just leave them where they are (how deep did you plant them? They need to be buried at a depth of 2-3 times their height). Then, in say August, throw a handful of long-lasting fertiliser such as dried chicken manure around the space where they'll come up.

They are very tough plants, and will no doubt rebound beautifully next sprnig!
 
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