Daffodils, which are also known as narcissi, are a sturdy garden plant that will bloom beautifully year after year.The right amount offertilizer is the key to keeping these flowers producing each year.
Step 1: Daffodils need additional nitrogen in the soil.
Daffodils flower again every year without much help from you.Because they stay in the ground for a long time, the surrounding soil can become deplete as the plants use up the local resources.Fertilizing the soil is necessary.Daffodils reproduce by division of the original bulb, which means more plants eventually occupy the same space.The strain on the soil's availability is increased by this.
Step 2: Nutrition levels can be assessed by buying a soil testing kit.
It is important to understand that soil conditions vary across small distances in your garden and that you can buy soil testing kits to assess soil nutrition.Fertilizing your plants will make for bigger, better flowers.It is important to get the right balance of nutrition in the soil so that your flowers continue to grow.Nitrogen or potash can encourage the plant to grow leaves rather than flowers, which can cause weak growth.
Step 3: Daffodils need the right kind of fertilization.
Daffodils benefit from a slow release balancedFertilizer that is higher in potash than nitrogen.The three main ingredients are balanced.Granular slow release fertilizers are called such because they are labeled as such.It can be very smelly if you take care of it.
Step 4: The daffodils should be fed at the beginning of the growing season.
Daffodils should be fed at the beginning of the growing season, as the first part becomes visible above ground.This happens in the early spring.It is best to use a liquid or watersolublefertilizer at this time of the year.Daffodils are fed every few weeks until the foliage dies away, but in most gardens this is likely to over feed the plants.
Step 5: Daffodils should be mulched after the growing season.
Fertilizing your daffodils is not always the answer.Daffodils do not need a lot of fertilization and you are more likely to over feed than under feed them.While some plants need to be fertilized before and after the growing season, you should only do that with your daffodils at the beginning of the season.Two or three inches of mulch can be applied around your daffodils.Well-rotted manure or leaf mold can be found in organic mulch.The mulch will help to protect your plants from the cold.
Step 6: Daffodils should be fertilized after the growing season.
If you planted container-grown daffodils in the spring, you should not need to fertilize them at the beginning of the growing season because the compost you used should have enough nutrition.If you hope to have blooms the following year, you can fertilize them after.Container-planted daffodils do not grow as well the second year that they remain in the container.If you want to keep them for a second season, you need to improve their performance after the growing season.If you don't want to keep your container in the house, dress it with bone meal after flowering ends.Or a liquid.If you don't want to water it until the fall, turn the container on its side for about three months.
Step 7: Let the foliage die on its own.
Daffodils use the sun's rays to make the energy they need.It is important not to cut the foliage back after flowering as this is the main period when the plants are taking in energy.The foliage should be let go naturally.The foliage should be brown after eight weeks after flowering.At this time, it's okay to cut it back.Daffodils with lots of foliage may have been over supplied with nitrogen.Next spring, use afertilizer with more phosphorus to correct this.
Step 8: Don't let the soil get wet.
Some plants have a lot of leaves but no flowers.There is a lack of water in your garden.If your area experiences a dry spring, try watering your daffodils every time the ground is dry.The ground should not be wet as this can cause the bulbs to rot.
Step 9: Daffodils need to be planted deep enough.
Daffodils fail to grow if they aren't planted deep enough.If you didn't plant the bulbs at a depth of at least two or three times their own height and width, then this may be a problem.In a daffodil bed that has been blooming for several years, failure to flower may indicate that the bulbs need dividing.
Step 10: Over the winter months, chill the daffodil bulbs.
Daffodils may not flower if they haven't had a proper chill over the winter or if you planted them at the wrong time.If you plant nursery bulbs late in the year, they may not flower in their first year.It is possible that you will have better luck the following year after they have experienced the winter chill.Next time, you can try planting pre-chilled bulbs.
Step 11: The daffodils should be placed in a sunny spot with the soil draining well.
If the bulbs are in an area where puddles form after rain, you may have a drainage problem.If you want to improve drainage, consider lifting the bulbs and incorporating lots of compost into the ground.Raising bed gardening improves drainage.
Step 12: The daffodils are a good place to keep an eye on them.
The daffodils don't flourish because of Narcissus fly.These pests can be eliminated with regular hoeing around the plant.Make sure there are no cracks in the soil.