October is Bulb Planting Time
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- Patricia
- Mary Lou
- Patricia
- Mary Lou
- MightyWebb
- Mary Lou
- biogardener
- Mary Lou
- biogardener
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» Mary Lou - Re: Daffodils
Hi Patricia,Glad you liked the article. You might like to check out the Florida Daffodil Society website. Click on Links above, then scroll down to Florida Daffodil Society. My friend, Linda Van Beck, talks about daffodils for Zone 8b, which she says is from Charleston, South Carolina, to Houston, TX. If you click on photos on that site, you'll see a few that do well in Florida. The photos are slow to load, however. Linda doesn't do email, but her daughter, Sara, does. You can email her at svanbeck@profilingsolutions.com. Linda and Sara are writing a book about daffodils in the Coastal South. Sara could probably tell you which daffodils would likely do well for you, so you'd get flowers and not just long foliage.
-- posted by Mary Lou
» Patricia - Re: Re: Daffodils
In response to message posted by Mary Lou:I love the links site I found clubs in 3 different states near me. On is near my daughter and I could see a show there.
I also love to put the really cheap Daffodils bulbs in pots were I have stuff planted,it keeps those squirrels from digging in them. I have Hickory and Oak trees in my yard. I also found that dog hair keeps critters out of the pots etc.
-- posted by Patricia
» Mary Lou - Re: Re: Re: Daffodils
Great! I'm glad you found the links helpful! I have oaks and a few black walnuts, which seem to have an exceptionally big crop of nuts this year. Don't have a dog, but someone told me that dog hair keeps deer away as well. I'm tempted to go to a hairdresser and collect all the hair! I need something to keep the deer away, as they love the hostas!-- posted by Mary Lou
» MightyWebb - Re: Re: Re: Re: Daffodils
In response to message posted by Mary Lou:Hi - I have a question that I hope you can help with! I have some Narcisi in pots that I keep at work. They all flowered last year, and I was advised to take them out of the soil, and keep the bulbs until about October last year. I replanted the bulbs at this time, and they have now grown, but there are no flowers - only lots of green leaves! Where did I go wrong?
Thanks very much
-- posted by MightyWebb
» Mary Lou - Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Daffodils
I don't think you did anything wrong! The bulbs you had in pots last year were "forced" to bloom, probably outside their normal season. That takes a lot out of the bulbs, and it usually takes them a year to recover. So keep those green leaves going as long as possible--no tying or cutting of foliage to make the garden look neater--and they should probably bloom for you next spring.-- posted by Mary Lou
» biogardener - fertilizing
After a bulb has finished flowering, you need to fertilize heavily just to maintain the size of the bulb for the following year. If you do a real good job of fertilizing, you can even increase the size from year to year.I spread a thin layer of manure on the bulbs followed by dried leaves. I use pigeon droppings for manure, because I have lots available, and they don't stink.
-- posted by biogardener
» Mary Lou - Re: fertilizing
Sorry, but I have to disagree with you on the fertilizer. Daffodils don't require heavy feeding, and in fact my own plantings get very little after they've been planted. Sometimes I throw some Milorganite over the beds, or some low nitrogen (5-10-10 or similar) fertilizer in early spring or late fall. And NEVER use fresh manure where it can come in contact with the bulbs. If you're talking about using manure on top of the ground, that's ok, but manure contributes to basal rot in areas where that's a problem. But I think the original question was why weren't bulbs that were in pots last year not blooming. And the simple answer is that they need a year to recuperate after being forced.-- posted by Mary Lou
» biogardener - That's what I said
That's what I said, I spread the manure lightly on top of the soil, and it is pigeon droppings only. They are so mild that you can easily put them right on any garden bed except onions. Anyway, the daffy bulbs are 8 inches under the surface, so the nourishment from the droppings is slow release at best. I don't even water the garden, and it is really dry here in the summer, so it probably takes all year for the nutrients to sink in.My bulbs get larger every year from that treatment. Without it, they would either stay the same size or get smaller.
-- posted by biogardener
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