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Website © 2004
- 2007
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Daffodils Planting and Care* |
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*Reference:
Netherland Bulb Company |
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Where may I purchase daffodil bulbs?
When should I plant my bulbs?
What if I cannot plant my bulbs right away?
How to plant?
How deep?
How far apart?
The soil?
Protection and watering?
Years of pleasure?
Why can't I plant fall bulbs in the spring?
Its not even spring, but my bulbs are coming up. What should I do?
What can I do to prevent deer, rodents, rabbits and other animals from eating my bulbs and flowers?
What is a hardiness zone?
I live in a warm climate, which bulbs are best for my area?
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Where may I purchase daffodil bulbs? |
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Daffodil bulbs are available from local garden supply
businesses or from the Round Rock Senior Citizens
Foundation.
Seniors will sell bulbs on many
weekday mornings, beginning in October and while supplies
last, at the Alan Baca Activities Center
at
301 West Bagdad Avenue, Building #2. Check
the calendar on this website for schedules.
All
proceeds from Foundation bulb sales benefit Round Rock
senior activities.
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When should I plant my bulbs? |
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What if I cannot plant my bulbs right away? |
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Place the bulbs
loosely in a single layer in a cool, dry place until you can
plant them. Remember bulbs need a several week period
of cold to do well, so planting as early as possible insures
their needs. Top of Page
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How to plant? |
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Flower bulbs can be planted
in various ways. For example, they can be planted in individual holes or
in trenches. Natural effects can be created by scattering the bulbs and
planting them where they fall.
Some prefer to place bulbs in clusters (several in the same
hole) to make for eye-appealing blooms.
Daffodils also do well in planters and in hanging baskets, and they are
attractive as borders for flower beds and along sidewalks.
The main thing is to choose a location with good drainage
and sun or filtered shade.
Companion plants, such as pansies, may be planted among the bulbs to add color to the garden as they bloom during the maturing process of the daffodils.
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How deep? |
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The rule of thumb is
to plant bulbs and tubers twice as deep as they are tall. For
example, trumpet daffodils should be planted in holes about
5 to 8 inches
deep.
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How far apart? |
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Generally speaking,
the larger varieties can be planted 5 inches apart; smaller varieties
closer. If an uninterrupted area of full color is desired, bulbs can
be safely planted closer together.
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The soil? |
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The soil should be
well loosened before planting. Bulbs can be planted in any kind
of soil as long as there is good drainage. For heavy clay soil,
it is best to mix the top layer with sand, compost or mulch. Additional
fertilizer isn't necessary for the first flowering, but some
use a tablespoon of bone meal per bulb for good measure.
Having the right pH level in your soil will help bring
out the true flower color. The ideal pH level for bulbs is
between 6 and 7. To check your pH level, take a soil sample to
your local garden center or purchase an inexpensive testing kit.
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Protection and watering? |
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After planting flower bulbs,
water the soil well. In the event of severe freeze, covering the soil with
a layer of leaves, compost or other mulch is recommended.
Watering before spring blooming is recommended in addition to normal rainfall, but avoid over-watering.
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Years of pleasure? |
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Once your flowering bulbs
have finished blooming, many will return to bloom in following years. Let
the leaves die down naturally -- do not cut them off or mow over them. After
bulbs have bloomed it is important to let the blooms and
blades wither naturally because during this period
the bulb is gathering nutrients from the soil and growing so that it can bloom again next year.
After the flower and leaves have completely wilted, let the bulbs remain
in the ground. Since flower bulbs restore food reserves, they will often
bloom again the next season.
Fertilizer is not necessary
but for increased performance a small application of Bulb
Booster or bone meal is useful to help the bulbs flower for several years.
Fertilizer may be included with planting and is recommended thereafter each
fall.
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Why
can't I plant fall bulbs in the spring? |
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Bulbs
require a minimum cold period of 6 weeks to form roots. If
you plant bulbs in the spring they will not have sufficient
cold weeks to grow their roots. Waiting until spring also means that the
bulbs will have been dormant for more than 9 months. This long period
of dormancy will negatively affect bulb performance.
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Its not even spring, but my bulbs are coming up. What should I do? |
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There is
nothing you can do. If the weather is unusually warm
some bulbs will be confused and start to sprout. The
good news is that this means that your bulbs already have a good
root foundation and there is no snow to shovel! Most bulbs are resilient and will bloom again in the spring.
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What can I do to prevent deer, rodents, rabbits and other animals from eating my bulbs and flowers? |
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While you
can spray your plants with soap, pepper or a chemical, this tends
to wash off after the first rainfall and can be time consuming. The best
remedy for preventing animals from eating your plants
is to use bulbs they do not like to eat.
Here is a list of bulbs that deer, rabbits and other rodents
do not like to eat:
Daffodils
Narcissus
Hyacinths
Allium (all types)
Fritillaria
Fall Flowering Crocus
Iris (all types)
Anemones (all types)
Scilla (all types)
Snowdrops
Eranthus
Chinadoxa
Muscari Grape Hyacinths
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What is a hardiness zone? |
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The US Department of Agriculture
and the US National Arboretum have prepared a map representing winter hardiness
for certain types of plant material. Most fall planting bulbs, including
tulips, daffodils, narcissus, hyacinths, crocus, scilla, fritillaria, iris,
snowdrops, muscari, eranthus and chinodoxa, are considered
hardy and will survive the most severe winters. However, if you live in zones 1 through 4 or if you
live in the mountains, use additional mulch to protect against severe freezing
temperatures (20 degrees below zero).
For more details about your
specific region please visit
http://www.bulb.com/map/index.asp.
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I live in a warm climate, which bulbs are best for my area? |
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To grow bulbs in climates
that generally do not freeze, some extra work is necessary.
Most bulbs need a cooling period mother nature cannot provide
in such climates.
Place the bulbs in a refrigerator for at least 6 weeks.
Also, most bulbs will not be able to survive extremely hot summers, so they
must be treated like annuals or dug up and replanted the following December or January.
When selecting tulips, stick to tall varieties.
Here are some specific instructions:
Place bulbs in ventilated bags in the refrigerator at the usual temperature
between 40 and 45 degrees for at least 6 weeks, but you can store them for up to
16 weeks if necessary until you are ready to plant.
Do not store bulbs with any fruit as the ethylene gas given off by all ripening
fruit will kill the flower inside bulbs.
Plant bulbs a little deeper than normal (6 to 8 inches) and some optional
mulch to help retain moisture.
Water the garden regularly especially if you live in a dry area as you do not
have the benefit of melting snow that the northern gardeners enjoy.
If you do not have spare refrigerator, the following list of bulbs
do not need to be cooled:
Narcissus, Dutch Iris Anemones, Ranunculus, Freesia, Ixia, Sparaxis, Amaryllis.
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