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Daffodils

christine_purcellchristine_purcell Posts: 19
in Plants
Hi.  If quite a few of my daffs have come up blind this year will they ever flower or should I just remove them. Thanks. 

Posts

  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    If they are blind and in the shade, move them. If they are in the sun, feed them now so the bulbs will bulk up for next year. Do not cut the leaves off , let them die down naturally, as they need the energy to build up bulbs to flowering size for next year.
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    Have they previously flowered well?  If so, your bulbs may now be crowded and need splitting up into smaller groups and repositioning, at least three times the bulbs' depth. Too much nitrogen can also cause leaf growth at the expense of flowers.  As @fidgetbones says, it's important to let the leaves die down naturally but you can remove the spent flowers and stalks from any others that have flowers that are now fading.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    While I understand the logic about splitting daff bulbs this doesn't happen in the "wild" where bulbs are planted on road side verges. They aren't split and yet they continue to develop. We have planted bulbs on borders on our orchard and this year the best bloom but we wont divide them, we will continue to allow them to do what they want.
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    If the location and soil are suitable, they will flower happily.  If they stop flowering, congestion may be one of the reasons.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    Living in SW France, where the spring can be quite warm and dry, I think it is because of lack of water when the plant is dying down. I have noticed that in wet springs the following years crop of daffodils are much better and when the spring has been dry the following year there are more blind ones. 
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    When they spread, by producing new bulbs, those can often be quite shallow, and are less inclined to flower, but it can also be that they're too small to flower. Some will flower well without any help, and some are fussier. If they're potted, then they certainly need more help, so a bit of food while dying back is beneficial, but they can also get very congested as @fidgetbones and @Plantminded say, so they need emptying out and dividing every few years. That can be the case if they're in a border/bed too.
    The ones often seen on verges or open areas usually have less competition from other plants, and are often the native one, so they get enough nutrition to thrive year after year. In a garden, the site is quite different from that natural setting.
    Many daffs thrive in wet conditions @Busy-Lizzie, which is a big advantage over other bulbs.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited March 2023
    bertrand-mabel said:
     splitting daff bulbs this doesn't happen in the "wild" 

     Wild plants in their favourite spot are a completely different story.  Hybrid strains and selected cultivars planted where we want them is another thing.

     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • christine_purcellchristine_purcell Posts: 19
    Thank you everyone for the tips.
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