CARING FOR YOUR POTTED DAFFODIL

Growing daffodils can be very rewarding. Keeping them in pots can be a good way to brighten up a garden without dedicating space to them that needs to dry out in the summer. In warm coastal locations you may need to winterize them by digging them up and placing them in a paper bag in your refrigerator’s crisper drawer.

 

STEP 1

Place daffodil pots near a window so the plants receive bright but filtered light. Direct sunlight can burn the foliage and cause the blooms to fade more quickly. Maintain a temperature below 70 degrees F in the room to further prolong bloom.

 

STEP 2

Check the soil in the pot once or twice a week. Water the daffodils when the top inch of soil begins to feel dry. Empty the tray beneath the pot 30 minutes after watering, otherwise the soil absorbs the water and becomes too soggy.

 

STEP 3

Snip off the spent daffodil flowers beneath the swollen flower base after the blooms fade. Leave the remainder of the stems on the plant because they continue to collect energy and nutrients for the bulb.

 

STEP 4

Fertilize the soil with a soluble balanced fertilizer once every two weeks after the last flower fades if you plan to transplant the bulbs. Apply the fertilizer at half the label's recommended rate.

 

STEP 5

Move the pots outside to a full sun location after frost danger is past. Cut off the foliage after it yellows and dies back naturally, usually six to eight weeks after flowering.

 

STEP 6

To keep them in pots, turn the pot on its side and allow them to dry out through the summer. In November, turn the pot right side up and water thoroughly every day for a week. Once saturated, water twice a week or when the top inch of soil feels dry.

 

To transplant, move the bulbs to a well-drained garden bed that receives full sun exposure. Plant daffodil bulbs with the pointed tip 2 inches beneath the soil surface, and space bulbs about 5 inches apart. They remain dormant through summer and winter, producing new foliage and flowers in spring. Daffodils bulbs are prone to rotting if watered too frequently in the summer. It is best to keep them out of garden beds and areas that are on a timed irrigation system.

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TIPS FOR CUTITING DAFFODILS

• Cut daffodils after the flower has started to open, with the flower already emerging or fully emerged from the bud stage. Daffodils cut too early do not always open fully.

 

• Always pick a daffodil as low as you can. The stem of a daffodil is mostly hollow. Near the base it becomes solid again and that is where it is best to cut or pick it.

 

• Cut daffodil stems at a 45-degree angle. This can help keep the sap from sealing the cut and will encourage water uptake.

 

• Never pick daffodil leaves. They are very important for next year's bloom and the bulbs Survival.

 

• Put fresh cut daffodils into cool, clean water as soon as possible.

 

• Rinse your hands soon after cutting the bulbs. They ooze a clear sap that can irritate skin and eyes.

 

• Do not allow children or pets to consume the flowers, stems or the water from the vase. It tastes pretty bad so this isn’t usually an issue.

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CARING FOR CUT DAFFODILS

• If possible, mist your bunch of fresh cut flowers as soon as its cut. This helps them stay fresh longer.

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• Use evergreen sprigs or hearty shrub cuttings to fill out a vase of cut daffodils. The Julian Daffodil show uses Incense Cedar sprigs to accompany entries.

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• Do not mix daffodils with other cut flowers. Daffodils release a sap that can harm other tender flowers.

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• Change the water for your flowers when you get them home. Change the water again as often as possible, every 24 hours would be ideal.

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• Keep cut Daffodils out of the sun and in a temperature-controlled location between 40 and 70 degrees.

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• Keep cut daffodils out of any drafts and away from heater vents that can dry them out and wilt them early.

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• Keep the cut daffodils away from ripening fruit. Many types of fruit produce Ethelene gas which can age your daffodils quickly.

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• Single daffodils can be considered bad luck. Always give them as bunches which are thought to bring good fortune.

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• A cut daffodil can last 4-10 days.

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• Do not allow children or pets to consume the flowers, stems or the water from the vase. It tastes pretty bad so this isn’t usually an issue.

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DAFFODIL FUN FACTS

•  They are the birth flower for March.

• Daffodils symbolize new beginnings. 

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• Don’t mix them with other flowers in a vase. They release a form of latex that can negatively affect the other cut flowers.

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• An extract from the flower is being used to treat Alzheimer’s disease.

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• Gifting a bouquet of daffodils is believed to ensure happiness to the recipient.

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• Gifting a single daffodil is seen as a sign of bad luck.

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• They are the 10th wedding anniversary flower.

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• Daffodils are a symbol of hope, rebirth, and renewal.

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• Daffodils announce the beginning of spring and waking of nature.

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• They are the symbol of the new year in China.

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• Daffodils develop from bulbs that store nutrients from last year for this year’s blooms.

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• Daffodils are toxic to most animals. They are deer, rabbit, and gopher resistant.

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• The world’s largest daffodil farm is in Cornwall and produces 500 million flowers each year.

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• Julian Farm and Orchard has 4 main varieties and a beautiful mix planted.

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• Julian Farm and Orchards daffodil patch has over 50,000 bulbs.

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• The Julian Daffodil project started in 1990 by Sally Snipes as a memorial to father, Jack Snipes.

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• Sally Snipes is considered the “Daffodil Queen” in Julian.

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• The Julian Daffodil project has planted over 4 million daffodil bulbs since 1990.

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• Julian has had a Daffodil Show since 2004.

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• Daffodils are native to Southern Europe and northern Africa.

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• Daffodils are in the Amaryllis family.

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• Daffodils were brought to Britian by the Romans. They are named after a Greek myth.

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• Growing a daffodil flower from seed takes 5-7 years.

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• There are at least 25 species and up to 13,000 hybrids of daffodil.

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• A cut daffodil can last 4-10 days.

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• Florists and Daffodil harvesters can develop a reaction tom the sap called “Daffodil Itch”.