Plant, care for, cut and more

In the spring garden, daffodils compete with the sun to shine. The horticultural benchmark is not high so that the golden-yellow blossom beauty keeps heralding the most beautiful time of the year over many years. You can find out here which measures dominate cultivation.

Plant daffodils properly

daffodils perform the early flowering miracle because the flower sprouts from an onion. The basic prerequisite for the process is professional planting at the right time. In these steps it succeeds:

Loosen the soil thoroughly in September/October in a sunny to partially shaded location
Make small planting pits 15-20 cm apart, with a thin layer of sand at the bottom
improve the excavation with compost, guano and horn shavings
Insert one onion at a time with the tip pointing upwards
The ideal planting depth is two to three times the radius of the bulb

Plant the flower in small tuffs with 5-9 specimens and then water generously.
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care tips

The clear care program for daffodils includes these recommendations:

Water the flower when it is dry
Fertilize organically from March until the end of the flowering period
Add liquid fertilizer for flowering plants to the irrigation water in the pot every 14 days
Clean out faded flower heads

When the flower has finished its bloom festival for the season, give the bulb ample time to absorb the remaining nutrients from the leaves. Only then cut off the foliage close to the ground. Please don't forget the gloves.
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Which location is suitable?

If you take into account your sunny disposition when choosing the location, daffodils will shine in all their glory in the spring sun. in the penumbra the flower is also impressively staged. To prevent violent spring storms from buckling the stems, we recommend a wind-protected location.
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The right planting distance

Where multiple daffodils congregate, they form small islands of vernal opulence. Therefore plant the flower in small tuffs with 5-9 specimens at a planting distance of 15-20 centimetres.

What soil does the plant need?

Daffodils feel at home in normal garden soil. The following attributes are beneficial:

Nutritious and humic
Fresh, moist, with good drainage
Neutral to slightly acidic pH

What is the best planting time?

In order for daffodils to fulfill their task as spring heralds on time, the right planting time is important. If you plant the bulbs in September or October, the bright yellow and white trumpet flowers will be there in time.
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When is flowering time?

Daffodils bloom from February to May. However, a single flower does not have such staying power. If you combine varieties with early, medium and late flowering, the splendor of spring will blend seamlessly into one another. The following arrangement may serve as inspiration:

February Gold: flowering period from mid-February to early April
Ice Follies: flowering period from March to April
Golden Ducat: April flowering period
Thalia: flowering period from April to May

Cut daffodils properly

There are several occasions to cut daffodils. The following brief overview also gives you tips on how to proceed correctly:

Cut daffodils to decorate vases when the buds have just opened
Cut wilted flower heads to avoid seed formation
After flowering, do not cut the foliage until it has completely withered

watering daffodils

Daffodils prefer changing soil moisture with intermittent drying periods. Water the flower like this:

If the surface of the earth dries, it is poured
Do not sprinkle the flower with water, instead water it directly at the roots
Check the moisture content of the soil in the bucket daily with a thumb test

Do not leave water in the trivet for a long time, as waterlogging inevitably leads to onion rot.
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Fertilize daffodils properly

Daffodils are among the weak eaters, so their nutrient requirements are within manageable limits. Fertilize the flower in the bed with compost, guano or nettle manure in March and April. In the planter, apply a liquid fertilizer every 14 days during the flowering period.
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Diseases

While commercial growers have to deal with a number of viral diseases in daffodils, the danger for the flower in the hobby garden is limited to bulb basal rot. However, this fungal infection means the end because the subterranean outlasting organ rots irretrievably. Watch out for yellowing mid-season daffodil leaves as a surefire symptom. Discard the infected flower promptly to prevent spread.

pests

The most important pests for the flower are the small and large daffodil flies. The females lay their eggs in close proximity to the bulb in June. During the summer, the larvae burrow into the bulbs and eat them from the inside. Since an infestation can hardly be diagnosed in time, you only notice the disaster in the following spring. The leaves sprout stunted and the flower remains puny. To keep the little bidders from breeding again, discard the bulb and mix the soil with quicklime.

hibernate

Freshly planted daffodil bulbs should be protected with leaves, straw and brushwood during the first winter. Once the flower has established itself in the bed, no special precautions are required for hibernation. On the contrary, the wintry cold stimulus is indispensable for flower induction. Cultivate the flower in a pot, wrap the pot with bubble wrap before the first frost and cover the substrate with leaves, straw or sawdust.
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multiply daffodils

Numerous types of daffodil, such as the poet's daffodil, the trumpet daffodil or the cyclamen-flowered daffodil tend to go wild, so that they reproduce quickly on their own. To speed up this process, do the following:

A well-established one in September/October daffodil bulb lift out of the ground
Cut off one or more daughter onions with a sharp knife
Place in the soil in a sunny to semi-shady position at the new location and water well
Before you plant the mother plant again, enrich the soil with compost and horn meal

the sowing of seeds, on the other hand, proves to be significantly more complex. Since these are cold germs, stratification is required. In addition, it can take up to 4 years for the first flower to appear.
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How do I plant correctly?

Transplanting daffodils is easy to implement and quite desirable. By the fifth year at the latest, this measure makes a valuable contribution to maintaining the vitality and willingness to bloom of this flower. This is how the plan works:

After flowering or in September/October, plant the bulb with the digging fork or dig up with your hands
Cut off the daughter onions with a sharp, sanitized knife
Enrich the soil with compost at both the previous and the new location

Plant the flower at a depth two to three times the diameter of the bulb and water.
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Daffodils in the pot

Potted daffodils exude their charm in sunny locations from February if you plant the bulbs in September of the previous year. Use as a substrate potting soil based on compost and add a handful of sand or perlite. The planting depth is at least twice the diameter of the bulb. Drainage above the water outlet is essential. Keep the pot in a cool, frost-free cellar until the end of December/beginning of January and do not let the substrate dry out. From January care for the flower as follows:

Place on the sunny to partially shaded window sill at temperatures around 15 degrees
Gradually increase the amount of water as soon as sprouting begins
Fertilize liquid every 14 days from the beginning of the flowering period

At the end of the flowering period, cut off the stems and leaves when they are completely withered. Oversummer the bulbs dry in a cool, dark cellar or plant them in the garden soil.
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Are daffodils poisonous?

As part of the amaryllis family, narcissus contains alkaloids and other toxins that are of grave concern to humans and animals. Fatally, the flower bulb resembles a kitchen onion, so unintentional consumption resulted in life-threatening poisoning. Increased attention is paid to the reach of children and pets, or they completely refrain from cultivating this flower. Wearing gloves for any contact is a gardener's top priority.
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Narcissus does not bloom

If the flower misses its splendor, it shows its displeasure in this way. It is important to discover and eliminate the responsible bottleneck within the cultivation. The following causes cause a failure of the flower:

Nutrient deficiency: apply an immediate-acting liquid fertilizer
Over-fertilization: stop giving fertilizer for this year
Obsolescence: dig up, divide and plant in fresh soil
Too little light: move to a sunny location

brown leaves

If the leaves of a daffodil turn brown immediately after sprouting or during the flowering period, the following reasons are behind it:

Frostbite due to severe ground frost: protect with garden fleece
Drought: water more often
Waterlogging: plant on a small mound in a damp location
Vole feeding: Put onions in the vole basket

Yellow leaves

If the magnificent foliage of a daffodil turns yellow in the middle of the flowering period, this damage indicates bulb basal rot. This fungal infection causes rot within the perennial organ, disrupting the supply to the above-ground parts of the plant. The leaves turn yellow and the entire flower dies. Dispose of the infected daffodil in the household waste immediately to prevent spread.