Daffodils feel great and bloom profusely every spring, and in the wild, and in garden plots, and in the courtyards of the private sector. Meanwhile, not everyone who is touched by the diversity and beauty of spring beauties knows when to dig daffodils and how to store the bulbs of these plants until planting in autumn.
Interesting! It is believed that the leading plants in the frequency of description in literature, painting and other arts are a rose and a daffodil. What else perennials will decorate a country flower bed?
The homeland of these delicate and surprisingly fragrant flowers is the Mediterranean coast. But they are known and revered even very far from their homeland:
- In China, the daffodil is one of the symbols of the New Year celebration and, according to legend, the flower of the river god.
- In the Roman Empire, yellow daffodils adorned the dwellings of the gods, they also met the victorious warriors, his images are still found during archaeological excavations as decoration of houses.
- In Germany, the daffodil is revered as a symbol of family well-being.
- In honor of the blooming daffodils, the inhabitants of Switzerland arrange a special holiday every year when daffodils decorate everything that can be decorated.
- Ancient Asian healers believed in the healing power of daffodil bulbs, adding them to their potions to treat male weakness, sores, bronchitis, etc.
- In the Foggy Albion, the daffodil appeared back in the 16th century, and we adore it by the inhabitants as well as the symbol of the country - the rose.
- Perfumers all over the world, the aroma of daffodil still haunts - it is simply impossible to beat.
When and how to dig daffodil bulbs
If you notice that the bed of daffodils does not bloom as abundantly as in previous years, then this is a signal that the plants need to be planted. That is, too many so-called “children” appeared on their bulbs. So when is it better to dig daffodils and how to store their bulbs until planting in the fall?
After the daffodils in your garden have faded and characteristic rounded thickenings begin to form in the place of flowers, it is better to trim them. Dried leaves on daffodils will signal to you that it is time to dig the bulbs. In different regions, it can be different terms, but basically it is the period from mid-June to mid-July. It is advisable to do this in the absence of rain, with a pitchfork, so as not to damage the bulbs.
Advice! If you live in a region with a humid climate and the leaves on daffodils do not dry out almost until the fall, you should determine the readiness for digging bulbs by their color. For this, of course, you have to dig a couple of them. The bulb, which is time to be removed from the ground for storage, has a pinkish or brown skin in light shades. If the top layer of the bulb is white, definitely early!
Sorting and storage of daffodil bulbs
After the bulbs of daffodils are dug up, they must be dried in air. In this process, the bulbs are laid out in a single layer under a canopy or in the shade of trees. The sun can damage delicate bulbs, so if it is not possible to do this in the shade, they are covered with dry grass, leaves or some kind of fabric.
After complete drying, the seed material must be sorted. To begin with, all bulbs that are clearly damaged by pests (wireworm, bear, etc.), or have traces of damage by diseases (traces of rot or fungi) are rejected. No matter how valuable the damaged bulbs seem, they are suitable for further planting.They are disposed of.
Suitable for further landing bulbs are calibrated, that is, sorted by size. This is important because the depth of planting and the distance to neighboring bulbs in the “nest” depend on the size of the bulb.
Storage of selected bulbs should be organized so that they can "breathe". For this, plastic and wooden crates with a mesh or trellised bottom are suitable. Planting material is stored in a dry room in one layer. The bulbs should be stirred periodically to ensure uniform drying.
Important! To protect the bulbs of daffodils from breeding onion flies on them, one and a half to two weeks after digging, you need to do their processing with hot water. For this, future daffodils are immersed for 2 hours in water with a temperature of about 450 C.
You also need to inspect the stored bulbs and remove from their total number those that have become soft (lethargic), which revealed any holes, spots and other defects.
Safety tips
When working with the bulbs of daffodils, you need to remember that they are poisonous! If you work without gloves, keep in mind that the juice of these plants can have a serious effect on the nervous and cardiovascular systems, causing arrhythmias. If juice gets on the skin, allergic manifestations are possible.
Armed with knowledge about when to dig daffodils and how to store until planting in the fall, you will certainly be able to grow a plantation of these flowers, simply envious of all neighbors.
