Blind Daffodils

[Doris_Pinks]

Why do they do this?
If I move them are they likely to flower next year or should I just bung them away and start again?  Thanks DP

[Doris_Pinks]

[Susie Snowdrop]

I wonder Doris, did you remove the foliage too early last year?
Susie

[Palustris]

Daffodils usually go blind for one of three main reasons.
1. Narcissus fly. This is a nasty grub which eat away the insdie of the bulb,so all you get are a few poor leaves. If your bulbs have few leaves, dig one up, cut it open and you cannot fail to see the grub. No cure, dig up and discard. Replant with new bulbs.
2. Planted too shallow. There should be at least three times the length of the bulb of soil about the bulb. Dig up and replant deeper. Do this in May/June.
3, They are hungry!. Either (I doubt it though) you have cut off the foliage too early, or there are too many in the clump, or your soil is not providing them with enough nutrients, So dig up and spread out, or hoe in now some rose fertiliser and then foliage feed later on after flowering season is over.
When replanting add some bonemeal or such like to the soil.

[moonbells]

Mine have been getting worse over the past 3 years :'( - used to have a lovely display in the front garden.  Fed them last year,  though didn't get shot of the shrub I though might be blocking some of the light... least not until a couple of months ago.  But we do have incredibly free-draining soil and I don't make a habit of watering the front garden (and won't be able to anyway thanks to hp ban) so it might be lack of water too.

Potted ones are fine (and fantastic) - these I *do* remember to water as they're in a pot, so I think water is a factor in dry areas.  Might even have posted on this subject a year ago, so I shall go hunt.

moonbells

[Cat]

A few of mine are really old (previous owner planted them).  All I get is green leaves.  Tried feeding them last year but still the same.  So looks like I will be digging them up and planting new  :)

[Rose.mary]

On my new (to me) plot I noticed that the daffodils did not have flowers on and in fact, the previous owner remarked on it, and wondered why. This year I moved them to another spot and planted them deeper. The result is a very good display of flowers. I don't know if it was the moving or the planting deeper that did it but who cares, lol  :D :D

Rosemary

[laurieuk]

We like to get about 4-5 inches of soil above the bulbs, this keeps them moist and cool in the summer.If you feed with a high potash in Mid Feb it will help with the colour and also help produce good bulbs for the next year.If you have narciss fly you will be likely to get very little if any foliage as most times they destroy the bulb.Daffs and narciss should go on for many years we have clumps in the lawns that were there when we came into the garden 20 years ago and are in full bloom at the moment and have never been lifted.We feed them in January to get the food past the grass roots while the soil is cold otherwise the grass grows rather than the bulbs.

[Doris_Pinks]

Thank You for all your replies, looks like they need digging up and replanting with a bit of a feed!!  Will get onto it next month  :)

[Hyacinth]

DottieP, Laurie's way is the way to go. Seems to me, we can take daffs, etc. much more for granted than we do other flowers we grow & just expect them to go on and on and on in the same old garden soil....but checking the soil, seeing that they're still happy and feeding them is the way to go. AND I always say 'thank you' to them, btw ;D