DIGGIN鈥� IN
When daffodils are done, it鈥檚 time to ready them for storage
Q: I have daffodil bulbs planted in a trough-type planter. After they have bloomed and the leaves have turned yellow, can I remove the bulbs and replant them in the fall? How do I store them? 鈥� K.P., sa国际传媒官网网页入口
A: I鈥檓 hoping that you haven鈥檛 dug up the daffodils just yet. If they are in bloom, enjoy them.
When the blooms are finished, I suggest you cleanly and carefully cut out the whole of the bloom stalk but leave all of the leaves intact. The leaves need to work to refeed the bulbs. After all, the bulbs have used a lot of energy getting the leaves and blooms out of the ground to make their display.
A few weeks after you鈥檝e snipped out the whole bloom stalk, the leaves will start to yellow and look scraggly. When they are truly scraggly looking, you can then dig up the whole kit and caboodle. You鈥檒l want a place where you can work on the bulbs, out of direct sunlight, and tidy them up. Have a shallow cardboard box handy. Make sure it鈥檚 large enough that the bulbs aren鈥檛 squashed in it.
Snip off all the scraggly leaves and gingerly knock off any dirt in the roots. A couple of days later after the bulbs have had a bit of rest and fresh air, it鈥檒l be time to complete the process.
First, snip off the roots to the bottom of the bulb without cutting into the bulb and knock off any left over soil or scruff. Next you鈥檒l need several shallow 3-to-4-inch deep cardboard boxes (depending on the quantity of bulbs you鈥檙e collecting) that can close (shoeboxes come to mind); a powder fungicide like bordeaux mix or dusting sulfur; a medium to fill the boxes with dry peat moss, clean sand or vermiculite; disposable plastic gloves; and a couple of paper bags.
Working in an airy, windless spot spread a 1-to-2-inch layer of the dry medium in the box. Next, wearing your gloves and maybe a mask, put some of the fungicide in a paper bag. Add two or three bulbs to the bag and give it a gentle shake so the bulbs get coated. Lift them out of the bag, shake off any excess and lay them on the soil in a box. Be sure to leave breathing room between each bulb 鈥� you don鈥檛 want them touching. Continue the process until the collection is complete and then store the boxes.
Hopefully you have a spot that鈥檒l be cool, dry and not damp in the least. Monthly, do a health check, offering new dry soil if it鈥檚 showing signs of too much moisture. Turning the bulbs will help keep them healthier too.
The daffodils should keep as long as they are kept cool, dry and rodent free, but it鈥檒l be up to you to check on their health periodically during the storage cycle. Mark your calendar so you don鈥檛 forget these charmers. It鈥檚 a process but one that has rewards in the long run.
Dear readers: If you are into cactus and succulents I wanted to remind you that next weekend, Saturday, April 11, and Sunday, April 12, the Cactus and Succulent Society of New Mexico will be holding its annual Spring Plant Show and Sale.
The show portion will display several hundred plants, including specimens from different private collections. The sale will feature vendors offering a wide variety of cacti and succulents, from bargain starters to spectacular specimens.
You can find the Cactus and Succulent Society of New Mexico from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 11, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, April 12, at the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Garden Center located at 10120 Lomas Blvd. NE. Admission is free.
So mark your calendars as a reminder of something different to do that weekend.
Have fun poking about while you鈥檙e out there Diggin鈥� In!
Tracey Fitzgibbon is a certified nurseryman. Send garden-related questions to Diggin鈥� In, sa国际传媒官网网页入口, 7777 Jefferson NE, sa国际传媒官网网页入口, N.M. 87109, or to features@abqjournal.com.
