Expert: Kenneth Joergensen - 3/24/2004

Question
I own a retail garden center in central Oregon.  Many of my customers are asking what has happened to their daffodils this spring.  They are coming up short with a bud then bloom.  Very short plants. I really don't have an answer for them.  We did have a 2 week unusually warm spell for this time of year.  We are at 4200 ft. elevation and the weather has turned cold again.

Answer
Hi Linda,
You answered your own question.

When bulbs do not receive sufficient weeks of cold treatment, they bloom too close to the ground, on too-short stems.

Daffodils and Tulips need some 15-16 weeks of consistently cold temperatures. When they do not receive proper cold treatment (like in the South) they may not bloom at all, or come up and bloom on short stems.

Likely your winter has not been cold enough for the bulbs. Don't worry, it will correct itself next year.

Things you can recommend to your customers:
- plant bulbs in late fall at least 6-8" deep.
- do not mulch until the ground has frozen. Then add a 3" layer of mulch to keep the cold soil temperatures consist. (mulch can be layered in piles next to the bulb planting sites in late fall and pulled over the beds in early winter after a hard freeze). The mulch is used to keep cold in, not to protect the bulbs from freezing temperatures.
- pray for a good harsh winter.

Kenneth