Expert: Kenneth Joergensen - 4/13/2005

Question
Mr. Joergensen,

I'm in the Piedmont area of NC (zone 7).

Last week, I purchased some decent looking daffodil bulbs that were on sale -- I could not pass them up (decent = at least as nice as ones I've paid full price for in the past).  Now, I feel silly for doing so.  I do not know if I should store the bulbs or plant them now.  I know the ideal time to plant them is in early fall.  My feeling is to store them, but I'm not sure how (concerned about them drying out or rotting).  If I store them, should I add perlite/vermiculite to keep them from drying out etc.?  Thank you.

Answer
Daffodils should be planted in cool soil in fall for spring blooming. They require a vernalization (cold) period in order to bloom.

You basically have two options: plant as soon as practically possible and you will get foliage, but no flowers this year. Fertilize twice: at time of planting by broadcasting fertilizer on top of the soil, and again as the foliage is 5-6" tall. Let the foliage grow and mature (do not cut back prematurely). Only after the foliage has died on it's own can it be removed (tucked). The bulbs should then flower next spring.

You can also store the bulbs cool but dry until late October and plant at that time. If you prefer this method, I would recommend storing them in open mesh bags ("onion sacks") in the crisper drawer of the fridge. keep ripening fruits, vegetables, and flowers out of the fridge, or atleast out of that drawer. Check every few weeks, and promptly remove any rotting bulbs. Do not store in any damp material (peatmoss sphagnum, vermiculite, perlite etc). It will only rot the bulbs. The bulbs are tunicky which means that they form a protective covering similar to a paper wrapping. this covering protects the bulbs from drying out provided they are stored cool.

My preference would be to plant the bulbs outdoors now. A lot less work, and they will grow just fine. The only issue is that you will not have any flowers, but only green leaves for several months this late spring/early summer. If you can put up with that, then I would plant them now.

Don't worry about any late frost you may have now. The bulbs are hardy enough to withstand that, and besides any frost should be relatively mild now.

Kenneth