Expert: Long Island Gardener - 12/20/2007

Question
I purchased Tulip, Iris, Crocus, and Daffodil bulbs. I live in Northern California. I want to plant them in pots indoor. On one website I saw video how to plant Daffodils indoors, and they just planted some of them on top of the pebbles and some of them on top of the soil so the bottom of the bulbs just touched the water(soil) and the top was uncovered. They promise blooming flowers in 4-6 weeks. On store packages they give instructions for outdoor planting. For some reason they recommend to plant them very deeply in the ground. My guess is it's to protect them from cold. Can I plant them with just covering the bulbs? It will be between both recommendations. Do I have to keep them in cold and dark place like a garage or outdoors for some time? Or they will start to grow in warm place like they promise on that website? And how often should I water them and give fertilizer? I tried to plant some of them before, but they rotted. I watered them every day because the top of the soil becomes very quickly dry indoors. Pots were small. Now I want to try few long pots so I could plant few bulbs simultaneously.
Sincerely,
Jess

Answer
A rose is a rose, but a Daffodil has a dozen 'divisions' and can be Tazettas, Trumpets, Jonquils and more each with different hardiness and culture needs.  Paperwhite Narcissus are tender and fragrant (usually) -- the ones you grow in water (neatniks prefer this method) or soil (some claim the bloom period is extended this way, I've enver tested it but I never take chances).

But chill a Paperwhite and you kill the bloom inside; the bulb grows old and 'blind' -- reaches the brink of flowering, then suddenly opens to a brown papery slip of tissue resembling crepe paper, not a petal in sight.  Trust me, there's nothing more frustrating than a blind bulb.  All that tlc and no gratitude.

Hardy large Trumpet Daffodils and Small Cupped Narcissus on the other hand need to chill or you'll never see them flower.

So dear Jess do tell us, which Daffodil are you growing?

Tulips, Iris and Crocus all need to be exposed for long periods of sub-40 degree temps to get the oomph to bloom.  If you 'protect' them from the cold, they'll never flower.

Bulbs by the way rot when there's too much water, not enough air -- the bacteria love to live in those conditions and there's no escape.  The bulb tissue melts into mush.  Overwatering is usually to blame.  rsvp