Expert: Long Island Gardener - 11/16/2007

Question
QUESTION: Last year I left a large bowl of bulbs out most of the year before planting.  That fall they sprouted.  This year they are doing this again.  Is there something I can do to re-set their clock?  Thanks.

ANSWER: Moisture, heat and timing add up to premature break in dormancy.  Can you tell me why these bulbs are in a pot and not in the ground, shielded from the H2O and heat that would trigger growth? rsvp

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I left the daffodils bare-bulbed out-doors until summer.  Then planted them in the ground.  That fall they sprouted.  This year they are beginning to sprout in November again.  Sorry, I was not clear about that.

Answer
Plain and simple, Robert, if they're outdoors, they're not dry, they're not cool, they're not dormant.

In the wild, these plants evolved to be out of commission during Summer months.  Nature neglected to provide rain in that part of the world; your basic Narcissus fares best therefore in bone dry, mountain-cool Summers, in a plot so sandy it could be a beach.  In fact, the reason pro's take them out of the ground in the Summer is to protect them from water molecules and keep them cool as a cucumber.  It's hard enough in fact to grow them and leave them IN the ground all Summer.  But you, Robert, YOU are trying to pull this off while leaving them OUT of the ground all Summer.  If you keep doing THIS, they'll keep doing THAT.

To keep Daffodils content all Summer, 'lift' them out of the ground, and store them in the refrigerator.  DO NOT use a plastic bag -- no air is Bad News for Bulbs and Tubers.  Paper is preferred.  KEEP THEM DARK, KEEP THEM COOL, KEEP THEM DRY.  Problem solved.  Thanks for writing.