Daffodil bulbs were supposed to be planted in the autumn, but excessive rain followed by a cold snap prevented that. How late you can plant daffodil bulbs is the subject at hand. If you plant them in winter, even if it is late, will you get daffodils that blossom late, or will they not bloom at all? Please continue reading to find out when to plant daffodils and when they bloom.
How to Plant Daffodils?
The best time to plant daffodils is in the autumn. This is due to two factors. The first is that to start blooming; spring flowering bulbs require a chilling period of around 10 to 13 weeks at temperatures below 40 degrees F (4 C). The bulbs require time to develop roots supporting the development of leaves and blooms, which is another factor. What happens in the case described above? Will the bulbs blossom in the spring if you still plant them late?
How late may daffodil bulbs be planted?
You have two choices if autumn is winding down and you still have not planted the daffodils. The first option is to plant them immediately, even if you have to break up some partly frozen soil. Plant the bulbs in a container if using garden soil is not an option.
These late-planted bulbs—will they flourish? Although there is a significant chance they will bloom, the flowers may be ugly. Because the plant has not had enough time to develop strong enough roots to sustain more development of leaves and blooms, the overall plant may be less than robust.
Daffodils planted later than usual may not bloom, but after developing a root system and storing energy for flower development, they may bloom the following year magnificently.
In any case, planting the bulbs in the soil is still advised since, if left unplanted, they will start to lose part of their nutritional stores due to respiration.
Another Choice for Unplanted Daffodil Bulbs
Accelerating daffodil bloom time is another alternative for spring bulbs that did not make it into the ground in the autumn. The bulbs should be forced into container plants and planted inside. But keep in mind that the bulbs need up to 13 weeks of cooling before they may begin to blossom.
Your bulbs should be inserted into a light potting soil with their tips slightly above the surface. Moisten the bulbs before doing this (4 C.). The containers should be placed in a refrigerator, an unheated garage, or another cold, sheltered room where the temperature is at least 40 degrees F.
Bring the potted bulbs into an environment around 65 to 70 degrees F after the 10 to 13 weeks of chilling have passed (18-21 C.). In one to two weeks, blooms should start to appear.
Finally, once their blossoms have faded, some gardeners have had success putting forced bulbs outdoors. The important thing in this situation is to maintain healthy foliage by giving the plant enough light, modest fertilizer, and water.
In this example, even if the bulbs do not bloom again, you still got to observe at least one forced bloom, and you spared the bulbs from the compost bin.