Many gardeners grow a darling of spring daffodil. Growing and caring for this bulbous plant from the amaryllis family is not difficult. In total, there are more than 30 species, of which about 10,000 varieties are bred. They bloom in May, but there are daffodils blooming in the fall. According to the shape of the flowers, they are divided into large-crowned, small-crowned, tubular, cyclamen-shaped, double and others. Most often, a narcissistic poetic (ordinary) narcissus is found, with white flowers, but there are very interesting colors: orange-pink, greenish-yellow, light cream.
What soil does the daffodil like ?
Growing and caring begins with a choice of place. The site should be protected from the winds, the place - sunny. Suitable for daffodils and partial shade. Groundwater should not be above 60 cm, otherwise the roots will rot. They are undemanding to the soil, but they work best on sandy and loamy lands with a neutral reaction. It is possible to deoxidize the soil by making dolomite flour, ash, lime. The site for the month before planting should be seasoned with peat, compost or well-rotted manure. You can make potassium phosphorus fertilizer for flowers (2 tbsp. Per sq. M)
Bulb planting
Daffodils are planted early: from late August to mid-September. Bulbs are inspected, small, damaged and diseased are discarded. For planting, leave specimens with a diameter of 5 cm or more, with 2-3 peaks. Before sending them to the ground, it is necessary to conduct fungicide treatment.
In order to avoid rot, every future daffodil must pass it. Growing and caring for healthy plants is much simpler than treating a planting afflicted with a disease.
Bulbs are buried by 15 cm, small ones and children - by 10. Large ones can be immersed in 20 cm. A handful of sand is thrown at the bottom of the hole, and the bulb is slightly pressed into it. The distance between plants is 15 cm, between rows - 20 cm. After sprinkling with earth, daffodils must be mulched with humus or peat. Before winter, it is necessary to additionally cover them from freezing by plant debris or a layer of sawdust.
Growing daffodils
When the snow cover is gone, you need to remove the mulch, loosen the earth and fill the daffodils with nitrogen-containing fertilizer. Then two more top dressings are carried out: during the budding period and before flowering. Further care comes down to regular watering and weeding until the leaves fade. After flowering, the ovaries must be cut so as not to loosen the bulbs.
When to dig daffodils
The most abundant flowering in daffodils occurs in 2-3 years, so they do not need an annual dig. In one place, the flowers grow for 4-5 years, their planting is gradually thickened, which leads to a decrease in the number of flowers.
If it’s time to plant daffodils, they are dug up at the end of June, when the leaves are dry. Bulbs are separated, cleaned from the ground and dried in a draft. Separate only those children who effortlessly move away from the mother's bulb. For 10 days, the daffodils are kept warm, then in a cool room until a new landing at the end of summer.
The remaining plants in place continue to water and loosen the ground between them.
Breeding
The easiest way to reproduce is by dividing the nest. Each year, the mother bulb grows peaks, then they are secluded in independent bulbs, and the scales uniting them dies. The seed method is usually used to breed new varieties. Seedlings bloom for 5 years.
A bright place, a little fertilizer, a rare transplant - that's all that an unpretentious handsome narcissus needs. Growing and caring for him can be entrusted even to a child, and a variety of varieties will create a magnificent spring composition in the garden.