Why daffodils do not bloom: 9 main reasons and their solutions

It's best to find out about the most common reasons why daffodils don't bloom before you plant them. Then you will have a better chance of solving the problem. Most often, daffodils do not produce buds due to improper planting location or unsuitable conditions. Although these flowers are hardly picky, there are certain factors that you need to pay attention to. SSPDaily tells about it.

Acidic soil

Daffodils like slightly acidic or neutral soils with a pH of 5 to 7. Therefore, it is better to check the level before you plant them in the flower garden. If you have already planted daffodils, try to acidify the soil. For this, lime flour (350 g per 1 square meter), dolomite flour (200-300 g per 1 square meter) or chalk (150-200 g per 1 square meter) are suitable.

Planting too densely

If your daffodils have bloomed every year but suddenly stopped producing buds, remember the last time you planted them. These perennial flowers can grow very quickly, and when the roots of neighboring plants intertwine, buds no longer form because there is strong competition for moisture and nutrients. In this case, simply separate the plants. However, keep in mind that the first year after transplanting, daffodils may not bloom, and this is normal. They need time to recover from stress.

Excess or deficiency of nutrients

If you grow daffodils on depleted soils, you need to apply a complex of special fertilizers for flowering bulbous plants to the soil every year after flowering (while the leaves are still green). A fertilizer based on potassium and phosphate is also suitable (calculate about 40-50 g per 1 square meter).

Cut the leaves too early

If you cut the foliage too early last season, then this year the daffodils are unlikely to bloom. Experts advise removing the above-ground part of the plant only when it has turned yellow and wilted naturally. Otherwise, due to the lack of photosynthesis, the bulb will not produce a flower embryo.

Poor lighting conditions

If you plant daffodils in deep shade, they will only grow green mass but refuse to bloom. Therefore, if you want to admire the delicate buds in the spring, be sure to transplant the daffodils to a sunny area or get rid of objects that create shade.

Not enough water

In spring, daffodils are especially in need of moisture as they grow and form buds. They also need water for 1.5 months after flowering. Although this plant is considered drought-resistant and unpretentious, it is during this period that you need to pay special attention to watering it. The soil should be moist to a depth of 30 cm. But do not allow stagnation of moisture so that the roots do not rot. In the second half of summer, you do not need to water the daffodils.

Unsuitable climate

Due to frosty and snowless winters, the bulbs can die off, so it is better to mulch the soil with wood chips, peat, dry leaves, or sawdust in the fall. If there is no cold in winter, this also negatively affects daffodils, because they need at least a short period of cold weather for the proper formation of bulbs.

Gray rot

If the buds set and then dry up without blooming, the daffodils may have been attacked by a disease called gray rot. It develops due to thickened planting and excessive moisture. To prevent it, spray the plantings with a 0.5% solution of copper chloride or 1% Bordeaux liquid (interval of 10-12 days, excluding the flowering period).

Pests

If the bulbs have been damaged by insects or rodents, the daffodils simply will not have the strength to bloom. Mice don't nibble on daffodil bulbs as often because they have an unpleasant odor, but moles can cause death without meaning to. They undermine the roots, creating their passages underground. Root onion mites and bulbous nematodes, which establish their colonies in the flower garden, are very harmful to daffodils.