By Barbardn
Kent, United Kingdom
I wanted to know about deadheading daffodils. I read that it is good to take off the flower and the bulbous bit but didn't undetstand the bit about seeding itself? Can someone explain?
- 22 Apr, 2010
Answers
once the flower has died of you can still break the flower and the bulbous bit just below the flower off and you still will get flowers next year.
Because eventually the leaves will die down.My parents did this for goodness knows how long and we still had a good show of daff's each year
22 Apr, 2010
The bulbous bit your talking about is in fact the seed pod. By removing it, as said above, the plant puts all its energy into producing next years flower instead.
22 Apr, 2010
This what I have done for years.
But this year have daffodils blind just leaves no blooms.
Do I lift these and discard?
23 Apr, 2010
A good feeding regime might bring them back, Scotkat, but could take a year or two. If you are not talking about too many then this might be the opportunity for a change of wardrobe, in a manner of speaking?
23 Apr, 2010
Its not all of them just some BH.
What would you recommend to feed?
23 Apr, 2010
If they are in the garden, then liquid tomato feed for a quick snack and bonemeal for a longer term feed.
If they are in containers, then tomato feed every week until the leaves have died back and then repot them with fresh compost.
23 Apr, 2010
Thankyou must admit I have never fed my daffies:)
23 Apr, 2010
We only feed the ones in pots. We have not had blind ones in the garden, but there are so many that we might not have noticed :-(
23 Apr, 2010
Barbardn, welcome to GoY.
All flowering plants produce seed to regenerate themselves, this is the purpose for plants (and animals) to live. However, it takes energy from the plant to produce ripe, viable seed and this is taken away from next years flower power. In the garden we don't always need lots of new seedlings to weed out so, if we remove the dead flowers of daffodils, the bulb does not put energy into producing seed instead, this energy goes to the bulb to make strong flowers for next year.
22 Apr, 2010