In article
,
Bill wrote:

In article ,
Eggs Zachtly wrote:

John McGaw said:

Eggs Zachtly wrote:
snip...
The roots, at that time, are playing a very minor role. The food is all
being sent back down to the bulb for storage. It's being made in the
leaves, not the roots.
snip...

Guess we'll just have to disagree.

No problem. I leave my bulbs at home in the ground, year round, cutting
yellowing foilage as it appears. A bit time-consuming (there are seveal
thousand bulbs), but the beds stay looking fairly fresh. My point was, it
*is* fine to dig the bulbs up, lay them in a cool place to finish, and then
remove the foilage. Planted that fall, they'll produce fine the following
spring.

It is amazing that you would claim that
the plant's roots are "minor" given that this is the only way they absorb
water and nutrients. Sure, photosynthesis is happening in the leaves but
without water and soil nutrients nothing useful is going to be happening
since it doesn't operate on atmospheric C02 alone.

When bulb foilage begins to yellow, the roots are /not/ taking in water. If
they're not taking in water, they're also *not* taking up nutrients. When
the bulb finishes flowering, the roots are done, and begin to die off, same
as the foilage. All food production is taking place above ground, and that
food is being sent to the bulb for dormancy survival, and the following
season's growth.


I will remain with the
position that for best results the plants should stay exactly where they
are until the foliage dies back. It is a minor drawback since daffodils
don't hold onto their foliage all that long and can be easily screened
from
view.

Again, there's nothing wrong with that method. Pete C's question was of
digging them up (fine), storing them "in a paper bag in the dark until tops
die off" (BAD idea). Lose the paper bag, and it will work, with no
ill-effects.


Granted, the plants are amazingly tough and might well survive the
treatment you describe but if it was the way to produce best-quality
bulbs
I'd expect the big growers to be doing it that way to save time. The
Dutch
growers would be able to put their new crop in the warehouses in April
and
spend the rest of the year sunning themselves in Majorca.

Having never visited a "big grower", much less one in Holland, I can't
comment on their production methods. Were you to ask one of them about the
inner-workings of a bulb, and just what happens during it's life-cycle, I
bet they'd tell you the same thing I stated above.

Guess you guys know daffodils are toxic, Some bulbs mixed with young
onions would not be easy to discern not good. Sort of a text for
murder she wrote.

Standard Major Disclaimer.

So Charlie and Billy when shall we party?

Bill

You're not bring the onion dip are ya? Other than that, just let me get
the cork out'en the bottle.
--

Billy

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=7WBB0s...eature=related