Daffs 99% vanished
 

I planted dozens of Narcissus 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation in the autumn of
2005 around our village monument. They made a splendid show in Feb/March
2006. This year virtually 99% of them haven't come up. I dug up the bulbs
and an odd one has a pathetic green shoot of a few inches and that's it.
What could have gone wrong? Would it be a mistake to plant more in the same
place?

I planted them at the same time along the foot of a Lonicera nitida hedge a
few metres away , and they are flowering OK.

Daffs 99% vanished
 

"Martin" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 4 Mar 2007 16:07:43 -0000, "Trevor"
wrote:

I planted dozens of Narcissus 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation in the autumn of
2005 around our village monument. They made a splendid show in Feb/March
2006. This year virtually 99% of them haven't come up. I dug up the bulbs
and an odd one has a pathetic green shoot of a few inches and that's it.
What could have gone wrong? Would it be a mistake to plant more in the
same
place?

Most of our crocus have disappeared too. I blame the appalling wet
weather.
--

Martin




We're on extremely free draining chalky gravel and in one of the driest
parts of the country so I don't think wet could be to blame. More likely too
dry as the ones in the foot of the hedge that have more humus in the soil
were OK.


I planted dozens of Crocus tommasinianus in the grass around the monument
too. Last Friday was the first sunny day for 2 weeks and they finally came
out - very dramatic they looked - the next morning the whole lot had gone -
looked like eaten off - Sparrows?

Daffs 99% vanished
 

In message , Trevor
writes
I planted dozens of Narcissus 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation in the autumn of
2005 around our village monument. They made a splendid show in Feb/March
2006. This year virtually 99% of them haven't come up. I dug up the bulbs
and an odd one has a pathetic green shoot of a few inches and that's it.
What could have gone wrong? Would it be a mistake to plant more in the same
place?

Does the area get a lot of foot traffic? I was looking at the
distribution of bulbous plants in a local park recently, and I was
wondering whether it was restricted beyond the original boundaries by a
combination of trampling and soil compression.

I planted them at the same time along the foot of a Lonicera nitida hedge a
few metres away , and they are flowering OK.



--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

Daffs 99% vanished
 

"Martin" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 4 Mar 2007 16:23:44 -0000, "Trevor"
wrote:


"Martin" wrote in message
. ..
On Sun, 4 Mar 2007 16:07:43 -0000, "Trevor"
wrote:

I planted dozens of Narcissus 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation in the autumn
of
2005 around our village monument. They made a splendid show in Feb/March
2006. This year virtually 99% of them haven't come up. I dug up the
bulbs
and an odd one has a pathetic green shoot of a few inches and that's it.
What could have gone wrong? Would it be a mistake to plant more in the
same
place?

Most of our crocus have disappeared too. I blame the appalling wet
weather.
--

Martin




We're on extremely free draining chalky gravel and in one of the driest
parts of the country so I don't think wet could be to blame. More likely
too
dry as the ones in the foot of the hedge that have more humus in the soil
were OK.


I planted dozens of Crocus tommasinianus in the grass around the monument
too. Last Friday was the first sunny day for 2 weeks and they finally came
out - very dramatic they looked - the next morning the whole lot had
gone -
looked like eaten off - Sparrows?

Starlings?
--


None here.

Daffs 99% vanished
 

"Stewart Robert Hinsley" wrote in message
...
In message , Trevor
writes
I planted dozens of Narcissus 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation in the autumn of
2005 around our village monument. They made a splendid show in Feb/March
2006. This year virtually 99% of them haven't come up. I dug up the bulbs
and an odd one has a pathetic green shoot of a few inches and that's it.
What could have gone wrong? Would it be a mistake to plant more in the
same
place?

Does the area get a lot of foot traffic? I was looking at the distribution
of bulbous plants in a local park recently, and I was wondering whether it
was restricted beyond the original boundaries by a combination of
trampling and soil compression.

I planted them at the same time along the foot of a Lonicera nitida hedge
a
few metres away , and they are flowering OK.




I'll try and get a picture, but the monument is raised on stone steps and
the bulbs were at the base, literally inches from it and too close for
anyone to regularly walk over.

Daffs 99% vanished
 

On 4 Mar, 16:57, "Trevor" wrote:
"Stewart Robert Hinsley" wrote in ...



In message , Trevor
writes
I planted dozens of Narcissus 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation in the autumn of
2005 around our village monument. They made a splendid show in Feb/March
2006. This year virtually 99% of them haven't come up. I dug up the bulbs
and an odd one has a pathetic green shoot of a few inches and that's it.
What could have gone wrong? Would it be a mistake to plant more in the
same
place?

Does the area get a lot of foot traffic? I was looking at the distribution
of bulbous plants in a local park recently, and I was wondering whether it
was restricted beyond the original boundaries by a combination of
trampling and soil compression.

I planted them at the same time along the foot of a Lonicera nitida hedge
a
few metres away , and they are flowering OK.

I'll try and get a picture, but the monument is raised on stone steps and
the bulbs were at the base, literally inches from it and too close for
anyone to regularly walk over.

I just wonder if it could be Narcissus bulb flies, I know that they
mostly result in "Blind" bulbs, but they can also result in a loss of
the bulbs, see http://mrec.ifas.ufl.edu/Foliage/ent...state/fly4.htm
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries

Daffs 99% vanished
 

On 4/3/07 17:38, in article
, "Dave Hill"
wrote:

On 4 Mar, 16:57, "Trevor" wrote:
"Stewart Robert Hinsley" wrote in
...



In message , Trevor
writes
I planted dozens of Narcissus 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation in the autumn of
2005 around our village monument. They made a splendid show in Feb/March
2006. This year virtually 99% of them haven't come up. I dug up the bulbs
and an odd one has a pathetic green shoot of a few inches and that's it.
What could have gone wrong? Would it be a mistake to plant more in the
same
place?

Does the area get a lot of foot traffic? I was looking at the distribution
of bulbous plants in a local park recently, and I was wondering whether it
was restricted beyond the original boundaries by a combination of
trampling and soil compression.

I planted them at the same time along the foot of a Lonicera nitida hedge
a
few metres away , and they are flowering OK.

I'll try and get a picture, but the monument is raised on stone steps and
the bulbs were at the base, literally inches from it and too close for
anyone to regularly walk over.

I just wonder if it could be Narcissus bulb flies, I know that they
mostly result in "Blind" bulbs, but they can also result in a loss of
the bulbs, see http://mrec.ifas.ufl.edu/Foliage/ent...state/fly4.htm
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries

We're told that the daffs under our big Cedar tree have some disease, the
name of which I can never remember. But it results in blind daffs every
year, where we should have a glory of gold. The leaves come up perfectly
healthily but start to die back from the tips almost immediately, so the
bulbs get no nourishment to produce flowers (I assume). I know Ray feeds
them with something or other but don't remember the name now, so I'll ask
him. This year we have a very few more flowers but not many. I've often
wondered if the Cedar itself has something to do with it because it's huge
and widespread and these are planted all around its roots. However,
cyclamen, snowdrops and cyclamen coum come up with no trouble at all and
daffs only mere feet away are fine, too and blooming like mad right now.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)

Daffs 99% vanished
 

Possibly the dry weather last summer insufficient moisture to ripen bulbs ?

"Trevor" wrote in message
...
I planted dozens of Narcissus 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation in the autumn of
2005 around our village monument. They made a splendid show in Feb/March
2006. This year virtually 99% of them haven't come up. I dug up the bulbs
and an odd one has a pathetic green shoot of a few inches and that's it.
What could have gone wrong? Would it be a mistake to plant more in the same
place?

I planted them at the same time along the foot of a Lonicera nitida hedge
a few metres away , and they are flowering OK.

Daffs 99% vanished
 

Here are the daffs last year:

http://www.woldsweather.plus.com/Garden/Monument.jpg

This year just one flower on the front row and none round the sides.

Daffs 99% vanished
 

"cineman" wrote in message
. uk...
Possibly the dry weather last summer insufficient moisture to ripen bulbs
?

"Trevor" wrote in message
...
I planted dozens of Narcissus 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation in the autumn of
2005 around our village monument. They made a splendid show in Feb/March
2006. This year virtually 99% of them haven't come up. I dug up the bulbs
and an odd one has a pathetic green shoot of a few inches and that's it.
What could have gone wrong? Would it be a mistake to plant more in the
same place?

I planted them at the same time along the foot of a Lonicera nitida hedge
a few metres away , and they are flowering OK.



I think thats the most likely myself.

Daffs 99% vanished
 

"Trevor" wrote in message
...
I planted dozens of Narcissus 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation in the autumn of
2005 around our village monument. They made a splendid show in Feb/March
2006. This year virtually 99% of them haven't come up. I dug up the bulbs
and an odd one has a pathetic green shoot of a few inches and that's it.


Given that the bulbs are still there ...

wild guess

Given that narcissi need a cold stimulus to flower indoors, maybe the
mild weather has meant that they haven't recieved sufficient cold
stimulus to initiate flowering outside either, in that particular situation.
So many hours at x degrees c. This might be localised within feet of
the actual location they're planted in. Depending on the wind direction
those at the foot of the hedge may have been be in a frost\cold pocket
and so got the necessary lower temperatures

/wild guess


michael adams

....

What could have gone wrong? Would it be a mistake to plant more in the
same
place?

I planted them at the same time along the foot of a Lonicera nitida hedge
a
few metres away , and they are flowering OK.

Daffs 99% vanished
 

"michael adams" wrote in message
...

"Trevor" wrote in message
...
I planted dozens of Narcissus 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation in the autumn
of
2005 around our village monument. They made a splendid show in Feb/March
2006. This year virtually 99% of them haven't come up. I dug up the bulbs
and an odd one has a pathetic green shoot of a few inches and that's it.


Given that the bulbs are still there ...

wild guess

Given that narcissi need a cold stimulus to flower indoors, maybe the
mild weather has meant that they haven't recieved sufficient cold
stimulus to initiate flowering outside either, in that particular
situation.
So many hours at x degrees c. This might be localised within feet of
the actual location they're planted in. Depending on the wind direction
those at the foot of the hedge may have been be in a frost\cold pocket
and so got the necessary lower temperatures

/wild guess


michael adams

...

What could have gone wrong? Would it be a mistake to plant more in the
same
place?

I planted them at the same time along the foot of a Lonicera nitida hedge
a
few metres away , and they are flowering OK.








maybe the
mild weather has meant that they haven't received sufficient cold
stimulus to initiate flowering

So why do they flower so well in the Scilly Isles where theres no frost?

Daffs 99% vanished
 

On 4 Mar, 16:07, "Trevor" wrote:
I planted dozens of Narcissus 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation in the autumn of
2005 around our village monument. They made a splendid show in Feb/March


Yoy never said if they were left to die back fully or were cut off
after flowering
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries

Daffs 99% vanished
 

On 14/3/07 09:57, in article
, "Dave Hill"
wrote:

On 4 Mar, 16:07, "Trevor" wrote:
I planted dozens of Narcissus 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation in the autumn of
2005 around our village monument. They made a splendid show in Feb/March


Yoy never said if they were left to die back fully or were cut off
after flowering
David Hill
Abacus Nurseries

Some of ours, under the big cedar tree, have developed a disease, the name
of which I can never remember. But it means that the leaves come up every
year but with very few flowers. Ray has been spraying that area with
something to feed the daffs because what happens is that the foliage comes
up but starts to die back very quickly indeed, going brown at the tips
within days.
This year, there does seem a very slight increase in flowers. Mere feet
away, the others are flowering madly. I do wonder if it's anything to do
with being under the tree but OTOH the spring and autumn cyclamens do well
and the bluebells are starting to flower. I'll try to remember to ask Ray
what he's been using and post the name here just in case it's useful in this
case or any other.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)

Daffs 99% vanished
 

On Mar 4, 4:07 pm, "Trevor"
wrote:
I planted dozens of Narcissus 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation in the autumn of
2005 around our village monument. They made a splendid show in Feb/March
2006. This year virtually 99% of them haven't come up. I dug up the bulbs
and an odd one has a pathetic green shoot of a few inches and that's it.
What could have gone wrong? Would it be a mistake to plant more in the same
place?

I planted them at the same time along the foot of a Lonicera nitida hedge a
few metres away , and they are flowering OK.

Same thing happened to me two years previously. I dug up the bulbs to
find them partly rotten, and infested with small white grubs. I was
told I had some eel worm (from memory) and told to not put any more
bulbs in that area for a few years, as they would succumb to the same
problem.
Regardless of the cause, I feel your pain! There is nothing nicer
than a good splash of daffs in the garden.
Cat(h)