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#16
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daffodil bulbs
On 4/22/2008 3:44 PM, 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. In my garden, the narcissus foliage (both daffodils and their relatives) remains green and vigorous for well more than a month after the flowers have withered and faded. The leaves are still working, manufacturing nutrients to rebuild the bulb. For this, they still need moisture as well as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and other plant nutrients from the soil -- through the roots. Only after the leaves start to yellow are the roots no longer important. Digging the bulbs before then might leave bulbs that flower the next year. But repeating this again in that next year might prevent the bulbs from flowering a third year. Sometimes, I do dig and divide the bulbs in my garden. I do this when the foliage is not yellow but brown and dried. I immediately (same day) replant the bulbs that I'm keeping. I have no interruption of blooming with this practice. -- David E. Ross Climate: California Mediterranean Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19) Gardening pages at http://www.rossde.com/garden/ |
#17
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daffodil bulbs
David E. Ross said:
On 4/22/2008 3:44 PM, 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. In my garden, the narcissus foliage (both daffodils and their relatives) remains green and vigorous for well more than a month after the flowers have withered and faded. The leaves are still working, manufacturing nutrients to rebuild the bulb. For this, they still need moisture as well as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and other plant nutrients from the soil -- through the roots. Only after the leaves start to yellow are the roots no longer important. That's exactly what I said. [rest snipped] -- Eggs -For every action, there is an equal and opposite government program. |
#18
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daffodil bulbs
On 23/4/08 10:16, in article , "Eggs
Zachtly" wrote: snip That's exactly what I said. [rest snipped] Perhaps you could snip a bit more next time? Repeating such a lot just to add one line is a bit of a waste of space. -- Sacha http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk South Devon 'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.' |
#20
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#21
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daffodill bulbs
In article , Charlie wrote:
On Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:00:22 -0400, Bill wrote: So Charlie and Billy when shall we party? Bill Oh yeah......a garden party? Who brings the wine, who brings the botanicals, who brings what???? Charlie "People came from miles around, everyone was there Yoko brought her walrus, there was magic in the air 'n' over in the corner, much to my surprise Mr. Hughes hid in Dylan's shoes wearing his disguise" "But it's all right now, I learned my lesson well. You see, ya can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourself" ~~Ricky Grew up with Nelson's. Bill -- Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA |
#22
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daffodill bulbs
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#23
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daffodill bulbs
On Apr 20, 7:09*pm, wrote:
I'm no gardener but have had the unfortunate task of tending my father's grave. I planted some daff bulbs last autumn and had a beautiful display but the flowers are now dying off. I shall soon be re-planting with summer plants. Should I save the daff bulbs for next year, or shoud they be discarded and buy new ones again in the autumn? Seems to me that after you plant daffodills, it's quite difficult to kill them if you try. |
#24
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daffodill bulbs
In article , Charlie wrote:
On Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:00:22 -0400, Bill wrote: So Charlie and Billy when shall we party? Bill Oh yeah......a garden party? Who brings the wine, who brings the botanicals, who brings what???? Charlie "People came from miles around, everyone was there Yoko brought her walrus, there was magic in the air 'n' over in the corner, much to my surprise Mr. Hughes hid in Dylan's shoes wearing his disguise" "But it's all right now, I learned my lesson well. You see, ya can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourself" ~~Ricky Hope you got down on "Earth Day". Down on your knees works for me to:-( -- Billy http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=7WBB0s...eature=related |
#25
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daffodill bulbs
In article
, Bill wrote: In article , Charlie wrote: On Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:00:22 -0400, Bill wrote: So Charlie and Billy when shall we party? Bill Oh yeah......a garden party? Who brings the wine, who brings the botanicals, who brings what???? Charlie "People came from miles around, everyone was there Yoko brought her walrus, there was magic in the air 'n' over in the corner, much to my surprise Mr. Hughes hid in Dylan's shoes wearing his disguise" "But it's all right now, I learned my lesson well. You see, ya can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourself" ~~Ricky Grew up with Nelson's. Bill Oh, come on. Nobody grew up with the Nelsons. They had separate twin beds. The Nelsons was when ignorance was bliss. -- Billy http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=7WBB0s...eature=related |
#26
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daffodill bulbs
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#27
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daffodill bulbs
In article
, Bill wrote: In article , wrote: Grew up with Nelson's. Bill HUH? You mean as in same period or as in sharing Nehi's and Moon Pies? Nah more like Rickey and David as human . The past video seems to have a sort of power over words , Shame the content could not keep up unless we had access to amend . Hope this is a try. Libraries , Libraries and examples of folks making sense. Bill Tired.... Strange thing about getting old. You're tired more often and you sleep less. Personally, I'm waiting for the malabsorbtion syndrome to kick in so that I can lose some weight, and recapture my boyish figure that is buried in here somewhere. Wait a minute, I don't have to worry about that anymore. Shrub has my weight loss worries covered. With any bad luck at all, I should be forty pounds lighter next year at this time, if I make it through the winter. Wonder if any of that "shine" they are making for gasoline is ever goin' to make it to the "market" that will really appreciate it;-) The body runs on acetate and it is only a tiny, teeny jump from ethanol to acetate. Beside, it's non-fattening and I got me five milk thistle plants to cover my liver;-) (again) Yeah, yeah. Look out Bill, another one is zoning out . . . zzz -- Billy http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=7WBB0s...eature=related |
#28
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daffodill bulbs
In article , Charlie wrote:
On Wed, 23 Apr 2008 23:24:02 -0700, Billy wrote: In article , wrote: Grew up with Nelson's. Bill HUH? You mean as in same period or as in sharing Nehi's and Moon Pies? You in North Carolina now Charlie? Nah....I think I was in Headupmybuttville when I posted. ;-) Charlie, thinkin' havin' a Nehi and Moon Pie with Opie sounds fun. You guys never had the pleasure of cranking up your BG with tastykakes? http://www.tastykake.com/ I used to walk trough the woods about a mile for my school bus and would eat my tasty cake on the way and discard the rest. I'd also have my Fox 12 gauge with me incase a crow came by. This was a time when dynamite was used against crow roosts. Things have changed haven't they. Bill who feeds the birds and calls crows. -- Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA |
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