Princeton NJ House and Garden Articles

Dividing Daffodils

Adra is 95 years old and has been a member of the Stony Brook Garden Club for 67 years

When I lecture on Daffodils, one of the most frequently asked questions is when to know that a clump needs dividing and how to do it. The signs of the need to divide are a thick cluster of foliage and few or no flowers.

Dividing can be done fall or spring. Fall is usually preferable but one must mark the clump needing attention as the leaves will be gone by fall.

A spading fork is the tool of choice to dig the mass up as as you are less apt to spear a bulb with it. If you do, throw the wounded one away.

You will probably find your crowded bulbs have grown on top of each other, forming two or three layers. Lift the mass and separate the bulbs gently or wash apart with the hose. Look for double ot triple nosed bulbs. Very small bulbs, and there will be many, should be discarded. They will not bloom for three or four years if then and are not worth saving to my way of thinking.

Some bulbs, the triple or double nosed ones, can be pulled apart. The offset side bulb must have a good basal plate and four or five good roots to be ready for this.

Replanting (remember, only the big bulbs not the puny ones) can be done immediately or postponed from spring until fall. Bulbs held must be kept in a cool, dry spot so most times the ground is the easiest place to put them. I usually replant at once. Divided bulbs should give a good bloom next season. Some varieties tend clump up sooner than others. Scarcity of bloom is the real clue that help is needed.