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How to Dry Narcissus Bulbs

Narcissus bulbs provide bright yellow or white flowers from year to year, usually dividing on their own regularly with each season. When the bulbs become too crowded and offer fewer or smaller blossoms, they need to be dug from the ground, dried and then stored until it's time to plant them again. Proper drying will ensure that healthy narcissus plants grow once again.

Things You'll Need

  • Garden spade or digging fork
  • Mesh containers
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Instructions

    • 1

      Remove narcissus bulbs from the ground once the above-ground part of the plants begin to wither and the flowers die.

    • 2

      Dig with your garden spade or digging fork just outside the area where the bulbs lie underneath and carefully work your way toward the bulbs. Be especially careful not to nick or injure them as you ease them out of the ground.

    • 3

      Brush any remaining dirt from the bulbs and rinse them with water.

    • 4

      Discard any bulbs that are not healthy. Look for signs of rotting, disease or deterioration.

    • 5

      Dry the bulbs without crowding. Mesh vegetable bags or old stockings allow a sufficient air flow to the bulbs if they are not stacked so deeply the inner bulbs remain damp.

    • 6

      Remove the offshoots from the bulbs and keep the bulbs well-ventilated until you are ready to plant again.