How to Separate Daffodils

Daffodils are brilliantly colored perennials that appear just after the snow melts in the spring. Sometimes these flowering bulbs need separating, which creates more daffodil plants and rejuvenates the flowerbed by replanting the flowers farther apart. Depending on how close the flowers were planted, daffodils need to be dug up and divided every five to 10 years. Wait until the spring blooming is finished and the leaves start fading to yellow; it is easier to find the bulbs when the leaves are still intact.

Shovel
Spading fork

Instructions

- 1
  Dig a 12-inch-deep trench around the clump of daffodil plants with a shovel. Keep the trench 4 inches away from the plants so the bulbs are not damaged by the shovel.
- 2
  Work a spading fork under the clump without damaging the bulbs. Lift the bulbs up by 2 to 4 inches to loosen the patch. Keep sliding the fork under the bulbs and lift until the entire patch is loose. This process separates the roots from the soil.
- 3
  Lift the plants out of the ground in sections. Hold the plants by the leaves and shake the soil off of the roots. Place the removed soil back into the flowerbed. Set the daffodil plants in the shade and finish removing the rest of the clumps.
- 4
  Pull the plants apart by separating bulbs with your hands. Gently untangle the roots so the bulbs are not damaged. Examine each bulb and discard any bulbs with rot or severe damage. Keep the bulbs in the shade so they do not dry out.
- 5
  Replant the daffodil bulbs 2 to 6 inches apart in a prepared planting site. Only use hard, firm daffodil bulbs. Place the bulbs in the ground at the same depth as they were growing previously. Keep the soil loose around the bulbs to prevent compacted soil. Water the replanted bulbs well to settle the soil.

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