My Daffodils Are Not Blooming

The Need for Cold Dormancy

• Just like with tulips, crocuses and hyacinths, daffodil bulbs must be exposed to temperatures in the 35-to-45-degree-F range before any flowers will form in spring. Gardeners in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 8 meet this requirement by planting daffodil bulbs in autumn so the cold winter soil supplies the needed 8 to 12 weeks of chilling. Alternatively, bulbs are placed in a refrigerator to chill and are then planted in containers of soil to force into bloom indoors.

Planting Depth

• Planting daffodil bulbs too deeply can prevent leaves and flower bud stems from reaching the soil surface. Conversely, planting too shallowly can expose the bulbs to extreme cold or dry soil that kills the bulb tissue. Dead or weak bulbs won't flower. Orient the daffodil bulb with the pointed tip upward in a planting hole. Dig a hole three times as deep as the bulb's height. For example, a bulb that's 2 inches tall from base to tip needs to be placed in a hole that's 6 inches deep. In heavy clay soil, plant 1 inch shallower, but in a light sandy soil, plant 1 inch deeper.

Sun Exposure

• At least four hours of direct sunlight is needed to ensure flowers reliably form from daffodil bulbs. The sunlight warms the soil to coax sprouts but also sustains leaves so they photosynthesize. Ideally, a minimum of six to eight hours of uninterrupted sun rays in late winter to mid-spring is needed for foliage to manufacture enough food to replenish the bulbs for next year. Small bulbs also grow in the soil to slowly enlarge and produce flowers for next year. If these adolescent bulbs are weak, they only produce leaves in spring and no flowers until they get large enough.

Post-Flowering Care

• If your daffodils were planted last fall or the existing clump flowered last spring and no flowers appeared this year, you may have improperly cared for the plants. The bulbs need to remain in a moist, but not wet or mucky, soil over the cold months. In summer, the soil also must not get soggy when the bulbs rest dormant. Wet soil rots bulbs. For existing clumps in a perennial garden, let the daffodil foliage naturally grow and yellow on its own over the rest of spring. Cutting off, mulching over or braiding leaves prevents leaf photosynthesis. Without food replenishing the bulbs, the bulb weakens and likely dies over summer. Only remove daffodil foliage in early summer once the leaves naturally turn all yellow or tan.

Tip

• If your clump of daffodils has grown undisturbed for more than five years and flowering has been progressively diminishing, it's time to divide the bulbs. After the leaves die back in early summer, dig up the bulb clump and separate robust bulbs from any dead debris. Store them in a cool, dry location indoors until the fall, then replant the bulbs in fertile, well-drained soil.