Are narcissus flowers and their bulbs toxic, can they be grown indoors, and can they be replanted after blooming?

Narcissus is one of China's top ten famous flowers, a fine offering in Chinese folk tradition, popularly known as the “fairy on the waves.” Every New Year, people like to display narcissus in clean water as a festive holiday flower. So, are narcissus flowers and their bulbs toxic? Can they be grown indoors? Can they still be planted after blooming?

1. Are narcissus flowers and their bulbs toxic? Can they be grown indoors?

1. Are both the narcissus flower and its bulb toxic?

The narcissus flower is toxic, though its toxicity is relatively mild, while the bulb is highly toxic. The bulb contains lycorine; if swallowed by mistake, it causes symptoms such as vomiting, abdominal pain, bloating, a weak and rapid pulse, cold sweats, diarrhea, and irregular breathing. Special care should also be taken not to get its sap into the eyes.

An infusion of the bulb has a strong excitatory effect on the uterus of guinea pigs, rabbits, and cats, and can make pigeons vomit, so narcissus must not be taken internally. Do not come into prolonged contact with it; as long as it is only brief, normal touching and it is not eaten, there is no risk of poisoning.

2. Can narcissus be grown indoors?

The fragrance of the narcissus flower is not toxic, but the pollen (including that of the narcissus flower) can cause allergic reactions in a small number of people with allergic constitutions. So growing it indoors is possible, but make sure the room is well ventilated. When the narcissus is in bloom, its pollen is extremely harmful to pregnant women, and the sap of the flowers and leaves can cause red, swollen skin. Also make sure children do not swallow it by mistake, and take care for safety.

2. Can narcissus bulbs still be planted after blooming?

The narcissus bulb is in fact the root of the narcissus flower. Because the narcissus bulb declines after blooming, quite a few people may ask whether narcissus bulbs can be planted a second time. In fact, narcissus bulbs can be planted.

Narcissus is a bulbous flower planted in autumn. It grows in autumn, blooms in early spring, stores nutrients in spring, and goes dormant in summer. For narcissus grown in the ground, after the leaves turn yellow and wither, around early June, dig up the bulbs, detach the offset bulbs, cut off the yellow leaves, leave them in a ventilated place for 2 to 3 days, dry them and store them. In autumn, plant them again in open ground or in flower pots, covering with soil just enough to bury the bulbs.

When growth begins in autumn, apply 20% diluted decomposed human and livestock manure water 1 to 2 times a month. After two or three years of growth, they can still bloom. In the later stage of growth, in August and September, push the soil around the rhizomes aside a little to expose the bulbs, so as to help the bulbs swell and the flower buds differentiate. For narcissus grown in water bowls, from October to December, place large, plump bulbs in a small shallow bowl or narcissus bowl filled with pretty small pebbles, then put the narcissus bowl on a balcony or in a sunny spot indoors, and it will bloom at Spring Festival.

After the flowers fade, cut off the spent blooms, and transfer the bulbs together with the leaves into an ordinary flower pot or into the ground to grow on. Narcissus bulbs consume a great deal of nutrients; after blooming, it takes another three years before they will bloom again. As for crab-claw narcissus grown in water, because the bulbs are almost completely depleted of nutrients by flowering and leafing out, they are generally not replanted.