Narcissus Sprouting: How to Handle No Sprouting or No Blooming, and How to Delay or Advance Flowering

Narcissus is the tenth of China's top ten famous flowers. It also has beautiful names such as Flower in Snow, Golden Cup and Silver Terrace, Fairy on the Waves, Fragrant Consort of the Fallen God, Li Orchid, Elegant Guest, and Jade Exquisite. According to Huang Tingjian of the Song Dynasty in "Rhyming with Zhongyu's Narcissus," the lines “Blooming by borrowing water is a wonder in itself, with water sinking as its bones and jade as its flesh” show that narcissus is very easy to grow: with just a spoonful of clear water it can take root, sprout, and burst into bloom. So, how do you sprout narcissus? What should you do if it does not sprout or does not bloom? How can you delay or advance flowering?

1. How do you sprout narcissus?

1. Peel. The first step in sprouting narcissus is peeling: remove the entire outermost layer of skin from the bulb.

2. Cut the bulb. The second step in sprouting narcissus is cutting the bulb. First wash the soil off the narcissus bulb with water and remove the old roots, then cut 1 cm into each of the front and back sides between the side buds, and pry open the cuts to expose the buds inside.

3. Soak the bulb. The third step in sprouting narcissus is soaking the bulb. Put the cut bulb into clean water and soak for 1-2 days. If mucus secreted by the bulb appears in the water, change the water.

4. Sprout. This is the last step in sprouting narcissus. Place the soaked bulb in a flowerpot, cover it with a layer of rice husks or similar, and move it into direct sunlight. During this time you can water it a little every day, and after about 1 week it will sprout.

2. What should you do if narcissus does not sprout?

1. Lower the temperature. Failure to sprout may be caused by excessively high temperature. When the temperature exceeds 25°C, narcissus stops growing and enters dormancy. This is why narcissus is hard to sprout in summer. At this point you can cool it down appropriately.

2. Change the water. The water used to grow narcissus must be clean. Deteriorated water causes contamination and root rot, preventing sprouting. At this point you should consider changing the water.

3. What should you do if narcissus does not bloom?

1. Control the temperature. If the temperature is too high, the plant grows leggy; if the temperature is too low, the plant grows slowly, causing narcissus not to bloom. If the temperature is too high, cool it slightly and keep the temperature between 15-25°C; if the temperature is too low, you can raise it by methods such as sunlight warming, lamp warming, electric heater warming, or warm water warming.

2. Change the water in time. Water-grown narcissus must be kept clean. Not changing the water for a long time causes bacteria to breed, which in mild cases affects plant growth and in severe cases causes bulb rot. If bulb rot occurs, cut off the rotten part of the bulb and disinfect the water-growing container and the bulb wound.

3. Choose the right time for water growing. An unreasonable time for water growing can cause stunted flowers, so avoid the period after Qingming and before Shuangjiang.

4. Wait 2-3 years. Some narcissus sprout and grow leaves but simply do not bloom. If there are no problems with care, then the cause is the bulb. A poor bulb is one of the reasons narcissus is slow to bloom, but there is no need to worry; generally after two to three years of care it will bloom.

4. How do you make narcissus bloom later or earlier?

Narcissus generally blooms in winter and spring, earlier than peach and plum but later than plum blossom, and the specific flowering time can be controlled artificially. Under normal water growing, narcissus can bloom on schedule in 45-50 days. Adding an appropriate amount of cold water to the pot can delay flowering, while adding an appropriate amount of warm water can advance flowering.