How to Propagate Daffodils? Mastering These Key Points Is All You Need

The flower language of the daffodil is "mystery," and its blooming period is roughly in spring. Nowadays, daffodils have moved from indoors to outdoors, and many flower enthusiasts have even made daffodils into bonsai for landscape exhibitions and environmental displays. Artificial propagation of daffodils can be done by division, sowing, and tissue culture. Let me briefly introduce these three propagation methods for daffodils and the points to note.

Daffodil

I. Bulb Division

The lateral buds inside the bulb swell to form daughter bulbs. When the bulbs are dug up in autumn, the daughter bulbs are separated for division propagation, with a natural propagation rate of 4-5 times.

The flowering rate of the main bulb is 100%, and that of the lateral bulbs is 80%-90%. Daughter bulbs need to be cultivated for 2-3 years before becoming flowering seed bulbs. To increase the propagation coefficient, daughter bulbs can be artificially induced. Use a sharp knife to make 3-4 crosswise vertical cuts from the basal plate toward the top of a plump bulb, with a depth of about 1/2 the height of the bulb, just enough to damage the growth point of the shortened stem.

After cutting, place the bulb upside down in clean dry sand to allow it to form callus tissue, then place it in a propagation box at 21°C for cultivation. Gradually raise the temperature to 30°C with a relative humidity of 85%. After about 3 months, many daughter bulbs will form and can be removed for separate planting.

The induced daughter bulbs are cultivated for 3-4 years to become flowering bulbs.

II. Sowing

Sow in mid-September. Use a sowing soil mix of leaf mold, peat, and coarse sand. After disinfection, fill pots and prepare for sowing.

After sowing, manage carefully. Seedlings emerge the following spring with 1 leaf. In early summer, the leaves and roots wither successively, forming dormant small bulbs. The small bulbs need to be cultivated for 4-5 years to become flowering bulbs.

III. Tissue Culture

Use bulbs or shoot tips and stem discs as explants. First wash them clean with detergent, then disinfect with 75% alcohol and 0.1% mercuric chloride for 30 minutes, then rinse 3 times with sterile water.

Inoculate onto MS medium supplemented with 2 mg/L 2,4-D and 0.1 mg/L kinetin. After half a month, transfer to MS medium supplemented with 2 mg/L 6-benzylaminopurine and 1 mg/L naphthaleneacetic acid. After about 15 days, seedlings can form. Then transfer to 1/2 MS rooting medium supplemented with 1 mg/L indolebutyric acid. After 10 days, rooted plantlets form, and after 3 years of cultivation, they become flowering bulbs.

Analysis of Key Cultivation Points for Zhangzhou Narcissus

Narcissus has a history of over a thousand years in our country and is one of China's famous flowers. The most famous is Zhangzhou narcissus, one of Zhangzhou's "Three Treasures." In Zhangzhou markets, we can often see potted narcissus and water-cultured narcissus.

Narcissus, also known as elegant garlic, golden cup silver platform, jade exquisite, and wave-treading fairy. It prefers warm, humid environments with ample sunlight, dislikes hot high temperatures, is relatively cold-tolerant and shade-tolerant, likes water and tolerates fertilizer, has strong adaptability, and is suitable for growing in loose, fertile, deep, moist loam soil. Its growth pattern is summer dormancy, autumn and winter growth, and early spring flowering. The flowering period is January to February. The propagation method is bulb division.

Cultivation Tips:

1) Tips for selecting narcissus bulbs: Look at bulb size. Generally, those with a diameter of 8 cm or more are first-grade; those with a diameter of 6-7 cm are second-grade. The larger the narcissus bulb, the more flowers it will produce. Look at the external shape of the bulb. Superior narcissus bulbs are flat and round in shape, firm and fan-shaped, with relatively wide spacing between the longitudinal vein stripes on the surface, the middle layer of skin stretched tight, and plump upper shoot tips. There are daughter bulbs on both sides of the sphere, but daughter bulbs generally will not flower. Look at the color of the bulb's outer shell; dark brown and glossy is good. Press it; if the bulb feels firm when pinched with the thumb and index finger, it means the bulb contains many flower buds. If it feels soft, this kind of narcissus bulb is not good.

2) Pot cultivation: Usually from September to October, use selected large bulbs. For the potting soil, use 1 part leaf mold and 1 part river sand, or 1 part leaf mold, 2 parts garden soil, and an appropriate amount of rice husk ash mixed evenly. Apply dry, fully decomposed organic fertilizer at the bottom of the pot as a base fertilizer. Plant 1 plant per pot, and after planting, cover with 2-3 cm of soil. Place in a well-ventilated, sunny location. Strengthen fertilizer and water management. After Frost's Descent, place indoors on a south-facing windowsill with ample sunlight and good ventilation to make it bloom in winter.

3) Water culture tips:

① Choose the water culture time. Narcissus takes 30-50 days from germination to flowering. The water culture time is determined by the desired flowering time. If you want it to bloom on New Year's Day, start water culture 50 days before the holiday. If you need it to bloom during the Spring Festival, start water culture 40 days before the holiday.

② Choose the water culture container: Use shallow pots, shallow bowls, vegetable dishes, and other containers, and place some pebbles inside to fix the root system.

③ Bulb processing: Before water culture, process the bulb. The method: first peel off the brown outer skin of the bulb, use a small knife to make one vertical and one horizontal cut from the top of the bulb, forming a cross-shaped opening, being careful not to damage the bud stem. You can also use the method of carving the bulb; common types include crab-claw narcissus, pen-rack narcissus, flower-basket narcissus, etc. After turning the wounded part downward, soak in clean water for 1 day so the mucus can fully flow out. Take it out, wipe off the mucus, then apply absorbent cotton to the cut to prevent the wound from being contaminated and discolored. Then place the bulb in a shallow pot or other container, line the surroundings with small pebbles or glass balls to fix the bulb, and pour clean water up to the base of the bulb, not covering the wound, so the wound does not rot from soaking. Place in a well-ventilated, dark place to promote root growth. After 5-6 days, place indoors on a south-facing window with good ventilation and ample sunlight, keeping the room temperature at 10-12°C, so it receives sufficient light, allowing the leaves to grow plump, short, and lush green and the flowers to bloom large and fragrant. Change the clean water every 1-2 days. To achieve dwarfing of the narcissus plant, pour out all the water in the evening and refill with water the next morning. In addition, proper topdressing can prolong the flowering period. Starting from bud formation, apply 0.5 g of monopotassium phosphate every 7-10 days, or use 2 mL of medical glucose injection, until the flowers fade. Usually after topdressing, the narcissus plant is robust, the buds are large, there are many flowers, and the flowering period can be extended by 5-7 days.

Narcissus is prone to damage from pests and diseases such as brown spot disease, bulb rot, dry rot, mosaic disease, and nematode disease.

Answers to Common Questions About Potted Narcissus

How should narcissus heads be handled after buying them

① Drying. After buying the narcissus heads, first place them indoors on a south-facing windowsill to dry for 2 days, so the outer skin becomes dry and loose. ② Soaking. Peel off the outer brown skin, carefully remove the soil and dried old roots on the stem disc, and soak in clean water for 2-3 days so the narcissus bulb fully absorbs water. ③ Cutting. After the soaked narcissus bulb grows white new roots, use a knife to make one cut on each side of the narrow face of the top bud of the bulb, with a depth of 1/3 of the narcissus bulb. Squeeze the wound with your hand so the bulb slightly splits open and mucus flows out, then wash it clean to prevent the bulb surface from turning yellow.

Tips for Extending the Narcissus Flowering Period

① Delay method. Crush two aspirin tablets into powder, put them into 1000 mL of water, and after dissolving, sprinkle it into the narcissus pot that is blooming. This can extend the narcissus flowering period by about one week. ② Color enhancement method. With the help of a medical syringe, dissolve food coloring used for steaming pastries in water, draw it into the syringe, and inject it into the flower stem. When the narcissus flower stem is 25-45 cm tall, the stem is hollow like a tube and can hold colored water. Insert the needle at 1/4 of the stem height (the thinner the needle, the better), and inject water at this height. ③ Timing method. If you want narcissus to bloom during the Spring Festival, one month before the Spring Festival, place the narcissus in a medicine bowl, add a few small stones, and pour in clean water for soaking and cultivation. During cultivation, the flower bowl should preferably be placed in sunlight often, change the water once every day or every other day, and add a few grains of salt to the water. This can both make the narcissus bloom during the holiday and extend the flowering period.

How to Make Narcissus Bloom During Holidays

Narcissus takes about 30-40 days from germination to flowering, and the water culture time can be determined according to the desired flowering time. If you want it to bloom on New Year's Day, you can process and water-culture it 50 days before the holiday; if you want it to bloom during the Spring Festival, you can start water culture 30 days before the holiday. If carving crab-claw narcissus, it can be delayed by 4-5 days. If you want narcissus to bloom on "May Day," peel off the brown outer skin of narcissus bulbs that have not obviously sprouted, clean them, dry them for 1-2 days, and place them in the storage compartment of the refrigerator near the door. Keep the temperature at 5-10°C, starting low and then higher. Generally check once a week. In mid-April, take them out and put them in cold water, preferably soaking in dripping tap water for 3-5 days, then carve them, and water-culture them during cool weather. In the first week of water culture, pay attention to lowering the temperature, place them outdoors in a cool place at night, and if conditions permit, use small ice cubes to lower the temperature, while also paying attention to spraying water in time. In this way, you can enjoy narcissus flowers on "May Day."

Why Narcissus Does Not Bloom

① The narcissus has not matured. Narcissus bulbs generally need 3 years of cultivation before the flower buds mature, and the bulb circumference is between 20-30 cm. One- or two-year-old small bulbs will not bloom. ② The maintenance environment is unsuitable. During water culture, if the room temperature exceeds 15°C and light is insufficient, the leaf buds will grow excessively and consume a large amount of nutrients, causing poor flower stem development, thin and short, forming "flowers hidden in leaves." ③ Water is not changed in time. During water culture, not changing the water for a long time or water containing oil, dirt, and impurities can cause root rot, which in turn causes narcissus not to bloom.

Why Narcissus Develops "Dumb Flowers"

① Poor quality narcissus. One case is that the bulb is too small, its nutrients are insufficient, the flower stem naturally develops poorly, resulting in small flower buds. Another case is that although the bulb is relatively large, the basal plate is dried up, causing few fibrous roots or even no roots, and because the flower stem is weak and the flower buds shriveled, the "dumb flower" phenomenon occurs. Therefore, for water-cultured narcissus, choose narcissus heads that are large, plump, firm, and free from pest and disease damage. ② Room temperature too high, light insufficient<足。水养水仙花最适宜的平均气温为11℃，且要阳光充足。若阳光不足，室内平均气温超过16℃，会引起植株徒长，花莛纤细，出现“哑花”。因此，水养水仙要放置在阳光充足、室温不太高的场所，一旦气温过高，应喷洒清水来降低气温。③水质差。水质差或长时间不换水，会引起水仙烂根而“哑花”。因此，水仙花的用水要求纯净、无污染，最好用井水或流动的河水，自来水则需存贮2~3天后再使用。④水仙头雕刻过重。雕刻水仙头时，若过多地将鳞茎削去，会造成水仙头自身养分流失。另外，雕刻水仙头时伤害花莛，会使花朵养分供给不足，同样也会出现“哑花”。因此，在水仙雕刻时下刀要浅，以防伤害花莛，尽量多保留鳞茎片，保证有充足的养分，以利开花。

Why Narcissus Buds Wither and Scorch

The correct method for water-culturing narcissus is: the water culture environment should be fixed, the temperature should be stable, and the light should be appropriate. But when the water-cultured narcissus grows leaves and buds, some people like to move it from indoors to outdoors, or from an inner balcony to an outer balcony, causing extreme temperature differences, sudden cold and heat, leading to narcissus buds not opening and withering. Some place the flower pot on an outdoor windowsill edge, and when special low temperatures occur at night, the buds are also prone to freezing and scorching so they cannot bloom. Others put the narcissus indoors where it cannot see sunlight or on top of a television, etc. All of these are reasons why narcissus does not grow leaves, or only grows leaves without forming buds, or has buds but does not bloom. Therefore, water-cultured narcissus should be cultivated according to the correct method.

What to Do When Narcissus Leaves Turn Yellow and Distort

When growing narcissus, sometimes you will see: otherwise well-growing narcissus leaves develop green mottling, and as time goes on, obvious yellow patches appear on the leaves. Sometimes the leaves also become distorted, the plant is noticeably shorter than other plants, and the bulb becomes smaller and smaller, losing its ornamental value. This is infection with narcissus mosaic virus. Narcissus mosaic virus can be transmitted by insects (leafhoppers, aphids, and nematodes), and can also be transmitted through sap and contact. Even if the mother bulb is infected with the virus, it will transmit the virus to daughter bulbs, passing it on from generation to generation, with the virus accumulating more and more and the incidence rate becoming higher and higher.

Control measures: focus on prevention. First, establish a virus-free seed bulb base, strengthen field sanitation management, and let narcissus grow and reproduce in a virus-free environment; second, use a combination of heat treatment and shoot-tip virus elimination to obtain virus-free seed bulbs.

Why Narcissus Bulbs Rot

① Unsuitable water culture temperature. If the temperature is too low, often around 5°C or lower, rooting is difficult and bulb rot easily occurs; if the temperature is too high, exceeding 20°C, or even reaching above 25°C, narcissus grows slowly and the bulb also easily rots. ② Unsuitable processing. When carving narcissus bulbs, cutting away too many scale leaves, and then soaking too deeply during water culture, is also one of the causes of bulb rot.

How to Make Narcissus Form a Short, Sturdy Plant Shape

To promote narcissus to be short and sturdy, you can use: ① Temperature control. When the shoots produced by the water-cultured bulb change from yellow-green to dark green, move them outdoors to a sunny place every day for maintenance (not lower than 0°C is fine). When bringing them back in the evening, first rinse off the dust on the bulb and leaves with clean water, then pour out the water and place them in a place where they will not freeze. The next day, add clean water again and move them outdoors, repeating this cycle until flowering. ② Chemical control. After the shoots turn green, maintain them with a 5000-fold paclobutrazol solution. Method: pour out the clean water in the narcissus pot and directly use the medicinal solution for normal maintenance.

Change the solution once every 3 days. At night, also pour out the solution, wash the bulb and leaves with clean water, and the solution can be used continuously 3 times; after that, it needs to be replaced. After 10-15 days of maintenance with the medicinal solution, promptly switch back to clean water maintenance until flowering.

Narcissus Cultivation Methods, Narcissus Propagation Methods

Narcissus is different from other plants. Its leaves are slender, with white petals and yellow pollen. Placing it in the living room not only reflects the owner's elegant taste but also beautifies your home life. The cultivation methods for narcissus are actually very simple. As long as you understand the cultivation methods of narcissus, its survival rate is also quite high. Let's take a look at the cultivation methods of narcissus together!

Narcissus Cultivation Method One: Water Culture Method

The water culture method is the most convenient and also the most common among narcissus cultivation methods. Before planting, simply remove the old roots and old stems of the narcissus, then place it in a bottle filled with water. It is worth noting that when using the water culture method to grow narcissus, you should change the water for it every day and place it in a cool place. When it blooms, place it in a sunny place.

Narcissus Cultivation Method Two: Paddy Field Cultivation

The paddy field cultivation method is one of the narcissus cultivation methods. The key point of the paddy field cultivation method is to choose soft land, then irrigate the land to mature the soil below, and add a small amount of fertilizer to improve the nutrient content of the land and reduce pest and disease damage. After that, plant the narcissus in the paddy field.

Narcissus Cultivation Method Three: Sand Culture Method

The sand culture method is also one of the narcissus cultivation methods. The key point of using the sand culture method lies in the choice of sand. To grow narcissus, choose fine sand and a pot with good air permeability. After planting the narcissus in the sand pot, water it in time, and do not place it under the scorching sun to avoid a state of water deficiency.

Narcissus Cultivation Method Four: Soil Culture Method

Among narcissus cultivation methods, many people also like to use the soil culture method. The key point of using the soil culture method lies in the choice of soil. We should choose soft, pest-free and disease-free humus soil. As with the water culture method, before planting we should first remove the old stems from the roots and then plant, then water an appropriate amount and place in a cool place.

Narcissus Propagation Methods

There are many propagation methods for narcissus, such as lateral bulb propagation, lateral bud propagation, double-scale propagation, etc. The growth cycle of narcissus is different from other plants. Summer is its dormant period, while autumn and winter are the growth period of narcissus. During the growth period of narcissus, we should give it enough sunlight and water, and also apply an appropriate amount of fertilizer. In this way, when its nutrients keep up, its growth speed will naturally be fast.

Summary:

These are the common narcissus cultivation methods. Once you know the narcissus cultivation methods, you will not encounter so many problems when growing them in the future. If you also like narcissus, then first understand the narcissus cultivation methods, and then plant such a beautiful pot of flowers in your own home!

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