How to choose narcissus bulbs? A detailed guide to daily care methods
Every year at this time, a beautiful flower starts being planted on a large scale again, and this beautiful flower is the narcissus. At this time, a large number of narcissus bulbs come on the market, and many flower lovers like to grow a pot for themselves, so how do you choose high-quality narcissus bulbs?
How do you choose bulbs?
When choosing narcissus bulbs, three steps - look, feel, and smell - will let you select vigorous bulbs.
1. Look: mainly observe the shape, surface, color, and roots. The main bulb should be large, with a smooth surface and pure white scales, and the roots should have no rot or wounds;
2. Feel: mainly to confirm that the bulb has not been squeezed, that there are no sunken pits on the bulb, and that the base of the bulb is dry;
3. Smell: bring it close and smell whether the bulb has a moldy odor, because most narcissus are grown in water, and if there is mold or rot, it will worsen during later cultivation.
[Key growing points]
(1) Narcissus mainly has two cultivation methods: hydroponics (common) and soil culture. Hydroponics needs no flower fertilizer at all, and requires a spot with ample sunlight, with daily light kept at more than 6 hours. For soil culture, narcissus likes loose, fertile, deep alluvial sandy soil, and the optimum pH for growth is 5-7.5.
(2) Narcissus likes a warm, humid environment, and the suitable growing temperature is 10-15°C. In winter, if a suitable temperature cannot be maintained, narcissus may not bloom; too high a temperature causes narcissus to grow leggy; too low a temperature causes the flower buds to develop incompletely and fail to bloom.
Related knowledge:
Placing narcissus in the kitchen can absorb cooking fumes, but narcissus flowers are slightly toxic, and their bulbs contain lycorine. If eaten by mistake, it causes vomiting and enteritis. Also be careful not to get its sap into your eyes, and do not come into contact with it for long periods. For short-term contact, as long as it is not eaten, the harm is not great.
Flower lovers, if you want to grow narcissus, come and read this article to see how to choose good narcissus bulbs. More wonderful flower knowledge is brought to you with all our heart by Huinong Network!
How to grow narcissus well: bulb selection and hydroponic methods are both important
Narcissus is regarded by people as a symbol of purity, beauty, and good fortune. If it blooms during a festival, it is seen as an omen of wealth, good fortune, and everything going well in the new year, bringing people the message of spring.
Why do narcissus leaves grow very tall every time, but collapse on the table before blooming, with few flowers? How can you grow a pot of narcissus well?
To grow narcissus well, choosing good bulbs is crucial. When choosing bulbs, pay attention to three aspects: looking at the shape, observing the color, and pressing.
Look at the shape: high-quality bulbs are large, flat, hard, with glossy skin and a wide, thick root plate, and symmetrical small bulbs grow beside the main bulb;
Observe the color: a bulb that is dark brown, with an intact membrane, bright luster, and no traces of rot or pests is top grade;
Press: pressing is the main way to tell how many flower scapes a narcissus has. You can pinch the bulb with your thumb and index finger and press slightly. If the outline feels columnar, elastic, and firm, it is a flower scape; if it feels soft, flat, and less elastic, it is a leaf bud.
For hydroponic narcissus in winter, temperature, light, and water supply are the three key factors determining whether narcissus can bloom.
Hydroponic narcissus needs no flower fertilizer at all, only clean water, added to 2/3 of the bulb. Generally speaking, when the temperature is kept at around 12-15°C, it can bloom after 30-35 days in water; when the temperature is kept at around 7-12°C, it can bloom after 40-50 days in water. If you want it to bloom at Spring Festival, when room temperature can be kept at 7-12°C, you can start water culture in early November of the lunar calendar, but be sure to provide ample light to prevent the narcissus from growing yellow and weak.
During water culture, 10 days before the desired blooming date, if the bud membrane on the flower scape has not yet split, it means development is slower. At this time, you can appropriately raise the temperature to around 18-20°C, and it is best to use warm water for each water change, to prompt the narcissus to grow faster and ensure smooth blooming on schedule. After blooming, gradually lower the temperature to 7-10°C, and do not change to warm water again. If buds have already opened 10 days before the desired blooming date, the temperature can be lowered to 7-10°C to slow the speed of blooming.
How to grow narcissus
·A comprehensive summary of narcissus growing methods and care points
Hydroponic growing methods for narcissus and narcissus care
Narcissus has many varieties and colors, with beautiful flower colors and a pleasant fragrance. Many people like to grow it hydroponically indoors, and it is very ornamental. So how do you grow narcissus hydroponically? How do you care for it? Below, we introduce the hydroponic growing methods for narcissus, as well as narcissus care.
Hydroponic growing methods for narcissus
1. Selection of narcissus bulbs
Choose ones with many flower buds. It is best to choose large, flat-round, firm bulbs with a diameter of more than 8cm, and when you press both sides of the bulb, if there is a columnar object inside and it feels firm, it is a brown bulb.
2. Cleaning of narcissus bulbs
Remove the brown outer coating, root-protecting soil, and brown dead roots from the outside of the bulb. Use a carving knife to cut vertically downward 2-3cm on both sides of the top of the narcissus bulb where no small bulbs have grown, to a depth of 1/3 of the bulb, cutting only the scales, and by no means damaging the tender leaf buds. Then sprinkle carbendazim into water, soak the narcissus in it for a day and a night, and then wash off the mucus on the narcissus.
3. Care of narcissus bulbs
Put the bulb into a hydroponic container, add clean water, preferably up to 1/3 of the bulb, and you can use quartz sand or pebbles to fix the bulb. During narcissus care, ample light can make the narcissus leaf buds thick and strong, with deep green leaf color. Therefore, during the day it should be placed where sunlight can reach it, and at night it can also be placed under lamplight.
When first placed in a container for water culture, change the water daily, then once every 2-3 days. After the flower buds form, change the water once a week. Narcissus grows well in a 10-15°C environment. If you want to delay the flowering period, you can lower the water temperature, or pour out all the water in the container in the evening and add clean water the next day. On the contrary, you can increase the water temperature to force flowering, with the water temperature preferably 15°C.
During narcissus care, no flower fertilizer is needed. During the flowering period, you can apply a little quick-acting phosphate fertilizer, which can make the flowers bloom better. When the flowers are all in full bloom, you can put a small amount of salt into the container to extend the flowering period. By no means put salt in when the narcissus is in bud, as this will instead inhibit the narcissus from opening.
Narcissus care
1. Aspirin can help narcissus bloom
Use 1-2 aspirin tablets, put them into water and dissolve them thoroughly, replacing the clean water in the narcissus container. This can make the flowers more robust and lush.
2. Raising the temperature to force narcissus to bloom
Narcissus grows slowly at low temperatures, and methods of raising the temperature can be used to force flowering:
Sunlight warming: during the day, move it outdoors into the sunlight, or indoors in front of a sunny south-facing glass window, until it blooms.
Lamplight warming: cover the flower container with a plastic cover and turn on an electric light to shine on it, stopping when the temperature inside the cover rises to 23°C.
Electric heater warming: turn on an electric heater or place a hair dryer in a position where it will not scorch the narcissus, letting warm air blow gently over the plant for several consecutive days until the flowers bloom.
Warm water warming: put a small amount of warm water into the water container, letting the water temperature rise to 12-15°C.
3. Salt extends the narcissus flowering period
When the narcissus flowers are all in full bloom, put a small amount of salt into the container, and it can extend the flowering period. By no means put salt in when the narcissus is still in bud, otherwise it will instead inhibit the buds from opening.
Or grind two aspirin tablets into powder, put them into 1000 milliliters of water, and after they dissolve, sprinkle it into the container of a blooming narcissus. This can extend the narcissus flowering period by about one week.
4. Color enhancement method
When the narcissus flower scape grows to a height of about 25cm, use a medical syringe to inject an aqueous solution of food coloring used for steaming pastries into the scape stem, with the injection point at the upper 1/4 of the stem height.
5. Preventing root rot.
First, if the water is emptied at night, the roots will not dry out. If the fibrous roots turn yellow and soft: change the water frequently. Narcissus must keep its water clean, and it is best to change the water once every 2-3 days to prevent root rot. The yellowed parts can be gently brushed with a soft toothbrush.
The above are the hydroponic growing methods for narcissus and narcissus care that we have introduced for everyone. Is everyone clear now? For more home knowledge, please stay tuned.