What to do with daffodil bulbs?

[AuntPeggy]

About 6 years ago, maybe 10, we bought a half-dozen daffodil bulbs and planted them. Each spring we get three ever larger clumps of daffodils and each year I decide to dig them up and separate them after the tops die down. Today is the first time I actually remembered to do it.

There were probably about 100 bulbs of various sizes. I put about 40 of the largest back into the ground, making sure the sprout is covered.

What should I do with the rest of them? They are in the unheated garage because I think they should be allowed to get cold. Beyond that, I'm clueless.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

Plant them elsewhere. They need cold weather to grow next year- they need to get cold as you indicate in your post. If the garage gets cold, you can "force" some of them indoors.

 

[TangoWhiskey]

Don't make soup! Dandelions, yes, daffodils, no:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/suffolk/8031344.stm

 

[AuntPeggy]

OK. No soup. I've pretty much put daffodil bulbs wherever it makes sense to me. I was thinking they could be saved and given to someone -- maybe one of the kids who just bought a new house. Or all of them. We'll be going to Oklahoma in November. Do you suppose they would do OK in the garage until then? Should I just throw out the ones that are the smallest?

 

[Cap'n Jack]

They should keep through November in the garage- just don't let them get below 32°F. They can still be planted in OK that late.

 

[AuntPeggy]

They should keep through November in the garage- just don't let them get below 32°F. They can still be planted in OK that late.

It is quite likely to get below freezing before Thanksgiving. I guess they should go into the refrigerator instead, then.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

It is quite likely to get below freezing before Thanksgiving. I guess they should go into the refrigerator instead, then.

That will work too. Make sure there's no water on them (like visible drops) to reduce the chance of fungus (essentially rotting like a bad onion). Essentially treat them like an onion in the refrigerator.

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

They should keep through November in the garage- just don't let them get below 32°F. They can still be planted in OK that late.

It doesn't seem to be the end of the world if they get below 32 - it just delays the process of doing whatever it is they do in the cold...

 

[Cap'n Jack]

It doesn't seem to be the end of the world if they get below 32 - it just delays the process of doing whatever it is they do in the cold...

It depends how much below 32°F they get...they can stand being below freezing somewhat, but they can be damaged if they get so cold that the water in their tissues freeze. The ice crystals that form during freezing damage the cells. Even if the damage is slight enough that only some cells are damaged, the damage allows fungus to attack the bulb next spring.

I don't know how much natural antifreeze these things have, so I don't know how much below 32°F they can safely go.

 

[AuntPeggy]

It doesn't seem to be the end of the world if they get below 32 - it just delays the process of doing whatever it is they do in the cold...

It depends how much below 32°F they get...they can stand being below freezing somewhat, but they can be damaged if they get so cold that the water in their tissues freeze. The ice crystals that form during freezing damage the cells. Even if the damage is slight enough that only some cells are damaged, the damage allows fungus to attack the bulb next spring.

I don't know how much natural antifreeze these things have, so I don't know how much below 32°F they can safely go.

I was wondering about that because the bulbs in the ground withstand a couple of months under the snow every year. They live in the part of the garden where the driveway snow gets piled.

 

[Tom-D]

You should find a place and plant them, they are what is known as a fall bulb, they take root in the fall, to bloom in the spring. the earlier you get them in the better.

Growers here already have their bulbs sorted and replanted and the bulb to be sold are already on the store shelves.

 

[Cap'n Jack]

I was wondering about that because the bulbs in the ground withstand a couple of months under the snow every year. They live in the part of the garden where the driveway snow gets piled.

That actually helps them a lot. The snow insulates them from more bitter cold while the ground stays a much more stable temperature. As for the insulating properties of snow...igloos work well enough for people...

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

It depends how much below 32°F they get...they can stand being below freezing somewhat, but they can be damaged if they get so cold that the water in their tissues freeze. The ice crystals that form during freezing damage the cells. Even if the damage is slight enough that only some cells are damaged, the damage allows fungus to attack the bulb next spring.

I don't know how much natural antifreeze these things have, so I don't know how much below 32°F they can safely go.

Dunno the details myself, but the spouse forced a bunch of different kinds of bulbs (don't ask me which, flowers are flowers, eh?) in the attic last winter with no problems that I am aware of - our attic would be warmer than outside, but it does get below freezing in Detroit...