How and When to Divide and Transplant Daffodils
If you want to enjoy more beautiful daffodils next spring, don’t skip dividing the bulbs. Dividing gives old bulbs room to expand and allows you to plant daffodils in other areas. Join flower farmer Briana Yablonski to learn how to dig, divide, and transplant these bulbs.
Contents
There’s something magical about growing daffodils from bulbs. You tuck the uninspiring storage organs into the ground, forget about them for a few months, then watch foliage and beautiful flowers emerge. And with so many varieties to choose from, the flowers never get boring.
While you may think your involvement in the daffodil’s life is over after the flowers bloom, this isn’t always the case. Fertilizing is a key part of post-bloom care, as is keeping an eye out for pests. Plus, you may also want to dig, divide, and transplant the bulbs to increase the number of daffodils that brighten up your garden.
Although removing daffodils from the ground may seem trickier than planting them, it’s simple. I’ll share the best time to dig and divide the bulbs, how to prepare them for storage, and introduce a few ways you can determine what to do with the extra plants you end up with after the dividing process.
Do I Need to Divide My Daffodils?
Many gardeners think their only role in daffodil care is planting them the first year. As long as you get them into the ground at the right time of year and keep them safe from hungry critters, the plants will continue their wondrous cycle of blooming each spring. For the most part, this is true.
Most daffodils will remain healthy during the few years following planting. However, as they continue to produce new bulbs, the plants become crowded and produce fewer blooms. While you don’t need to dig and divide the bulbs—deserted cottage plantings have been thriving for decades—doing so can improve plant health and allow you to move the plants somewhere new.
How and When to Dig, Divide, and Transplant Daffodils
If you decide you want to divide your plants, follow these steps.
Wait Until the Right Time
There are two options for digging and dividing your plants. You can dig them in the late spring or early summer after the leaves turn brown, or you can dig them in the fall. Both of these times work well, so considering the pros and cons can help you decide which is best for you.
However, you should avoid digging when the plants still display green leaves. Although this won’t kill the plant, it will limit the amount of energy that makes its way to the bulbs. Therefore, the plants may not produce flowers the following spring.
Late Spring
Digging in the late spring offers numerous advantages. The brown foliage makes it easy to locate the bulbs, so you don’t have to rely on your memory or garden map to locate them. The foliage also makes it less likely that you’ll accidentally pierce the bulbs while digging.
If you choose to dig and divide in the spring, wait until all of the leaves have faded from green to brown. At this point, the leaves are done capturing solar energy they use to make sugars. In many areas, daffodils are ready to dig six to eight weeks after they bloom.
Spring dug daffodils can either be replanted immediately or dried for fall planting. I’ll provide details on drying below.
Fall
If you don’t have time to dig your bulbs in the spring or don’t want to deal with drying and storing them over the summer, you can also dig them in the fall. However, fall digging is a bit trickier since plants no longer display their leaves. That means you need to rely on memory to determine where the daffodils are located.
However, if you dig in the fall, you can replant them at the perfect time of year. This allows you to forgo worrying about damage from summer heat and ensures the storage organs receive the chilling hours they require to bloom the following spring. Just make sure to plant them at the right time to ensure they receive the cold they need and get in the ground before it freezes.
Dig Them Up
Use a shovel or digging fork to carefully unearth them. I like to insert the tool a few inches away from the bulbs to avoid damaging them. It’s best to avoid digging on wet days since moist soil is sticky and makes it difficult to dig.
After you unearth the bulbs, brush off the excess soil with your hands. If there is a lot of soil sticking to the bulbs, use a hose to wash it off. If foliage is still attached to the top, cut it off with a knife or pair of pruning shears.
Divide Them
After you’ve removed the bulbs from the ground, it’s time to divide. As daffodils grow, they produce smaller daughter bulbets next to the originals. These bulblets are genetically identical to the parents, unlike the seeds that daffodils produce. Therefore, growers often view division as the best way to propagate daffodils.
These daughter bulbs will remain attached to the mother. The plant will produce more foliage and flowers, leading to a larger daffodil clump. However, the plants won’t spread throughout your gardening like rhizomatous plants.
Fortunately, these daughter bulbs have an easy way of telling us whether or not they’re ready to survive on their own. Grab one of the new bulblets with your fingers and give it a gentle tug. If it releases from the main bulb, it’s ready to replant. However, if you feel any resistance, leave it until next year.
Replant Them
If you know where you want the extra daffodils to go, you can transplant them the same day you dig them. This applies to those dug in the spring or fall.
Choose a location with well-draining soil and full to partial sun. Dig a hole that’s twice as deep as the bulb’s height. For example, dig a two-inch hole if a bulb is an inch tall. If you’re planting multiple flowers, space them 6-12 inches apart.
Dry Them for Storage
If you don’t want to plant the bulbs immediately or want to share them with friends, you’ll need to prepare them for storage.This is important for gardeners growing daffodils outside their hardiness range.
First, brush off any extra soil. You don’t need to wash the bulbs, but you should remove any large dirt chunks.
Once they are somewhat clean, lay them in a single layer and place them in a suitable location to dry. Choose a cool and shady spot with good airflow. A shelf in a cool garage or shed works great, as does a covered porch.
After about a week, the bulbs should be relatively dry and ready for storage. If they aren’t, keep them in their drying space and check them every few days to see if they’ve dried completely. Then place them in a breathable container like a cardboard box or mesh bag then set them somewhere cool, dark, and dry. A cool garage or basement often works well.
If you choose to store the bulbs over the summer, you can replant them the following fall.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Dig Up Daffodils?
You can dig up daffodil bulbs if the plants are becoming crowded or if you want to move the plants to a new area. If you live in a warm climate, you may also need to dig up the bulbs so you can chill them.
What Should I Do with My Daffodils After They Bloom?
Avoid removing the foliage when the plants are done blooming. You can remove the old flowers, but this isn’t necessary. You can remove the leaves after they have turned brown, but you don’t have to.
What’s the Best Way to Propagate Daffodils?
You can propagate daffodils from seeds and bulb division. However, division is often preferred since it leads to plants that are identical to the parent.
