Narcissus - bulbous plants of the genus Amaryllis. There are about 60 kinds of daffodils, which grow in the Mediterranean, southern Europe and Asia. There are 25 species of cultivated varieties, as well as a large number of hybrid forms united by the common name "Narcissus hybrid".
Cultivation of daffodils in open ground
In the garden, daffodils appear among the first, along with tulips, hyacinths, crocuses . And although the flower is not particularly capricious, it still requires attention and due care.
Planting daffodils begins with the correct choice of the site: it must be water-permeable, illuminated, with neutral acidity. It is important to pre-fertilize the land with compost or humus (but not manure). To reduce the acidity of the soil, you can apply wood ash (1 glass per square meter), to increase - dolomite flour (200 grams per square meter).
It is undesirable to plant daffodils on sites where tulips, lilies and other bulbous plants, as well as phlox, asters or chrysanthemums, grew earlier. Good predecessors for daffodils are peonies, solanaceous, legumes and cucumbers.
When to plant daffodils in the open ground?
With the onset of warm days, it's time to drop narcissus bulbs into the ground. By the way, in the spring many dealers of seeds and other seed material begin to sell stale goods at low cost. And you have an excellent chance to buy bulbs of rare varieties of daffodils for a pittance. Just watch for their quality - they do not have to be soft, small and weakened.
And in general, all the bulbs that are available before planting should be carefully examined, discarded excessively soft, damaged, with an unhealthy don. All the rest must be disinfected, withstood them for half an hour in a 3 per cent solution of potassium permanganate.
Spring daffodil planting occurs around April. Beforehand, you must withstand the bulbs for a couple of months in the fridge, otherwise they will not take root and will not give a good flowering. As soon as the snow comes down, you can start planting works. Spring daffodils quickly take root at a temperature of 5-7 ° C.
Autumn planting of daffodils: traditionally, their landing begins exactly in autumn along with the other onions. Calculate the ideal time in accordance with the weather conditions in the region where you live. In the middle lane, this time is in September, as bulbs will have 3-4 weeks ahead of rooting before severe chills occur.
Soil and pits for autumn planting daffodils are prepared since the summer. The earth needs to be dug to the depth of the spade bayonet, fertilized with peat or compost (5 kg per square meter), superphosphate (2 tablespoons) and "Agricol for flowering plants" (1 tablespoon). The site is again digested and left in this condition until the fall.
The depth of planting daffodils in autumn is about 10 cm. Pits and sand are poured into the holes, then the bulbs are laid, they are sprinkled with earth, lightly compacted and sprinkled again.
How to grow daffodils in the open field?
After planting daffodils in the open ground, you need to provide them with proper care.
The next top dressing is carried out at the end of May during the budding period and is 20 g per square meter. To prolong flowering, it is necessary to make the third feeding as the second. And the last, the fourth, fertilizing, consisting of 2 parts of phosphorus and 1 part of potassium fertilizer (50 g per square meter) is produced after the end of flowering.
Be sure to accompany all top dressing and soil loosening. Here, in fact, and the whole simple process of care, which does not require any special knowledge, or the availability of special skills.