Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.

Daffodils bloom without blooms?

What would cause daffodils to bloom only foilage and no blooms? This is the 2nd year and I do have other spring bulbs planted too which do fine they get plenty of sun I'm just so confused about this. The foilage looks great and healthy what could be wrong?

5 Answers

Relevance
  • ?
    Lv 5
    9 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    This is known as 'coming up blind'. The most common cause is that the foliage is cut back too soon in the growing season. The bulb needs to bulk up and store food for the next growing season during the previous period of growth. Dead-heading to prevent seed formation and leaving the foliage to die back naturally may be the cure.

    Source(s): Professional horticulturalist and landscape designer.
  • 9 years ago

    There could be numerous reasons why a bulb doesn't produce a flower.

    Up here in Canada (zone 3a) the Daffodil is borderline hardy and very often uses all of it's energy just to survive so doesn't have enough to produce a flower.

    If I assume that you are in a zone higher than 3 then the traditional remedy was an application of bone meal late in the summer.

    I have many spring bulbs that have taken as many as five years to settle in and produce flowers. Daffodils, Crocuses, Camassia, etc.

    Just be patient. If the leaves come up and look healthy they are ok.

  • ?
    Lv 7
    9 years ago

    Did you allow the foliage to die before you cut them back? You have to remove the flower stalks but leave the foliage die back naturally. With all spring bulbs the good from the leaves goes back into the bulbs for the next years flowers. Cut off the leaves before they turn brown and die back and you won't get flowers the next year. They usually take longer to die back than Tulips so maybe you cut them all off at the same time.

    This is the only reason I know of for healthy plants not to bloom. Daffodils do well in part sun(that's where mine are planted) so sunshine is not the problem

  • Anonymous
    9 years ago

    It means the bulb is severely weakened for one of these reasons:

    -Flower was left to go to seed/bulbil last year (unlikely, but possible)

    - Leaves were killed or removed prematurely (they should be kept alive until they go brown naturally.)

    - Bulb pathogen (fungal or bacterial)

    - Bulb pests (nematodes, etc.)

    Keep the leaves green as possible for as long as possible this year. That should resolve the problem for next year. You should sacrifice a bulb, too, to see if any diseases or pests are ravaging them. Probably not, but good to rule out.

  • How do you think about the answers? You can sign in to vote the answer.
  • englin
    Lv 4
    5 years ago

    hi, It relies upon how early you desire them. Christmas time/ early january Rijnveld's Early Sensation - might want to nicely be too previous due for those end of february/march February Gold minnow March/april spell binder desire this helped you confirm! they'll proberly seem stunning among grass!

Still have questions? Get your answers by asking now.