Bulb Information, Growing Daffodils, Planting, Soil

Test of daffodils at different localities

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The first picture shows Symptom at January 13. We had very high temperatures in winter during December and January in Essen (Germany). The leafs of many daffodils were already very long when a period of two weeks of hard frost in February,up to – 14 degrees C without snow, followed. The conseqences you see in picture two. No plant of Symptom will recover. I lost a big part of my daffodils this year because of this abnormal climatic conditions. I observed daffodils during nearly 40 years and lost no plant by frost. I could leave bulbs out of the soil or in pots outside and had no damage.
The positive aspect of the situation is that I can learn which varieties are most resistant to long periods of frost within the soil. I already can say, that most Y-R varieties were killed and most of the Y-P daffodils showed no damage. Crosses of standard daffodils with species behave very different and sometimes surprising: for example most bulbs of Ufo x N. dubius are living with damaged leaf. I shall give further detailed information to daffnet when I can overlook the whole situation.
To judge the frost resistance of daffodils one could us a freezer which a special program, which simulates for example the temperatures of this winter in Essen. It would not be as effective as trials at different sites but cheaper and the results we could have earlier. It is quite clear, that tests of other characteristics of daffodils at different sites would be very useful.
Theo

2 comments for “Test of daffodils at different localities”

  1. Hello, Theo,
    I assume you have dug up some of the affected bulbs of Symptom, and they are rotted?
    Many years ago, we had a heavy, killing frost in April when the daffodils were in bloom. All flowers and foliage were killed to the ground. We cleared off the dead foliage, and the bulbs continued to grow that spring. We have often had temperatures in winter here below 0 degrees F, and most bulbs are not affected. Sometimes there is snow cover, sometimes not. The only ones affected are those that put up foliage in late autumn or early winter, mainly bulbocodium types, occasionally some species jonquil types.
    I’m glad you can look at the positive aspect of losing all those bulbs.
    Mary Lou

  2. Mary Lou,
     
    I dug out not only some bulbs of Syptom but also bulbs of other affected varieties. If the leafs are badly damaged, the bulbs and roots are rotted. Some bulbocodium crosses which I thought to be resistant and N. cordubensis too were destroyed.
     
    Theo
     
     

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