From: Dolores Oliver Subject: Disappearing daffodils
Message Body:
My garden of multiple varieties of daffodils has been one of beauty for five years. Then in 2020 nothing. In 2014 I purchased from Whiteflower Farm their daffodil daylily mix. I followed the directions and all was well. Until like I said last year. This fall I dug four 18″x10″ holes to see what the bulbs look like. No bulbs! I’ve contacted Doug Oster and two other gardening specialists as well as Whiteflower Farms grower. No one has any ideas. Finally I learned of the Bulb Fly and searched images to see what bulbs look like after the flies attack them to see if they are eaten in their entirety. There’s no reason I can find to tell me why they are gone. This Fall I had a landscaper plant in the same space 45 bulbs and he didn’t find any either. I don’t believe in little garden aliens taking them back to their planet. I am perplexed to say the least. Then I learned about you all and expect that you all are experts in all things daffodil. Please help me solve this mystery. I have daffodils in other locations in my garden that are fine. Thoughts? Thank you. Sincerely, Dolores Oliver
Bulb fly is not the only thing that causes bulbs to disappear. Have you had your soil tested by the local County Agent from the State. Check with the master Gardeners. Have the soil tested for fungus Fusarium and nematodes.
Secondly there is basil rot, that is causes by a natural Fusarium in the soil. It builds up quickly and I think 5 years is time for it to become an infestation. Many of us that have suffered this fate use organic matter in the garden soil to slow it down. So far there is no known chemical that is truly effective against this problem. This is a serious problem that causes the bulbs to rot and disappear in the ground.
Nematodes is another problem that can cause your bulbs to die and disappear. In NC it was so bad that I used a product that was good nematodes to fight the bad nematodes. I forgot the commercial name of it, but I got it from a Farm Supply store. It helped, and even cured a problem with Boxwood that was dying.
Clay
Clay mentioned some good items to consider in this problem. Two more come to mind. One-Don’t plant your bulbs until the ground has cooled in the fall. Fungus can attack bulbs planted in warm ground. Many places selling daffodil bulbs send the to you, or have the for sale Early fall before the ground has cooled.
The other is the use of broad leaf herbicide in the area where you have planted the bulbs. This could be a problem.
Hope Clay’s and these suggestions will help you have success!
I agree with Clay, that the first thing you should do is have your soil tested. This may or may not be helpful. I’ve had a similar problem in areas where I have grown daffodils for 30 years. The reply from my county ag agent was “don’t grow daffodils there anymore.” So maybe you could plant your daylilies in that bed, and try a different place for any daffodils you buy. If you’d like to learn more about daffodil diseases, go to http://www.dafflibrary.org and click on “Diseases and Pests,” then scroll down the page and click on “Diseases.”
Mary Lou
Dear Dolores,
I don’t disagree with anything above, and in fact, also think it’s fusarium/basal rot, but I think this happened in the summer and might be due to watering the daylilies when the soil got so dry last summer. If you did this, or maybe if you forgot and left the sprinkler on all night?, then the daffodils were overwatered when they wanted to be dry and dormant. A clogged gutter or loose downspout or summer flash flood situation would also do it. In any case, fusarium is all through that soil and no more daffodils should be planted there to replace what you lost. I have had cases here where a similar thing (overwatered, but in Spring while they were in bloom) happened to me and some varieties came back after a 6-7 year no – show. Maybe you’ll get lucky?
In case your research didn’t come right out and say it, bulb flies don’t decimate an entire garden of full sized daffodils in one year, or even 5 years.
Suzy Wert, Indianapolis
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