I wonder if anyone could shed some light on use of Herbicides in areas where daffodils are grown.
Here are the question(s):—when to apply the herbicide without damaging or killing the bulbs.
- If daffodils have died back—will herbicides affect them?
- When they are actively growing with green leaves will herbicides affect them? I know Round-up is detrimental–especially when the leaves are green.
- What herbicides will hurt them, what will not when the daffodils are growing?
Lewis,
I’m not sure about herbicides in general but I have a lot of experience with roundup. You don’t want roundup to be even close to daffodils. I’ve seen it on daffnet that daffodils will take a little roundup when merging, but my experience is that even mist from roundup will kill daffodils all the way to include on dying foliage. I’m not offering a scientific solution, I’m just saying from my experience, and as Bill Pannill used to say, I’ve killed more daffodils than anyone I know while using more methods to do so.
Clay
Clay,
Thanks–What about once the daffodils die back? will round-up hurt them? I ask, because a historical foundation that I am part of is considering spraying for weeds–to give some control of weeds. I am not sure what they are going to use, but I could ask them to hold off until the daffodils die back–which in Southern Virginia–near where I85 goes into North Carolina towards Raleigh, which should be by early June.
If applying an herbicide to control weeds after daffodil foliage dieback will not harm the bulbs, then I will make that request of the foundation. We have some historic daffodils on the site which we want to preserve.
Anyone have thoughts on this?
I did a search on Google and found this article that may answer my question about herbicides and daffodils. I hope I am not out of place posting it here–but what it contains may help us in many ways. –One I am going to ask the Foundation which I am a part of, to ask a person whom they have asked to spray for weeds to hold off until the daffodils have died back before they spray for weeds. Also, some other plants may need protection from drift of the pesticide when they spray. We have some historic daffodils that need to be protected.
The danger appears to be that the green foliage absorbs the pesticide which kills the plant. If that green foliage is not present, the plant can survive. I encourage all of us to read the article and ask pertinent questions. It appears to be a well researched article.
Parts of the article is shared here and can the complete article be also found at the following link.
Does Roundup Kill Daffodils? (sfgate.com)
Exerpts from the article Does Roundup Kill Daffodils?
When you want to kill weeds poking through your daffodils, Roundup may not be the best choice — it can kill your flowers as well as the weeds.
When you must spray Roundup near your blooming daffodils, protect your flowers from drift by choosing a day with little or no wind. Place a barrier, such as a large piece of cardboard or plastic, between the weed and the daffodil so you only spray the plant you want to kill. Holding the spray nozzle close to the weed also helps control the direction so no droplets drift to your flowers. Another option is to dip a small paintbrush into the herbicide liquid and paint it onto the weed’s leaves. This eliminates the chance of drift by localizing the application.
Spraying near the plant while any foliage is showing can kill the plant. When you notice weeds in your daffodil bed after the foliage withers and dies, it’s safe to spray the entire area. Roundup doesn’t leach through the soil, so it won’t hurt the bulbs if there are no living leaves above ground to absorb it. When weeds sprout and leaf out before daffodil foliage appears, spraying the weeds with Roundup shouldn’t hurt the flowers as long as you give the herbicide time to dissipate from the top of the soil. It’s usually safe to spray growing weeds with Roundup up to two weeks before you expect the first daffodil sprouts to appear, according to the Washington State University Extension website.
Note: If any one has thoughts about other herbicides, it might be helpful to us to share them. Thanks.
Thanks Lewis
Good information. Thanks
clay
We may have a different version of Rondup here. I don’t like Monsanto but I have been using a cheaper form of glyphosate.
I do have several parameters that I follow though. I have been happy to spray until the foliage is about 6″ tall. I work on the notion that the waxy substance of the leaves prevents systemic absorbtion.
Alf Chappel used to tell me that whilst the sap was going up the leaves it was safe to spray. When the sap is going down to the bulb it is unsafe. At that time the leaf surface has also weakened.
I do not use any other chemical or plant food with the spray as this may act as a fixer.
My increasing environmental awareness has changed and I no longer spray the whole paddock. I keep the weeds between the rows mowed to ground level. This stops them seeding.
I only spray the rows once a year in late winter.
I enter this discussion at the risk of being pilloried out of the daffodil world.
David,
What works for you is worth sharing. Use of herbicides is an issue that we need to have an understanding of. Many of us have seen daffodils naturalize in fields and old homesteads. The question now comes up–many lawn treating companies are using herbicides. Is that detrimental to daffodils?
I once lost a historic boxwood because of herbicide drift. When I asked a person licensed to apply herbicides, I was told that it was a contact only herbicide. He was not aware that drift of the herbicide in the air to nearby plants was an issue. I have since learned that drift was an issue that he was not aware of–and that could also be an issue with daffodils.
I have noted from past comments on daffnet that some who have donated daffodils to parks in their town have seen them disappear. Two reasons might be–one–herbicide spraying when the daffodils are growing, or another–not an herbicide issues-but cutting down the foilage which prevents the bulbs from growing. Whatever the case–the better understanding about herbicides and daffodils, and the need to educate people on basic care is important. Daffodils are for the most part quite hardy and strong growing–but there are times we need to be careful to protect them.
Your thoughts about herbicides may be very helpful to someone. Thank you.