I plant flowering bulbs and get no flowers, just leaves-why is this? Can you please help?

Question

I planted bulbs years ago and get nothing but leaves, no flowers...Daffodils and many others. Why is this and what can I do or put down in my soil for them to flower beautifully? Thank you for your help!

Answer 1

There could be a couple reasons.

My best guess is that you need to dig them up and separate them. Come this fall dig your bulbs up then separate the little bulbs off of the big ones. The big ones will produce the flowers. The little ones will just suck off the big ones till they grow up. Grab some pine shavings from a pet department and pack your bulbs into that over the winter. Lay a layer down of pine shavings, then a layer of bulbs. Keep it so that the bulbs don't touch. Keep the bulbs in a dry place over winter and plant in early spring then add a little bone meal to the hole/ground when you plant the bulbs. That will add a little phosphorous which should help them grow well. Make sure to pick a nice bright sunny spot to plant them in. Use a bulb planter to plant the bulbs. That will help you get them at the right depth. They should be about 2" underground or so, a little more or a little less depending on the size of the bulb. The smaller the bulb the closer to the top of the ground.

If they flowered for the first year or two and they are failing to flower now I'd guess they need separated. After 2-3 years the smaller sprout bulbs will become big bulbs and flower too.

Answer 2

This happened to me once. I found that cutting them down too quickly can cause this. Leave the plants there for a while after the flowers are gone to let the plants recharge themselves as they soak in the sun. Also, I find that Miracle Grow works wonders...you can get an attachment that hooks up to your hose and spreads the chemicals around.

Answer 3

You may have used a fertilizer with too much nitrogen(the first number) or they aren't getting enough sun. Another possible cause is that the bulbs were planted too deep.

Answer 4

daffodils should have bloomed so far.May be the fetilizer has too much nitrogen.Use a brand called colorbust.besides relocate the bulbs and give it a try.may be it will work.