What Causes Daffodil Flower Blasting?

Daffodil flowers,especially the double forms,are susceptible to a problem called blasting. The picture above illustrates this problem. Blasting in daffodils refers to a deformed flower bud that basically withers on the stem instead of developing normally. Sometimes the flower bud will open but will look dry and papery. Late blooming narcissus types are most commonly prone to blasting.

When you first see a blasted daffodil flower you may think that the bulb is diseased but the cause is usually related to weather or culture. Tulip,crocus and Dutch iris flowers can also suffer from blasting.

Daffodil blasting can be caused by planting bulbs too late or storing them at high temperatures. If you planted your bulbs a little too late and the flowers didn't develop or ended up deformed,they will probably do fine in years to come.

Daffodil Flower Blast Is Most Often Caused By Weather

The most common cause of narcissus blasting is weather. Late frosts or early hot temperatures can be to blame as well as a dry spell followed by a rainy period(or vice versa).If the weather is dry make sure to water your daffodils during their growing season.Since most double flowered daffodils are late blooming,if the weather turns hot early in your area large flowered double daffodils such as Golden Ducat for example, should be avoided.

Late Blooming Double Daffodil Flowers Are Most Vulnerable To Blasting

Even though large double daffodils can be risky in warm spring areas the double tazetta types such as Sir Winston Churchill,are resistant. Cheerfulness,a tazetta and poeticus cross, is a small flowered double that does well in my Zone 7 garden but I have read that it consistently blasts from Zone 8 southward. For the coastal south stick with single flowered jonquilla and tazetta daffodils for late season blooming.

Blasting is not as much of an issue in northern gardens although it can happen in a warm dry spring or after a late freeze. Very late blooming poeticus daffodils are usually great for Zones 3-6 and rarely exhibit blasting. Most large flowered doubles will do well in northern springs but may need to be staked to keep the heavy flowers from falling over after spring rains.

Although the narcissus jonquilla is a late bloomer that rarely suffers from blasting the blasted bud in my picture is a jonquil. This flower was ruined by a week of flooding rains.When the problem is weather related it can happen to any daffodil flower. Only the flower in the picture was affected. The later blooms of those jonquil bulbs were fine.

These Tips Will Help You Avoid Daffodil Flower Blasting

You can't do anything about the weather but to avoid blasting in your late season daffodils remember these tips:
*Plant early.
*Water during dry periods.
*Choose the best daffodil types for your climate.
*Avoid large flowered double daffodils in the south.

The daffodil blooming season is just about over in most of North America. My next few posts will concentrate on what to do after the flowers are gone.

The Trouble With Double Daffodil Flowers

Double daffodil flowers can be some of the most beautiful blooms in the narcissus family. If they are grown under the right conditions,that is. When the wrong double daffodil is planted in the wrong place,like the ones from my neighbor's garden,above,the results can be less than satisfying for the bulb and the gardener.

The double daffodil in the picture is an old very large flowered variety that would probably have fared better if it had been planted in an area that has cooler,drier weather in mid spring. When I snapped this picture it had rained the night before and the flowers were pushed down in the soil. They tried to recover but it was a futile effort.

Some daffodil purists don't care for double daffodils at all and never plant them. I admire them though. Sir Winston Churchill, Bridal Crown,Erlicheer and Cheerfulness double daffodils have performed very well for me. These are all smaller flowered poetaz(poeticus and tazetta crosses) types that are well suited for my southern climate.

If you live in the north you might have better results with large flowered beauties such as Poeticus Albus Plenus,also known as Rose of May,or a pink double like Replete. Be aware of their habit of falling over after a rain or light snow. If you want to try growing large double daffodil flowers you may want to stake them or set some of those metal plant ring type supports around them.

I believe those daffodil bulbs in the picture were planted around 25-30 years ago because they were growing in my yard too when I moved here in the mid 90's. They never bloomed well though and I haven't seen them for several years. The ones in the neighbor's yard seem to bloom well but they always end up face down in the dirt so I suspect they would do okay if they had some support.

These are the type of double daffodil that has a cup filled with many small twisted petals. I have seen this referred to as a "lion's head" type. I haven't seen anything like them available for sale so they must be a very old cultivar. The center petals start out golden yellow and fade to ivory as the flower ages. If anyone knows anything about them I would appreciate it if you would let me know.

Another problem with double daffodil flowers is their tendency toward blasting in warm weather.That's what I'll be posting about next time.