Henry, How old are your bulbs, have you divided them yet?

the bulbs have been planted approx 8-10 yrs ago. 

very little dividing.   The bulbs which have been pulled apart and set apart have been because they were growing out of the dirt. 

other then that, they remain in the same patch as they have been. 

and they'd look good in those patches if they'd bloom, and they have, just not in the last few years. 

 

I checked the last icing and that was mid March'07.    So it wasnt February.

Sounds like they need to be divided. If they are pushing up out of the ground they have overgrown.  The bulb is pushing to much nutrients into the babies, and not enough into the foliage and flowers. Wait until after the bloom period normally happens, I usually divide mine in Sept-Oct. Bulbs work better if you plant them in the fall. Divide after the bloom, and the foliage has yellowed out, the ones you want to remain place back in the hole with some bulb booster.

 store the rest  in a dry dark cool place, plant them in the fall. You should divide them every three to four years. A good bulb booster in with the roots and throw a little organic compost in the dirt when you replace it. I also have to use mulch, but that would depend on the area you are in. Never hurts!

What say you, Dave?

just prior to the last good rain, I sprinkled Bone Meal over the grounds.

the stems shot thru the ground good.    it does come with Iron in it, and I never ran to the University to test the soil.    we will see!

Hope it works for you! Send some pics! I'm having gardening withdrawals! at least 75 more days of winter left for us here!

this was crazy.    I left a plant holder on top of the mulch around a tree - you know the type with a woven liner to hold the dirt in and let the air circulate. 

well, I saw tulips growing out of this holder and I was like "hey, I never put bulbs in this plant holder".

 

I was like "rats".   I left it directly on top of the bulbs and the stems pushed their way all the way to the surface of the plant holder dirt.     in the morning, let me see if I can separate them cause that bulb arrangement looks 'bad' when theyre bloomin'.

Remember granular fertilizers are heat realease so it is only effective when the sun comes out and it is over 60(ish) degrees. (Technically you can fertilize when the ground is frozen but run the risk of loosing the fertilizer during spring run off).

 

If you are only fertilizing with phosphorous late fall is best (because P moves VERY slowly through the soil), very early spring is also good. If you are using a combination of NPK fertilize as soon as the ground has thawed.

 

It looks like your bulbs may need to be divided and once your ground is thawed now would be a good time (or better after they have bloomed). Yes, be sure to plant them with bonemeal (at the base). If you have a bunch of bananas, you could also bury one a few inches below your bulbs for the same result (bananas are a good source of phosphorous). Don't forget to fertilize again after they have bloomed so they can build up their food resources during summer and fall and get ready for the next spring bloom.

 

Don't hesitate to use too much bonemeal as it won't hurt your plants. I use LOTS when planting and the plants and trees do appreciate it in the long term. You can purchase a huge bag size for real cheap at your local agriculture supply store.

 

Also remember not to interplant daffs with anything else (other than cedars) as they are aleopathic and will kill off neighbouring bulbs.

 

Hope this helps!