Daffodil and Hyacinth - wilting leaves

[newbyplantlover]

Hello there -

A month or so ago I bought some flowering daffodil and hyacinth plants at the local grocery store. Well ... both were in ridiculous pots, and I wanted to repot them into larger, nicer pots. I read up on daffodils and found some people saying DON'T REPOT WHILE IN BLOOM, and others saying it didn't matter. So I took a chance. Well ... the whole plant died. So now it's April, and I have daffodil bulbs (haven't dug them out of the plant yet). What should I do with them? Dig them up and store them? Keep the soil moist and wait? I'm really not sure.

The hyacinth bulbs managed a bit better. The whole plant has not died. However the blooms died, it is not re-blooming, and the leaves are partially wilted and falling over. One possible factor in the hyacinth bulbs could be how I planted them; in the grocery store they were planted in the tiniest little bit of soil - just on the roots, with most of the bulbs exposed. I read that hyacinth should be planted 1" deep, so when I re-potted them, I did that. Perhaps the bulbs don't like having so much dirt on them? Any suggestions? If I won't get blooms on these 'til next year or so, that's ok. I just want to do the best with the plant that I can right now. Thanks for your help!

(Oh - there are little flies that look like fruit or drain flies which are loving my hyacinths. What are they? Why do they like the hyacinth? How do I get rid of them?)

[Kisal]

Forced bulbs, which are what you bought, don't usually last long to begin with, nor do they rebloom. That said, I never would have tried to repot them. It would have been better just to have left the bulbs in their original pots and placed them, pot and all, inside your choice of decorative containers. I think your bulbs are goners, but you can try to plant them outdoors in the ground and see what they do next year, if anything. Just chalk it up to experience. It's how we all learn.

I love forced bulbs and always buy some for myself as soon as they show up in the stores. When the leaves begin to turn yellow and die back, I plant them in my garden. They sometimes produce only leaves ... no flowers ... the first year after I plant them in the yard, but after that, they do just fine, blooming during their normal seasons.

[newbyplantlover]

Thanks. That's a bummer. If I do try to replant them outside, should I do it right now? Or wait 'til fall, or what?

[Kisal]

Depending on the weather, I would place the bulbs in their pot outdoors in a sunny, but sheltered, area. You don't want to leave them out in freezing weather, though. I usually place the pots up against the foundation of my house, where they'll get some reflected warmth at night and sun during the day. Allow the soil to dry somewhat between waterings. When the foliage has died down, put the bulbs into the ground.

Spring blooming bulbs, like tulips and daffodils, need a period of cold weather in order to bloom. This site explains the forcing process, and at the end, tells how to care for forced bulbs if you want to plant them in your garden. I don't follow the instructions the site gives (fertilizing, etc.), which probably explains why some of my forced bulbs don't produce flowers the following year.