Question
Dear Donna, I have a million daffodils and want to spread the around. But I wait too long and cannot find the in the fall. How so can I dig them up and thin them? Sincerely, Dick Schlueter

Answer
Dear Dick (God morning!),

It抯 funny that you ask this, because last month I dug up daffodils in bud in the ground and transplanted them to pots.  They are now blooming.

Any bulb, particularly one as forgiving and hardy as daffodils, can be dug up at any time, even in the midst of bloom, if the task is done carefully. The biggest consideration in moving bulbs is to avoid damaging/spearing them, and leaving them too long out of the ground and exposed to drying conditions.

I strongly recommend that you avoid the use of a trowel or shovel ?a sure way to slice bulbs. Do you have a long handled garden fork with rounded tips (not pointed and sharp but rather dull)? It is the perfect implement for digging bulbs. Push it into the ground at the outer edge of a clump, push it into the ground and lever the bulbs out of the ground.  I have done this with peonies, lilies, daffodils and tulips.  They will probably come up in a clump, which you can then readily divide by hand. Just make sure you get them into the ground fairly promptly, cover them, and put a little bulb food or a liquid fertilizer on top (not in direct contact with) the bulbs. Compost is nice too.

You will probably find that the bulbs will be revitalized next spring, and you will enjoy better blooms because they are not competing with each other for nourishment.

Does this help? Please feel free to write again, and happy digging.

Donna