Germinating Narcissus Cyclamineus, and now?

[Webster008]

I have some Narcissus Cyclamineus, which I sowed last year, germinating.
My question now is what to do next. Shall I leave it alone or do I need to repot the seedlings some time soon?

I could do with some advice.

[Ian Y]

Rick you certainly do not want to disturb it when the seedlings are in growth.

 I would leave it alone until they go dormant in their second year of growth before you re-pot.

I often leave them for three years and supplement the food with a dilute balance fertiliser as they come into growth but mostly with potassium in the spring.

Ian

 

[David Nicholson]

Rick, I think you should leave them alone for a couple of years at least. I sow all my Narcissus seeds about half way down a 9cm square plastic pot and rarely re-pot them until at least their third, and sometimes fourth, growing season. They get an occasional feed of half strength tomato fertiliser. If you have yours in a shallower pot and/or they were not sown very deeply (they will pull themselves down to the level that suits them in time) I would be inclined to pop the lot, with the minimum of disturbance, into a deeper pot but kept at the same level as now and just let them pull themselves down.

[David Nicholson]

Oops, sorry Ian, but I did learn from the Master

[Maggi Young]

Tee Hee! Good to know someone is listening to the BD, David!! 

[Luc Gilgemyn]

We all are, Maggi !  We all are ! 

[Darren]

 Rick,

I agree with the others but would also point out that I've lost young Narcissus seedlings several times (including cyclamineus) when germination is followed by a hard freeze. If your pots are outdoors I'd move them under glass now and/or plunge them, if a hard frost is likely. Ian and David's experience may differ but here in North West England we often get very heavy rain followed by hard frost and this is a lethal combination for many plants in pots.

I just moved mine into the greenhouse today just in case it turns cold outside and I'm too drunk to notice or care over the holidays

[Webster008]

Thanks everyone for the quick responses.

Darren: At present the seedlings are in a coldframe, I will keep an eye on them and plunge them when severe frost is predicted.

[Gene Mirro]

This is what works for me.  First, the pot must be big enough so that the plants and roots are not crowded, and have plenty of room to grow.  So I use a pot that is at least 4 inches (10cm) deep.  Second, I fill it almost to the top with mix, and then sow the seeds.  Third, as soon as the seedling leaves appear, I fertilize with a sprinkle of dolomite lime and a little dilute NPK fertilizer.  Never let the potting mix dry out until the plants go dormant in summer.  Do not subject the potting mix to large temperature variations.  Plunge the pot into a sand bed if necessary.  If the potting mix gets too hot, the bulbs may go dormant or rot.  Do not expose young seedlings of any type to hot direct sun.

I agree that the seedlings should be in the greenhouse or under fluorescent lights in a cool (15C or 60F) location.  I use fluorescents, since the winters are very dark here in the Pacific Northwest. 

Do not try to transplant the individual seedlings.  After the seedlings go dormant in summer, I almost always transplant the intact root ball into prepared soil in the garden, and cover with mulch to protect against the heat of the sun.  I find that I can get blooming plants a year earlier by doing this.  If you can't put them in the garden, move the contents of the small pot into a larger pot.  Do not try to separate the bulbs.  Whether in a pot or in the garden, the dormant bulbs need to be quite dry.  A Mediterranean climate is perfect for this. 

If you plant the young bulbs out into the garden, you MUST terminate your slugs and snails with extreme prejudice, or you will probably lose everything.  The only way that I know of is the use of Metaldehyde slug bait.  I don't know if it is available where you live.  You must also protect against rabbits.

Do not starve the plants.  Whether they are in a pot or in the garden, they need lime and fertilizer.  Don't apply too much Nitrogen fertilizer. 

N. cyclamineus normally takes me three years to bloom from seed.  If they get pollinated, they will make lots of seed, and you will eventually have lots of self-sown plants.  In my garden, they bloom when it is still cold and wet, but they somehow get pollinated anyway. 

The reason I allow lots of root room is that the food stored in the roots gets translocated into the bulb as the plant is going dormant.  If the roots are big, the bulb will get big.  This is especially true with lilies.