Donna, Growing daffodils from seed is not for the faint of heart because it takes 7 years to get a bulb from seed to bloom here, and probably 5-6 years in Jacksonville, FL. The trouble is, out of 100 seedlings, only about 10 would be worth keeping, the others would have a crunched up petal or pinched corona or something. Most of the ones you can buy from Lowe's or HD or even the garden center are not fertile and won't set seed at all, but some of the newer ones like Fragrant Rose and others that you canmail order from Brent & Becky's will set seed. To get seed, they are like named lilies, you have to hand pollinate them. Well, I'm not sure in Florida, but up north, the pollinators aren't out when the daffodils bloom -- too early, too cold, so they have to be hand pollinated.
I love the little WS containers with so many seedlings it looks like a Chia pet! I like to run myhand across the top :)) BUT it isn't really good for the seedlings unles you can get them planted right away and clump transplant them. I try :))
Suzy
A Seed Starting Primer ...
So is the correct term 'density dependence', naturewalker?
Suzy,
Thanks for the info. I've found that most of my bulb plants (I have a lot of them!) will set off bulblets and I allow them to propagate that way if they are sterile. Do you find that daffs do the the same? I also have paper whites which are in the same category "so-to-speak".
Donna
Oh, yes, definitely by offsets.
The difference is that people who grow daffodils by seed are generally wanting to get a better one than the parent...they are hybridizing them. I don't know anybody who grows a standard daffodil by seed just to get more daffodils - heck you can buy a bulb for 50c; why wait 7 years?
Suzy
Suzy,
Yeah, that's way too long. I'mma gonna shop for the big ones. I really like those.
Donna
There is a Florida Daffodil Society for Southern daffodils based out of Tallahassee.
http://www.profilingsolutions.com/FDS/FDS%20Annual%20Show.htm
They have lists of daffodils that do well in a southern climate.
Bumping this up .. good information for the new guys on the block.
X
Thanks X.. I winter sow every year.. all the things said about clump sowing are true for me.. like others tho the flat planting doesn't work for me as there are always strays away from what they are and what I thought they were.. same seed sowing is the way I go now.. and the baggie over the container is the best way for me.. so far.. Debra