Early scented narcissi shoots - maybe an early start to the season?

Once the narcissi season comes to an end, just after Easter, there is plenty we have to do to prepare for the next season. The bulbs are lifted in a 4-5 year rotation depending on the soil in a particular field and the bulb variety. After the bulbs are lifted they are sterilised and then replanted in a field where narcissi have not been grown for a while. This is done to reduce the risk of disease and maintain soil health. 

We also do various things to the bulbs that are staying in the ground to help us stagger the picking. At different times we cover the fields with large sheets of polythene to control the soil temperature and moisture level. We also use smoke to initialise the bulbs, basically kick starting them into growing. There is great demand for flowers in the run up to Christmas so we aim to have plenty of flowers in December.

But we can only do so much and once the shoots have broken the soil, the weather has as much sway over when the flowers will be ready for picking as anything we can do beforehand. This year we have spotted foliage breaking through the soil particularly early so maybe we will be picking sooner than normal. Click here to learn more about how we grow our scented narcissi.