Viewing post #1076342 by flaflwrgrl

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Mar 8, 2016 5:22 PM CST
Name: Ann ~Heat zn 9, Sunset
North Fl. (Zone 8b)
Garden Sages Region: Ukraine Native Plants and Wildflowers Xeriscape Organic Gardener I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database!
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William said:Don't want to scare anyone, but when daffodil foliage fails to emerge or groves spindly and grass like foliage with no flowers it can be worth checking for holes near the basal plate on the bulbs. The narcissus bulb fly likes to enter there. When spring comes it exits and pupates in the soil. We had this pest for years here and I only discovered it when accidentally stepping on a bulb one autumn and a big larvae popped out. The bulbs will go soft as the larvae eats away but they will usually not rot. Always blamed poor blooming of the daffs here on the sandy soil, but even though this pest is hardly ever mentioned here in Sweden as far as I know, it undoubtedly is here.

Also my thought is that if the spring is hot and dry, some species may not have time to grow a big enough bulb to bloom the following year. I suspect this could be a problem for some species in some areas of the US.

Thank you William. Is there anything can be done about the bulb fly?
I am a strong believer in the simple fact is that what matters in this life is how we treat others. I think that's what living is all about. Not what I've done in my life but how I've treated others. ~~ Sharon Brown

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