From our perspective, the need for division is a clear cry for help from the colony. We daffodils are clump-forming geophytes, meaning we store our energy in underground bulbs to survive dormancy and fuel our spring display. Over the years, we naturally produce offset bulbs, known as bulblets, around our mother bulb. A thriving colony is our goal, but when we become too densely packed, we begin to compete fiercely for finite resources in the soil. You will see our distress signals above ground: fewer and smaller flowers, crowded foliage, and a dead spot in the center of the clump where the oldest bulbs have exhausted themselves and died.
Timing is everything for our successful relocation. The ideal moment is after our foliage has died back naturally but before new root growth begins for the next season. This typically falls in late summer to early autumn. This schedule is crucial for our health. Our leaves, though yellow and dying, are still sending essential energy down to the bulbs for storage. Cutting them off too early starves us. Waiting until this process is complete allows us to enter our dormant period with full energy reserves, making the shock of being lifted and divided much less traumatic and giving us ample time to establish new roots in a fresh location before the ground freezes.
Please approach this task with care. Using a garden fork, gently loosen the soil in a wide circle around our clump, taking care not to pierce the bulbs themselves. Lift the entire mass out of the ground. You will likely see a tangled mat of bulbs and roots. Gently shake off the excess soil. The separation process requires patience; some bulbs may pull apart easily by hand, while older, larger clumps might need to be teased apart with two hand forks back-to-back or carefully pried apart. Avoid cutting or breaking the bulbs if possible. It is natural for some bulbs to have loose, papery tunics—this is our protective skin and should be left on.
Once separated, please inspect us. Healthy bulbs are firm and plump. Any that are soft, mushy, or show signs of rot should be discarded to prevent disease spread. You can trim any remaining dead foliage back to the neck of the bulb. It is beneficial to replant us immediately to prevent our roots from drying out. Choose a sunny to partly shaded location with well-draining soil. Plant us at a depth three times the height of the bulb, pointy end up, and space us about 3 to 6 inches apart. This new spacing gives each bulb the room it needs to access nutrients, water, and sunlight without competition, ensuring a vigorous and floriferous colony for years to come.
