From our perspective, the most crucial factor for a successful division is timing, and it is intrinsically linked to our growth cycle. The ideal moment is after our foliage has died back completely and we have entered our summer dormancy. This typically occurs in late spring or early summer. You will know we are ready when our leaves have turned yellow and withered. Attempting to divide us while our leaves are still green and actively photosynthesizing is highly stressful, as it robs us of the energy we are trying to store for next season's bloom. During dormancy, our life force is concentrated within the bulb, making it the safest time for you to intervene and for us to recover.
Once we are dormant, carefully lift our clump from the soil using a garden fork, ensuring you keep a wide berth to avoid piercing or slicing through our bulbs. Gently shake off the excess soil from our root system. A soft brush or a light rinse with water can help clean us off, allowing you to see our structure clearly. This is also a good time to inspect us for any signs of rot or pest damage; soft, mushy, or diseased bulbs should be discarded to protect the healthy ones.
We reproduce by growing new bulbs, called offsets or daughter bulbs, from our basal plate. Over a few growing seasons, a single narcissus bulb can develop into a tight cluster of bulbs connected at the base. These offsets are our future. Your task is to carefully tease these bulbs apart by hand. If the connection is stubborn, you may need to gently pry us apart. It is vital that you preserve the basal plate—the flat, woody part at the bottom from which the roots grow—on every single bulb. A bulb without a basal plate is a bulb that cannot root and will not survive.
After separation, we need a period to cure and allow the broken or cut surfaces to callous over. Please place us in a single layer in a mesh bag or a flat cardboard box. Store us in a cool, dry, and well-ventilated place out of direct sunlight for a few weeks. This curing process helps prevent fungal or bacterial infections from entering through fresh wounds when we are replanted, significantly increasing our chances of thriving.
When autumn arrives and the soil cools, it is time to replant us. This gives us ample time to establish a strong root system before winter. Choose a sunny to partly shaded location with well-draining soil. Plant us at a depth roughly three times our height, pointy end up. You can space us about 3-6 inches apart, or cluster a few bulbs together in a group for a more naturalized look. Water us in well after planting to settle the soil around our roots, and then we will take care of the rest, gathering energy through the winter for a beautiful display come spring.
