Advice on moving old daffodil bulbs please

Doodah

Hello, this is my first post, I'm not very good at gardening! I inherited 2 pots of daffodils when my mum passed away in 2011 - I've always just left them in the pot and they've started shooting up every early spring and I love them Unfortunately the terracotta pots are falling apart and I need new ones. Can anyone advise me on what to do with the daffodil bulbs please? I'm not sure whether I'll kill them if I dig them out and bring them inside or whether I should just replant them in new plant pots. Also, I only have a small back yard, so will need to buy some soil from a garden centre and I'm not sure what type to get! Any advice would be great as the daffodils always remind me of my mum - thanks.

Obelixx

They certainly don't want to be brought indoors so try and find some pots the same size or a bit wider and deeper.    If they've been in th same pots some years they'll probably be congested so consider buying extra pots and splitting them up.  Water them well first to minimise root damage and then plant them at the same depth or deeper - ideally they need twice the height of the bulb above them in soil or compost.   John Innes no 3 wuld be a good one as it is loam based and has nutrients for a couple of months of growth.

Then water well and set the pots on bricks or pot feet so they can drain to avoid the bulbs getting soggy.   Give them a feed next spring to help build up the bulbs for the next year's show, either slow release granular feed such as pelleted chicken manure or, if you prefer, weekly liquid feeds of tomoato food once the flowers show.

Doodah

Thank you very much Obelixx - I will definitely follow your advice. Much appreciated.

Obelixx

Good luck.  Lovely to have a reminder every spring.  Daffs are such cheerful plants.

In case you don't know, it's best to remove the whole stem once the flower goes over and then leave the leaves undisturbed a minimum of 6 weeks afterwards to let them feed up the bulb.  A weekly drink with tomato feed will help them along.

Doodah

They really are cheerful plants aren't they! They always take me by surprise after horrible cold winters when lots of people feel a bit down - they always make me smile when I see them and make me think, if they can survive such awful conditions, then I can too I'll let you know how it all goes. Thanks again.

Fran IOM

  

Fairygirl

They're very forgiving, and even if you don't plant them brilliantly, they'll still appear each year. 
Follow Obelixx's advice, and after they've finished flowering next year, let them die right back - don't remove any foliage. That's what feeds the bulbs to give them a store of energy for the next year.
 If you like, you can give them a little liquid feed at that point, and a fresh layer of compost to help them along. Then tuck them away somewhere for the rest of the year, and just give them a watering now and again through very dry weather 

Doodah

Thanks Fairygirl - I'll take good care of them now I know what to do

Obelixx

Another wee tip.  Daffs start putting out fresh roots in August so make sure you water from then onwards.   Fine t let them rest - but not completely dry out - from leaf drop till then, as Fairy suggests.

Fairygirl

I just realised I repeated a lot of what you said earlier Obelixx! 
Most daffs are quite happy in pretty wet conditions altogether, even in permanently wet conditions. I've had them growing along a boundary in grass which was soaked by the runoff from a stream. They hardly ever sat in dry ground 

Obelixx

Some are happy like that FG but others much prefer to dry out a bit.   In this garden I have sternbergia lutea - autumn daffs - which do well in drought and there's a spring flowering variety that grows wild round here, and in or grass, that also likes a dry spell.   Haven't yet identified it but it's lovely.