Effects of Planting Density, Plant Arrangement and Frequency of Lifting on Flower and Bulb Production of Narcissus in S.W. England

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Abstract
Summary Effects on flower and bulb production of planting density (54 to 215 bulbs m-2), arrangement (ridge or bed planting), bulb type (offset or double-nosed bulbs) and cropping duration (one, two or three years before lifting) were investigated in a four-year experiment in Cornwall on narcissus cv. Fortune. Leaf area index was a function of planting density in the first year but tended to become stable at 6–7 for offset bulbs or about 10–12 for double-nosed bulbs by the third year. In the first year flower number per unit area of land was directly related to planting density, but subsequently flower numbers were lower at higher planting densities, especially with large bulbs. Flower number was closely related to the number and mean weight of bulbs present at the start of each season, i.e. density affected flower number only through bulb size. Ridges were consistently out-yielded by beds. Growing bulbs for two or three years before lifting was more efficient than for one year, especially at medium planting densities, and the highest financial return from combined flower and bulb sales resulted from planting weights between 2 and 3 kg m-2. These rates are considerably higher than those currently used (about 1 kg m-2), and some implications of increasing planting densities are discussed.

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