Phyllis Tokita was on hand Saturday at the Kaua’i Museum Family Day to help people with their narcissus bulb plantings in time to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year. Tokita, who has been practicing the art of narcissus bulb growing
Phyllis Tokita was on hand Saturday at the Kaua’i Museum Family Day to help people with their narcissus bulb plantings in time to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year.
Tokita, who has been practicing the art of narcissus bulb growing for over ten years, said it takes between 20-25 days from the time of planting until the blooms show up depending on weather conditions.
Due to the recent inclement weather, she had no flowering bulbs on hand to reinforce her demonstration. Tokita explained that the cold and the rains have kept the bulbs from growing.
The more days of cold and rain, the longer it takes for the bulbs to blossom. However, Tokita noted there are tricks to fool the bulbs beyond the prevailing weather conditions.
“You can change the water with warm water to help speed up the growth (during inclement weather),” Tokita explained. These water changes should be done both morning and night during the growing period.
Tokita had a supply of No. 2 bulbs available for some patrons to the event, her supply coming from Chinatown.
“Seven blossoms are a good luck symbol during the Chinese New Year, and seven stalks with seven blossoms are even better,” Tokita said. The No. 2 bulbs which are about three years old, generally give growers between six and seven stalks per bulb, Tokita said.
There are also No. 1 bulbs which are five years old, but their productivity is almost the same as No. 2 bulbs, Tokita pointed out.
Additionally, because she ships the bulbs over from Chinatown for the Chinese New Year celebration, the No. 2 bulbs come 20 to a carton while the No. 1 bulbs are only packed 10 to a carton giving her value in the No. 2 bulbs.
The growth cycle for the narcissus begins with the initial soaking from which point a time line of 20-25 days will produce flowers at which time many growers will transfer the flowering narcissus to a display container, band the leaves with red ribbon, and enjoy the display indoors.
Narcissus blooms from November to March, and before planting, bulbs should be kept in a cool, shady place.
