Pot-culture of narcissus 'Grand Soleil d'Or' requires treatment with growth retardants to prevent excessive elongation of leaves and stems. Bulbs retarded at 30°C were transferred to 9°C for 7 weeks and then planted on 3 January 1988.

The following materials were tested: Bonzi, 20 or 40 ml/l as a bulb dip, or 10, 20 or 40 ml/l as a pot drench; and Magic, 100 or 200 mg/l as a dip, or 0.25 or 0.25 or 0.5 mg a.i./pot as a drench.

The plants flowered 4 weeks after planting. No significant differences in forcing duration or number of florets per stem were observed. Treatments reduced stem length and also reduced elongation between anthesis and senescence.

Bonzi was more effective than Magic at the tested concentrations, and better as a drench than as a dip. Both compounds were more effective at the higher concentrations. The best treatment was 40 ml/l Bonzi as a drench, which resulted in 10-cm-long stems compared with 18-cm-long stems compared with 18-cm-long stems in the control. The 20 ml/l Bonzi drench and the 200 mg/l Magic dip resulted in stems 12–14 cm long. Although these treatments were less effective than the others, they were commercially satisfactory and produced good pot plants.