They are called offsets. That is how the bulb multiplies. Plant it like that and in spring or the next one for sure you will have 3 blooms instead of the one.

It is better to leave them on the mother bulb and plant as a group, but you can divide them off to spread the type around if you want to.

George

When I purchase daffs and package containes many of mother bulbs with offsets, I separate them and plant all offsets separately, in their own clump.
The reason for that is that mature daffs bulbs will produce many more offsets in a next 2-3 years and by year 4-5 clump has to be divided. The whole clump formed out of 'babies' will take longer before it would need to be divided.
In another words, I try to form clump from the same age bulbs to save on a labor down the road.
If I see only a few offsets, not enough to form a decent clump of 10-12-15 bulbs, I do not separate them and plant mother + babies together.

Im always trying to get the most bang for my buck even if it takes a long time. So if you tell me pulling these off and planting them won't result in flowers from them for 2-3 years but will eventually produces more of its own offsets that will also flower then Im likely to pull them and plant them seperately.

I have about a 20 foot x 4 foot area along the front of my house that I eventually would like to see a collection of amaryllis and narcissus but its very unlikely Im going to drop $100+ in one shot to accomplish this. Over time is more likely. I know some people who have amaryllis and they NEVER dig them up. Will these create children without having to dig them up?

Those offsets may or may not bloom the next spring, but should be good for flowering in 2008 for sure. Even if they'll bloom in 2007, stalks will be shorter and not as strong as suppose to be. Don't be disappointed, they are still babies.
However, give them more (or at least some) food at the planting time and definitely in the spring. They need to grow to become flowering size.
If your soil is good, mature daffs could live and prosper without any fertilization untill ready to be divided.

How deep do I plant the offset? How do I detach it? just peel it down/back?

Just break it off. Plant the same depth as the mother bulb.

George

In bulb terminology, these are called "noses" and with most narcissus, certainly with paperwhites, all noses will reliably produce flowers the first season after planting. There is no need to separate - with regular, in-ground narcissus, the noses or offsets will separate naturally from the mother bulb once they are large enough. Buying and planting narcissus with multiple noses will not require more frequent dividing and is a great way of maximizing your bulb buying dollar. I ALWAYS look for narcissus with at least two noses and opt for three if I can find them

At some point in the next four to five years you might find it helpful to lift some of your clumps of Narcissus and thin them out to ensure more flowers than greenery.

In some soils the bulbs bulk up quite rapidly and you end with lots of little bulbs. When you carefully dig them up - just as the leaves have reached brown and withered - you can separate the clump and replant further apart. Or you can lift them completely and store the bulbs in mesh plastic bags (similar to those used for onions) in a cool, dry spot over summer.

When you lift your bulbs you can 'safely' dig over the soil, add compost and fertiliser, plant out the bed for summer with annuals. (Why 'safely'? Because there are always some bulbs that evade the first digging and end up as bulb kebabs on the fork...:-( )

You DON'T have to lift them every year - but you'll get better results if you take the time to this and plant out only the big bulbs in your show place garden; putting the younger and smaller bulbs in a separate bed to grow on to full size as either singles - or with noses.

Im going to have to print this to remember all the great information

I have king alfred daffodils planted years ago and totally neglected. They are spread now all over much of the garden, even under the roses. Every year I am going to dig them up and move them until I notice them coming up again. If you do nothing at all they will eventually fill the space. Al

Does it help fatten up the offsets if you de-bud them for a couple of seasons (so the energy goes into bulb development and not smaller blooms)?