Detailed Explanation of Lily Cultivation Techniques and Management Key Points

AbstractCultivation techniques: Lilies are generally planted from July to September. Black sandy soil or yellow sandy soil is suitable. After tilling the land, apply about 2200 kg of cow manure per mu mixed with an appropriate amount of burnt soil ash into the furrow, cover with a small amount of soil, then place the seed stems on the soil and cover with about 7cm of soil. Management key points: After seedlings emerge in spring, apply 300 kg of night soil per mu. Later, 2-3 intertillings are needed. At flowering, night soil mixed with tung oil cake and rapeseed cake can be used for fertilization. When flowers grow to about 6cm, remove the flowers.

I. Cultivation Techniques

1. Soil selection

Lilies prefer sunlight, are cold-resistant and drought-tolerant. Black sandy soil and yellow sandy soil are suitable. Secondary wasteland soil can also be used for cultivation, but more fertilizer is needed. It is not suitable to cultivate in sandy land and false mud land, and continuous cropping should be avoided.

2. Land preparation

Choose between the Beginning of Autumn and the End of Heat, plow the soil to a depth of 23-27cm. Apply 2000-2500 kg of cow manure per mu as base fertilizer. After sun exposure, by around August-September, the soil can be broken up and beds made.

3. Seed selection

Lilies include large wild lily, also called single-core lily, as well as rice lily and multi-core lily. Rice lily is white in color, while large wild lily and multi-core lily are red-white. Large wild lily and rice lily have high yields, while core lily has an even higher yield.

4. Planting

(1) Planting can be done from July to September, with planting after the Beginning of Autumn in July-August being preferable. First, dig holes in the field with a row spacing of 27-33cm, plant spacing of 17-20cm, and row depth of 16cm. About 5000-6000 hills can be planted per mu, with a seed quantity of 200-300 kg.

(2) Then apply 250-300 kg of night soil per mu, mix with an appropriate amount of burnt soil ash and apply into the furrow, cover with a small amount of soil, then place the seed stems on the soil, and cover with soil from the second row to a thickness of about 7cm, the same method as cultivating Polygonatum odoratum.

II. Management Key Points

1. Intertilling and topdressing

(1) After seedlings emerge in the second spring, use a hoe to open shallow sections beside the hills, apply 300 kg of night soil per mu, then cover with soil. Later, intertill 2-3 more times, and remove weeds promptly when they appear.

(2) At flowering, night soil mixed with rapeseed cake and tung oil cake can be used for fertilization. After application, cover with soil to help promote bulb growth. During this period, do not apply pig or dog manure, otherwise it will cause black spots on the lilies.

2. Flower removal

Flowers need to be removed promptly in the later stage to help increase lily yield. Generally, remove flowers when they grow to about 6cm. If flowers are not removed promptly, it will be detrimental to the growth of underground bulbs, and in severe cases, bulbs may not grow at all.

3. Disease control

(1) Damping-off: The root system of affected plants wilts first, then the leaves turn yellow from bottom to top and die. Generally, no chemical control is needed. The main preventive measures are to choose well-drained land for cultivation, or cultivate on raised beds, practice crop rotation, and also open ditches for drainage to prevent waterlogging in the field.

(2) Rot disease: The leaves of affected plants turn purple or yellow, the whole plant quickly wilts and dies, and the bulbs rot and turn black-gray. During this period, open ditches for drainage to reduce soil moisture, practice crop rotation, and provide shade during high-temperature weather. In the early stage of the disease, use 800-fold dilution of 50% amobam to drench the soil.

4. Pest control

(1) Manure borer: When the insect grows to 1-1.5cm, it likes to eat leaf mesophyll, causing leaves to shrink and scales not to grow, and eventually death occurs. During this period, they can be caught by hand, or controlled with calcium arsenate.

(2) Ladybug: Likes to eat leaf mesophyll. Affected leaves shrink, causing scales not to grow. During this period, calcium arsenate can be used for control.

(3) White grub: Mainly harms bulbs and roots. The peak growth period is generally from late June to mid-July. During this period, avoid bringing larvae in with fertilizer. When planting, scatter an appropriate amount of poison bait to kill the pests.

III. Harvest

Harvesting can be done after the End of Heat. Harvest on a sunny day after rain when the soil is slightly moist. First pull out the seedlings, then use a hoe to dig out the lilies. If harvested at the right time, every 280 kg can be processed into 100 kg of dried lilies. After harvesting, remove the soil and wash clean, then peel off the scale segments and pile them separately in 3 layers: outer, inner, and center, to facilitate later processing.

IV. Processing

1. First put the scale segments in a bamboo basket and wash clean, then use a large pot with 40 kg of clean water brought to a boil, then pour 10 kg of scale segments into the pot and cover. Generally, stir once every 1-2 minutes. After 8-10 minutes, take out 1 scale segment. After cooling, check the back side. If fine shallow cracks appear, scoop them out and pour them into a drying mat, spread them out to dry. After 4-5 days of drying, they will be dry.

2. If it rains, use coal fire or white charcoal fire for baking. Bake until 70-80% dry, then fumigate with sulfur fire for 2-3 days. If not dry, do not pile them up, otherwise it is easy to cause spoilage and deterioration.