How to Grow Lily of the Valley: Cultivation Methods and Precautions
Lily of the valley may not be very familiar to many people. Lily of the valley is actually a very precious aromatic plant and is not commonly seen in daily life. Its flowers are extremely beautiful and pretty, pure white in color, with very high ornamental value. At the same time, its flowers can also be extracted into high-grade aromatic essential oil, and the whole plant can be used as medicine. So how should lily of the valley be planted and cared for?
How to Grow Lily of the Valley
1. Propagation Methods
Lily of the valley can be propagated either by sowing seeds or by division. The seeds of lily of the valley are very small. When sowing, the seeds can be mixed with fine sand and then sprinkled together into a flower pot. After sprinkling, there is no need to cover them with a thin layer of soil. They will roughly germinate and take root in about 1 week, and after growing for 2 weeks they can be planted out.
The roots of lily of the valley spread flat underground in a creeping manner. After growing for a period of time, they can sprout on the rhizome by themselves and grow new plants. At this time, the newly grown plants can be dug out and planted separately in another pot. Division is generally carried out in spring and autumn.
2. Selection of Flower Soil and Flower Container
Lily of the valley likes loose, sandy soil. When preparing the soil, we can use river sand, garden soil, and humus soil in a ratio of 2:1:0.5. For the flower container, a wide, long pot should be chosen, so that the normal growth of the lily of the valley root system can be ensured.
3. Appropriate Light and Temperature
Lily of the valley is a flower that greatly likes long-day sunshine and does not tolerate shaded environments. The daily sunshine duration should be more than 8 hours. If you want it to bloom earlier, you can appropriately increase the duration of light. The optimal growing temperature for lily of the valley is 20-28 degrees. In winter, the minimum temperature should not exceed 5 degrees, otherwise it will affect the growth of the coming year.
4. Water and Fertilizer Management
Lily of the valley likes a warm and humid environment, especially in the early stage of sowing, when a humid environment must be maintained. Adult plants should also keep the soil moist, and in summer especially attention should be paid to the supply of water. Watering thoroughly 3 times every two weeks is advisable. Usually, a spray bottle can be used to spray the flowers to keep the environment humid.
Cultivation Methods and Precautions for Lily of the Valley
1. Applying Fertilizer:
1. Apply fully fermented topdressing once each in early spring and late autumn. After 10-15 days, gradually move it toward the light, raise the room temperature to 20 degrees C, and keep the bottom temperature at 22 degrees C, and increase watering and topdressing. After 3 weeks, it can bloom.
2. When managing lily of the valley, sufficient base fertilizer should be applied. After sprouting in spring, water with diluted decomposed cake fertilizer once every 7-10 days. When flower stalks appear, after flowers fade, and after autumn, apply liquid fertilizer once each.
2. Key Points for Watering:
1. After planting lily of the valley, water thoroughly, and pay attention to watering during drought.
2. Lily of the valley likes a moist soil environment and does not tolerate drought. The environment should be sprayed with water frequently to maintain relatively high air humidity. The water used is best soft water.
3. Pruning Essentials: After lily of the valley blooms, the stems and branches should be cut off as early as possible, so that nutrients are concentrated and supplied to the rhizome.
4. Precautions: For potted lily of the valley, large and plump rhizome buds are mostly selected, with 4-5 buds planted per pot, and the pot needs to be changed once a year.
How to Care for Lily of the Valley After It Blooms
If you want lily of the valley to bloom, you must prepare the environment and nutrients it needs.
First is temperature. Because lily of the valley likes cool, semi-shaded conditions, the temperature should be kept humid and not dry, not higher than 20 degrees and not lower than about 17 degrees. In short, the temperature should not be too high.
Second, the soil must be kept moist, without water accumulation. The soil may also contain humus matter, or sandy soil is also acceptable.
Next is the management of water and fertilizer. Fertilize once every half month. After the lily of the valley flower scape is drawn out, stop fertilizing, and then apply topdressing afterward.
Finally, potted lily of the valley needs to be repotted once a year. Pay attention to removing weeds and loosening the soil.
Growth Habits of Lily of the Valley
It likes semi-shaded, humid environments, prefers coolness, avoids heat and dryness, and is resistant to severe cold. It requires humus-rich loam and sandy loam. It grows in damp places under forests on shady slopes or beside ditches, at an altitude of 850-2500 m.
Lily of the valley and lilac cannot be placed together, otherwise the lilac flowers will quickly wilt. Even at a distance of 20 cm, if the lily of the valley is moved away, the lilac will recover to its original state. Lily of the valley also cannot be placed together with narcissus, otherwise both will suffer.
The above are the care tips for lily of the valley introduced by the editor, and I hope they can help everyone. Lily of the valley is astonishingly beautiful and charmingly fragrant. Friends who like it can grow potted lily of the valley at home! Absolutely beautiful and eye-catching.