A Detailed Guide to Edible Lily Cultivation Techniques and Management Methods

SummarySite selection: choose a plot that faces the sun, has relatively high terrain, good drainage and irrigation conditions, deep soil and good fertility, and apply base fertilizer before planting. Seed selection: choose seed bulbs that are white in color, have large scales, and are free of spots and bitterness. Sowing: from late September to early October, when more than 60 leaves have grown, pinch out the growing tip. Management: after sowing, cover with plastic film, and in early spring cover with film for 30-40 days. Fertilization: apply foliar fertilizer in late June. Pests and diseases: actively remove weeds and prevent pests and diseases. Harvest: harvest on a sunny day after the Beginning of Autumn.

In our lives, lilies include not only the lily flowers seen everywhere, but also the edible lilies often seen in our meals. Lilies have a great many varieties and variants, and edible lilies have effects such as moistening the lungs and stopping coughs, calming the mind and soothing the nerves, and relieving constipation and fighting cancer. Today we mainly introduce the cultivation methods of edible lilies, for everyone's study and reference only.

I. Edible Lily Cultivation Techniques

1. Site selection and land preparation

(1) For edible lilies, choose a plot with relatively high terrain, facing the sun, good drainage and irrigation conditions, deep soil and above-average fertility for planting.

(2) Edible lilies cannot be planted continuously on the same land, nor can they be rotated with onion and garlic crops. The previous crop is best a legume or grass crop.

(3) Before planting, apply 2500 to 3000 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer and 25 kg of superphosphate per mu as base fertilizer, and at the same time plow in 0.6 kg of 50% diazinon to disinfect the soil. Then deep-plow 25-30 cm.

(4) Land preparation should fully mix the base fertilizer with the soil, so as to fully improve the soil's physical and chemical properties and create good conditions for the root development of edible lilies and the expansion of the bulbs.

2. Selection of seed bulbs

(1) Edible lilies have a low propagation coefficient and require a large amount of seed.

(2) For planting edible lilies, Longya lily has the best quality. This variety has plump scales shaped like dragon teeth, is white and tender, and has no bitter taste, with a high price and good sales.

(3) When introducing edible lily seeds, be sure to choose seed bulbs that are white in color, have large scales, and are free of spots and bitterness. Generally, using medium bulbs of 50-60 g for planting gives the best economic returns. About 150 to 200 kg of seed bulbs are needed per mu.

3. Sowing at the right time and pinching out the growing tip

(1) Edible lilies are generally best sown from late September to early October.

(2) After sowing, they do not begin to emerge until early March of the following year. In hilly and mountainous areas, the planting spacing is generally 40 cm × 30 cm between rows and plants, ensuring a population density of more than 6000 plants per mu.

(3) After sowing, the plot must be covered with rice straw or leaves to retain moisture, keeping the plot dry, and there must be no standing water in the field.

(4) For edible lilies, pinch out the growing tip when the plant has grown more than 60 leaves and the daily average temperature has not exceeded 23°C. Pinching out the growing tip increases yield compared with not pinching; pinching at the right time increases yield compared with pinching late; and the more leaves retained when pinching at the right time, the greater the yield increase. When the seedlings are 30-35 cm tall, top and pinch them promptly to promote concentrated transport of nutrients to the bulbs.

4. Field management and fertilization

(1) After sowing, edible lilies should be covered with plastic film.

(2) Covering edible lilies with film for 30-40 days in early spring can shorten the emergence period of edible lilies by 7-15 days and increase yield by 12%.

(3) To prevent the later green leaves of edible lilies from withering early and to extend the life of the functional leaves of edible lilies, in late June, when the bulbs of edible lilies slow in expansion, apply a foliar fertilizer once with a mixed solution of 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate plus 0.3%-0.5% urea. In early July, apply 10 kg of high-grade compound fertilizer per mu mixed with 50 kg of water as a foliar spray to prevent premature aging.

5. Pest and disease control and harvest

(1) Within 1-2 days after sowing edible lilies, spray 50-80 g of acetochlor per mu to prevent weeds from growing densely.

(2) During the growth period of edible lilies, the main pests and diseases are cutworms, aphids and viral diseases. In the early stage of viral disease, spray 1000 times dilution of 1.5% Plant Disease Ling emulsion, or 300 times dilution of Antiviral Agent No. 1, once every 10 days, for 2-3 consecutive sprays.

(3) For aphids after emergence, use 40% omethoate for control. In late April, apply 0.5 kg of phoxim per mu as poisoned soil to kill underground insects.

(4) In the later growth stage of edible lilies, the more green leaves per plant, the larger the bulbs and the higher the yield.

(5) For edible lilies, after the Beginning of Autumn, when the stems have turned yellow and died and the flowers have fallen, harvest at the right time on a sunny day. At this time the bulbs are fully developed, the yield is high, and they store well.

(6) When harvesting, dig out the bulbs, cut off the aboveground parts, immediately transport them indoors for burial, and store them in clean river sand to prevent discoloration and shriveling, which would affect economic returns.

II. Classification of Main Lily Varieties

1. Lilium lancifolium

(1) Lilium lancifolium is also known as juan dan, Tiangai lily, inverted lotus, tiger lily, pearl flower, and yellow lily. Because its flowers are orange-red and the petals are recurved, it is named “juan dan”; and because the petals have purple-black markings, much like the patterns on a tiger's back, it has the elegant name tiger lily.

(2) It is native to China, Japan, Korea and other places, and is now planted in many areas. The plant is 70-100 cm tall, with some reaching 1.5 m, and can be called the champion among lilies.

(3) The bulb is plump and white, and can be used for food and medicine, with a slightly bitter taste. The stems bear black-purple spots, making the stalks dark brown. The plant grows vigorously, and bulbils grow in the leaf axils, which can be used for propagation. Triploid Lilium lancifolium pollinated with many Asian lily species all show interspecific compatibility and can produce interspecific hybrids.

2. Lilium speciosum

(1) Lilium speciosum is also known as deer-fawn lily and bright red lily.

(2) Lilium speciosum is native to Jiangxi Province, Zhejiang Province, and Taiwan, China, as well as the coastal areas of Kyushu and southwestern Shikoku in Japan.

(3) The plant is 60-100 cm tall, with opposite leaves that are broad and sparse, hence the name large-leaf lily. Several flowers bloom on the upper part of the stem, the petals are recurved outward, and the stamens extend beyond the petals. The flowers are white and light red, and the petals are marked with rose-colored patterns and spots, like the markings on a deer, hence the beautiful name deer-fawn lily. Those with white flowers are called white deer-fawn lily, and those with red or purple flowers are called red deer-fawn lily. The rare variety bright red deer-fawn lily of Taiwan, China, is called “the most beautiful lily in East Asia”.

3. Lilium pumilum

(1) Lilium pumilum is also known as shan dan flower, shan dan dan, coral lily, linear-leaf lily, and fine-leaf lily. It gets its name because its leaves are fine and numerous and its corolla resembles coral.

(2) The stalk is 30-40 cm tall, with leaves 50-80 cm long on the stem, small, slender and weak, narrow and long like pine needles. The flowers open in late spring and early summer, hang downward, with petals recurved outward, bright red and glossy. The bulb is ovate or conical, and the scales are oblong or long ovate. The capsule is oblong. The flowering period is July-August, and the fruit ripening period is September-October.

4. Lilium longiflorum

(1) Lilium longiflorum is also known as iron cannon lily and Easter lily. It is a representative variety of flower lilies, with pure white, tubular flowers that open horizontally. It is native to Taiwan, China.

IV. Lily Propagation Methods

1. Bulb propagation. Use secondary small bulbs for propagation. This method takes effect quickly and has fewer diseases. The aboveground stem of the lily, at the soil surface, grows small bulbs 1 cm-2 cm in size. Keep them when harvesting lilies, bury them in sand, and use them as seed when sowing in autumn.

2. Bulbil propagation. Lilium longiflorum does not produce bulbils, but other lilies can grow broad-bean-sized bulbils (that is, aerial small bulbs) in their leaf axils in summer, with more than 40 per plant. As summer temperatures continue to rise, the bulbils will fall off, so they should be harvested before falling and kept as seed, to be sown in September-October of that year.

3. Scale propagation. This method has a high propagation coefficient and is relatively commonly used. After the bulb is fully mature, dig it up, choose plump ones free of pests and diseases, cut the scales from the base with a sharp knife, and immediately plant them in a seedbed covered with sandy loam. For scale propagation, choose healthy plants free of disease, and first subject them to a summer-over treatment at above 35°C for 7 days so that they sprout quickly and uniformly.

V. How to Select Lilies

1. When selecting fresh lilies, choose those that are large, white in color, with uniform segments, thick flesh, and little soil in the concave base.

2. If the lily is yellowing and the soil in the concave part is moist, it may have a rotten core.

3. Dried lilies are best when already dry, free of impurities, thick-fleshed and crystal clear.

4. For edible lilies, those that are cultivated, not bitter in taste, and have broad and thin scales are superior. For medicinal lilies, those that are wild, relatively bitter in taste, and have small and thick segments are better.

Because the market demand for edible lilies is growing, while domestic planting area is too small, and the varieties are fewer, this has caused a shortage of supply in the past two years, making prices soar. Stimulated by this situation, many friends want to plant lilies and carry out industrial restructuring. In this situation, varieties and cultivation techniques have become key. Therefore, mastering the cultivation techniques of edible lilies has become very important.