How to Plant Lily Bulbs? 8 Methods to Grow Big and Beautiful Lilies
Lily is also known as Qiangqu, Fanjiu, Shandan, Daoxian, etc. It is a perennial herbaceous bulbous plant of the genus Lilium in the family Liliaceae, native to China, mainly distributed in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere such as East Asia, Europe and North America. Its flowers are elegant, its leaves are verdant and delicate, and its stems stand gracefully. It is regarded as a precious new cut flower. Now let us take a look at how to plant lily bulbs!
I. Methods for Planting Lily Bulbs
1. Trim the roots
Trim off the bad roots at the bottom of the newly purchased bulbs. Note that you should only trim the bad, rotted roots; if the roots are intact, there is no need to trim them!
2. Soak and disinfect
Place the bulbs in a 0.1% aqueous solution of chlorothalonil (or carbendazim, captan, potassium permanganate) and soak for 30 minutes. After removing them, rinse off the residual solution on the bulbs with clean water and place them in a cool place to dry.
3. Prepare the soil and flower pot
The soil for planting lilies can be prepared in a ratio of leaf mold : sandy soil : garden soil = 1:1:1. For the flower pot, choose a deep and large one; a pot with a diameter of 25 cm can plant 1-3 bulbs.
4. Apply base fertilizer
When planting, apply some fully decomposed compost or a small amount of bone meal at the bottom of the pot as base fertilizer (if you do not have it at home, it is fine not to use it). Be sure to spread another layer of soil more than 4 cm above the base fertilizer.
5. Place the bulbs
Put the disinfected bulbs into the flower pot. Note that the bottoms of the three bulbs should face each other, placed at an angle of about 60 degrees.
6. Fill with soil
Fill the pot with soil to cover the bulbs, leaving the sprouts exposed above the soil surface. Do not fill the soil to the top, because as the lilies grow taller, we will need to continue adding soil later to ensure that the lilies grow more stem roots.
7. Water thoroughly
After planting, water thoroughly once, then place in a scattered-light, ventilated place for one week of care. After that, ensure sufficient light, and water only when the soil is dry.
8. Wait for flowering
After 2-3 months of care, the lilies will be able to bloom with beautiful flowers!
II. Lily Planting Management
1. Temperature management: To obtain high-quality lily cut flowers, temperature control in the greenhouse is very important. Within 3-4 weeks after planting, the soil temperature must be maintained at a low temperature of 9-13°C to promote rooting. Too low a temperature will unnecessarily prolong the growth period, while a temperature higher than 15°C will lead to poor development of stem roots.
2. Humidity management: The soil humidity before planting is best when it forms a ball when squeezed in the hand and crumbles when dropped. In hotter seasons, if conditions permit, water once with cold water before planting to lower the soil temperature. After planting, water once again so that the soil and bulbs are fully in contact, creating good conditions for the development of stem roots. Subsequent watering should be based on keeping the soil moist, that is, a handful of soil forms a ball when squeezed but does not release water. Watering is generally done in the morning on sunny days. The relative humidity is best at 80-85%, and excessive fluctuations in relative humidity should be avoided, otherwise leaf scorch may occur.
3. Fertilizer management: In the early stage of growth, flowering lily bulbs mainly consume the nutrients stored in their own scales, so there is no need to add too much base fertilizer before planting. One month after planting, some fertilizer can be applied as a top dressing according to the soil fertility. Apply 10 kg per mu each time, once every 10-15 days, until 3 weeks before flower harvesting. At the same time, attention should also be paid to the supplementation of trace elements such as iron, boron and zinc.
4. Light management: Light is an important condition for controlling quality, and lily flower bud development especially requires sufficient light. Insufficient light will cause poor plant growth and cause lily bud drop, lighter leaf and flower colors, and shortened vase life. When growing lilies in winter in northern China, due to the influence of insulation materials such as glass or plastic film, about 25-30% of sunlight is blocked. Therefore, in addition to keeping the surface of the glass and plastic film clean to ensure good light transmission, some varieties also need supplemental lighting, which can be provided with incandescent lamps.
5. Carbon dioxide: Carbon dioxide is beneficial to the growth and flowering of lilies. On sunny mornings from 8 to 10 o'clock, apply carbon dioxide gas tablets in an unventilated shed to increase the carbon dioxide content in the shed, and other methods can also be used.