How to Grow Daylily Seeds? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Planting Methods

Daylily is tolerant of poor soil and drought, has no strict requirements for soil, and can be cultivated on field edges or hillsides. It adapts to a wide range of light conditions and can be intercropped with relatively tall crops. It is cultivated throughout northern and southern China. Shaodong County and Qidong County have been designated as the origin areas of daylily. The most commonly used propagation method is division of clumps, but seed propagation can also be used. Let us take a look below at how to grow daylily seeds!

Seed Collection of Daylily

For daylily seeds, choose daylilies that are robust in growth, free of pests and diseases, and have been planted for 5 to 8 years. At the early flowering stage, leave 5 to 6 thick flower buds on each flower scape unpicked and let them set fruit to be kept as seeds. The remaining buds continue to be picked and sold as a commodity. For daylilies used for seed collection, at the early flowering stage spray a 2000-fold amino acid solution once every 7 to 10 days, for 2 to 3 sprays. When the capsules are ripe and the tips split slightly, pick them and thresh out the seeds. The seeds should be placed in a ventilated, dry place and stored properly.

Seedling Raising Techniques for Daylily

Choose a site such as a sunny cold frame or a greenhouse, use fertile garden soil as the seedbed, and disinfect the soil. Soak the seeds in warm water at 25°C for 48 hours. When sowing, apply 200 kg of fully decomposed, sieved organic fertilizer per bed (1.50 to 7 m), level the bed, and water thoroughly. After the water has seeped in, open furrows at a row spacing of 15 cm and a plant spacing of 3 cm and sow the seeds in dibbles, then cover with 2 cm of soil after sowing. When raising seedlings in a sunny cold frame, small arched supports can be inserted on top and covered with film. Keep the temperature inside the shed at 25°C during the day and not lower than 12 to 15°C at night. Seedlings can emerge in 1 week. After emergence, gradually lower the shed temperature so the seedlings adapt to the outside climate and to prevent spindly growth. Strengthen field management during the seedling stage and keep the soil moist. Pay attention to disease and pest control, do more intertillage, and spray some foliar fertilizer to promote the growth and development of the seedlings, so as to cultivate large, strong seedlings for transplanting the following year.

Cultivation and Management of Daylily

1. Reasonable close planting: Close planting of daylily can bring the advantages of the population into play, increase the number of tillers, scapes and flower buds, and achieve the goal of increasing yield. Generally, wide-narrow row cultivation is mostly used, with wide rows of 60 to 75 cm, narrow rows of 30 to 45 cm, and hill spacing of 9 to 15 cm. Plant 2 to 3 plants per hill, at 45,000 to 75,000 plants/hectare, reaching 1.5 million to 2.25 million plants/hectare at the peak production stage.

2. Proper deep planting: The root mass of daylily grows from around the shortened stem and has the characteristic of one layer per year, with the rooting position moving upward year by year from bottom to top. Therefore, proper deep planting helps the plants survive and grow vigorously. The suitable planting depth is 10 to 15 cm. After planting, water to settle the roots. Before the autumn shoots emerge, keep the soil moist regularly to favor the growth of new shoots.

3. Intertillage and hilling: Daylily has a fleshy root system and needs fertile, loose soil conditions to favor the growth and development of the root mass. During the growth period, carry out intertillage 3 to 4 times according to growth and soil compaction. The first time is when the seedlings are just emerging, and the second to fourth times are carried out during the scape stage together with intertillage and hilling.

4. Fertilization management: Daylily requires sufficient winter fertilizer (base fertilizer), early application of seedling fertilizer, heavy application of scape fertilizer, and supplementary application of bud fertilizer.

① Winter fertilizer: This should be applied when the aboveground part of the daylily stops growing, that is, after the autumn shoots wither from frost or at planting time. It is mainly organic fertilizer, applying 30,000 kg/hectare of high-quality farmyard manure and 750 kg/hectare of superphosphate.

② Seedling fertilizer: Seedling fertilizer is mainly used for emergence and leaf growth, promoting early and rapid leaf growth. Seedling fertilizer should be applied early rather than late, and should be topdressed when the daylily begins to sprout, applying 150 kg/hectare of superphosphate and 75 kg/hectare of potassium sulfate.

③ Scape fertilizer: The scape stage of daylily is an important period of transition from vegetative growth to reproductive growth. More fertilizer is needed during this period, and it should be topdressed when the flower scapes begin to emerge, applying 225 kg/hectare of urea, 150 kg/hectare of superphosphate, and 75 kg/hectare of potassium sulfate.

④ Bud fertilizer: Bud fertilizer can prevent daylily from running out of nutrients and premature aging, increase the rate of bud formation, extend the picking period, and increase yield. It should be topdressed within 7 to 10 days after picking begins, applying 75 kg/hectare of urea. At the same time, during the picking period, spray the leaves about every 7 days with 0.2% monopotassium phosphate plus 0.4% urea plus 1 to 2% superphosphate aqueous solution, and additionally add 15 to 20 mg/kg of 920 once after 17:00. This has a clear effect on strengthening buds and preventing bud drop.