How to grow potted lilies? Latest care methods shared
The lily is known as the “Fairy of Cloud Garments”; its appearance is elegant and pure, its flowers graceful, its leaves fresh and delicate, and its stems slender and upright, making it deeply loved by many. So do you know how to grow potted lilies? Let's take a look together below!
Growth habits of lilies
1. Lilies prefer moist conditions and light, and require fertile, humus-rich, deep sandy soil with extremely good drainage. Most varieties are suited to slightly acidic to neutral soil. Specifically, there are the following points:
2. Lilies prefer cool, humid environments; places with ample sunlight and slightly shaded environments are more suitable for lilies. They are averse to drought and severe heat, and their cold tolerance is somewhat poor.
3. The growth and flowering temperature of lilies is 16-24°C. Below 5°C or above 30°C, growth almost stops. Only above 10°C do plants grow normally, and above 25°C growth stalls again. If the winter nighttime temperature stays below 5°C for 5-7 consecutive days, flower bud differentiation and flower bud development will be seriously affected, delaying flowering or even causing blind flowers and split flowers.
4. Lilies prefer fertile, deep soil rich in humus, and most dislike hard clay; well-drained slightly acidic soil is best, with a soil pH of 5.5-6.5.
Propagation methods of lilies
1. Scale propagation: In autumn, select robust, disease-free, plump scales and soak them in a 1:500 aqueous solution of benomyl or captan for 30 minutes. After removal, dry them in the shade, with the base pointing downward, and insert 1/3~2/3 of the scales into a seedbed with fertile sandy loam, at a density of 3~4 x 15 cm, covering with grass to shade and retain moisture. After about 20 days, 1~2 small bulbs will form at the cut end at the lower part of the scales. After 2~3 years of cultivation, the bulbs can weigh up to 50 grams. About 100 kg of seed scales are needed per mu, enough to plant about 15 mu of field.
2. Bulblet propagation: Multiple new small bulblets can grow on the stem axis of old lily bulbs. Collect the bulblets from disease-free plants, disinfect them, and sow them at a row spacing of 25 cm × 6 cm. After one year of cultivation, some can reach the standard for seed bulbs (50 grams); smaller ones continue to be cultivated for another year before being used as seed.
3. Bulbil propagation: Bulbils are harvested after maturing in summer, then mixed with moist fine sand and stored in a cool, ventilated place. In September~October of that year, sow the bulbils in a seedbed at a row spacing of 12~15 cm and a depth of 3~4 cm, cover with 3 cm of fine soil, and cover with grass.
4. Seed propagation: Collect mature seeds in autumn. Sow them in a seedbed, and small bulbs can be produced by the autumn of the following year. This method takes a long time and the seed traits tend to vary, so it is rarely used in production.
Methods for growing potted lilies
1. Cultivation time: Potted lilies are best done in September~October.
2. Soil: The growing medium should preferably be mixed with leaf mold, sandy soil, and garden soil in a 1:1:1 ratio, and the bottom of the pot should be given sufficient fully decomposed compost and a small amount of bone meal as a base fertilizer. The planting depth is generally about 2~3 times the diameter of the bulb. The potting soil should not be too wet, otherwise the bulbs rot easily. Potted lilies should be repotted once a year, replacing with new growing medium and base fertilizer.
3. Fertilizing: Lilies do not have very high fertilizer requirements; usually it is enough to apply fertilizer moderately when spring growth begins and at the early flowering stage. Some growers abroad believe that lilies need relatively more nitrogen and potassium fertilizer, and that it should be applied once every 10~15 days during the growing period, while phosphorus fertilizer should be limited, because too much phosphorus fertilizer can cause leaves to turn yellow. During the flowering period, phosphorus fertilizer can be applied additionally for 1~2 days. To make the bulbs plump, faded flowers should be cut off promptly after flowering to reduce nutrient consumption. Watering only needs to keep the potting soil moist, but during the peak growing season and in dry weather, water should be applied appropriately and more frequently, and water should often be sprinkled around the flowerpot to increase air humidity.
4. Temperature: The suitable growing temperature for lilies is 12~18°C. In winter, even if the temperature drops to 3~5°C, they will not die of cold.
5. Light: Lilies have the characteristics of cold resistance, love of light, tolerance of fertilizer, and fear of moisture. Lack of sunlight and long-term shading will affect normal flowering. However, they adapt widely to regions, and can be planted in the ground or in pots in both northern and southern regions.
6. During the growing period of lilies, the flowerpot should also be turned once a week. Otherwise, the plant tends to grow lopsided, affecting its appearance.