What are the latest propagation methods for lilies?

There are 4 propagation methods for lilies: seed sowing, dividing small bulbils, scale cuttings, and dividing bulbils, and you can choose any one according to your needs. In production, there are mainly 3 methods: scale propagation, bulblet propagation, and bulbil propagation. Let's take a look together below!

Seed sowing propagation

Seed sowing is sexual propagation and is mainly used in breeding. The method is: harvest the seeds in autumn and store them until sowing in the following spring. After sowing, they germinate in about 20-30 days. During the seedling stage, provide appropriate shade. By early autumn, the underground part has already formed small bulbs, which can then be dug out and planted separately. Because seedling plants vary by species, some bloom in 3 years, while others need to be grown for many years before they bloom. Therefore, this method is not suitable for home use.

Small bulbil division propagation

If you need to propagate 1 plant or a few plants, you can use the small bulbil division method. Usually, some small bulbils grow around the outer edge of the basal plate of the old bulb. When harvesting lilies in September-October, these small bulbils can be separated and stored in sand indoors to overwinter. In the spring of the following year, plant them in pots. After growing until September-October of the third year, they can grow into large bulbs and be cultivated into large plants. This method produces only a small number of propagules and is only suitable for home pot propagation.

Scale cutting propagation

Scale cutting propagation can be used for medium-scale propagation. Dig out the bulbs in autumn, break off the plump and thick scales from the old bulb one by one, and each scale should have a small part of the basal plate at its base. Let them dry slightly in the shade, then insert them into a flower pot or shallow wooden box filled with river sand (or vermiculite), with 2/3 of each scale inserted into the substrate. Keep the substrate at a certain humidity. At around 20 degrees, in about 1.5 months, roots will grow from the wound of the scale. In winter, the humidity should be kept at around 18 degrees, and the river sand should not be too wet. When grown to the following spring, the scales can produce small bulbs. Separate them, plant them in pots, and manage them carefully. After about 3 years, they can bloom.

Bulbil division propagation

Bulbil division propagation is only suitable for a few species, such as Lilium lancifolium and Lilium leichtlinii, and this method is often used for them. The method is: take the small bulbs formed in the leaf axils of the aboveground stem (also called “bulbils”, when the bulbils have fully grown in summer but have not yet fallen off) and cultivate them. From growing into large bulbs to blooming usually takes 2-4 years. To encourage more small bulbils for propagation, after the plant blooms, press the aboveground stem down and shallowly bury it in soil. Divide the aboveground stem into small sections each with 3-4 leaves, shallowly bury the nodes in moist sand, and then small bulbils can grow from the leaf axils.