How to Grow Edible Lilies? Detailed Planting Methods and Timing
The main purposes of edible lilies are food and medicine. For food, they are mainly used to make infused water or soup, while for medicine, they are mainly used in traditional Chinese medicine treatment and Western pharmaceutical manufacturing. In recent years, there have been many more people paying attention to health preservation than in previous years, so lilies have also become a nationally supported planting project, and many regions have begun growing lilies. However, the quality and yield are not very high. Today, Qinnong Network wants to teach everyone the correct timing and correct methods for lily planting, hoping to help all friends who grow them.
Planting Time
The suitable temperature for lily planting is around 15 to 28°C. Taking the Hunan region as an example, the planting time for lilies is generally August to September each year. Their growth period can be long or short; some can be left to grow for two years, while others only need to grow for one year, that is, they can be harvested in October or November of the following year. The planting time cannot be too early or too late. They cannot withstand severe cold or the twelfth lunar month, so attention must be paid to care during both severe cold and the twelfth lunar month.
Planting Methods
1. Seed Selection
When selecting seeds, first we should choose good varieties with better yield, better taste, and no bitterness. Second, check whether the lilies are complete and free of defects. Finally, choose relatively large, plump lilies with pure white color as seeds, so that high yield can be achieved and money can be made. Because the reproductive capacity of lilies is not very good, the number of seeds required per mu will be somewhat large, so estimate the area and density in advance as much as possible.
2. Land Preparation
The growing environment for lilies requires soil that is relatively fine and loose, so when preparing the land, we must pay special attention to leveling the land flat, while continuously breaking up large clods of soil, then spreading a sufficient amount of farmyard manure. After that, turn the land over once more, mix the fertilizer evenly, and finally make ridges and dig furrows. The ridges generally need to be two meters wide, that is, a water furrow is made every two meters, to facilitate later drainage and irrigation.
3. Sowing
Before sowing, we need to treat the lily seeds with chemicals, which can prevent many diseases. After the chemical treatment, wait until the liquid medicine on the lily seeds has dried, and then they can be sown in the ground. We generally follow a spacing of 15 to 25 cm between each plant and 30 to 45 cm between each row. After placing the seeds according to this density, they must be covered. Generally, fine soil is used to cover them about 5 to 6 cm deep, and then the soil is watered once. Generally, seedlings do not emerge until February or March of the following year, so in winter a layer of rice straw should be spread on top to maintain soil temperature.
4. Fertilizing
During the entire growth process of lilies, a total of three topdressings are needed. The first topdressing is after seedlings emerge in February or March. The types of fertilizer used are organic fertilizer plus urea or human excrement and urine water. The second topdressing should wait until May, when the lily seedlings have grown to 10 to 15 cm, that is, when the lilies are reproducing new lilies. At this time, mainly phosphate fertilizer and organic fertilizer with high microbial content are used, and an appropriate amount of potassium fertilizer is sprayed on the leaves. The third topdressing is after harvest. Because lilies can produce for many years, in order to ensure the yield for the coming year, fertilizer must be applied after harvest for maintenance.
5. Disease Prevention
The most common pests and diseases during lily growth are cutworms, aphids, and viral diseases. Viral diseases are generally caused by improper field management in the later period and excessive field moisture. We can spray 1.5% Zhibingling emulsion at 1000 times dilution for prevention and control, generally spraying two or three times in succession. For cutworms and aphids, phoxim can be used to avoid them, or some trichlorfon can also be spread.
6. Harvesting
If you want to know when lilies are completely ripe, you can observe the condition of the stems and leaves on the surface of the ground. While lilies are still growing, the stems and leaves are green. When lilies are slightly ripe, the stems and leaves will turn yellow and gradually show signs of withering. When they are completely ripe, that is, when the aboveground stems and leaves have all withered, they can be harvested.