Detailed Guide to Growing Oriental Lily Bulbs
Bulb Selection
In growing Oriental lilies, bulb cultivation is mostly chosen. When selecting Oriental lily bulbs, considering the survival rate, you need to choose bulbs with undamaged surfaces. After selecting the Oriental lily bulbs, you need to plant them as soon as possible to prevent the bulbs from rotting. However, after buying good Oriental lily bulbs, you cannot put them directly into the soil; we need to soak the Oriental lily bulbs in a specific disinfecting solution for a while, rinse them with clean water, let them dry, and then plant them.
Temperature and Water
Planting Oriental lilies requires attention to temperature and humidity. Oriental lilies like warm and humid places, and can only grow normally at 16 to 24°C or above; if the temperature is unsuitable, the Oriental lily will stop growing. In addition, when watering Oriental lilies, note that you only need to keep the soil moist; too much water will cause the rhizomes of the Oriental lily to rot.
Light
Oriental lilies are light-loving by nature; in terms of light, choosing a place with more sufficient light is beneficial to plant growth. However, in different periods, the Oriental lily's light requirements also differ. During the growth stage of the Oriental lily, sufficient sunlight is needed. But during the bud stage, the Oriental lily needs shading treatment; excessively high temperatures and strong light are not conducive to bud growth.
Soil
Oriental lilies need to be planted in a place with fertile soil and good air permeability, and have a high demand for nitrogen and potassium in the soil. When planting, a suitable place must be chosen. If the nutrient content in the soil is not enough, fertilizer needs to be applied to promote better growth of the Oriental lily.
The Oriental lily is not only beautiful in appearance, it also has many other uses, making it a contestant with both talent and beauty.
Asexual Propagation Methods for Lily Bulbs
Lily, scientific name (Lilium brownii var. viridulum Baker), also known as Qiangshu, Fanjiu, Shandan, Daoxian, Chongmai, Zhongting, Moluo, Chongxiang, Zhongfenghua, Baihesuan, Dashifusuan, Suannaoshu, Yehehua, etc., is a perennial herbaceous bulbous plant of the genus Lilium (scientific name: Lilium) in the family Liliaceae. It originated in China, and is mainly distributed in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere such as East Asia, Europe, and North America. At least 120 varieties have been found worldwide, of which 55 are produced in China. In recent years, there have also been many new varieties produced through artificial hybridization, such as Asiatic lilies, Oriental lilies, fire lilies, etc. The bulb is rich in starch, edible, and also used medicinally. Asexual Propagation Methods for Lily Bulbs(1) Natural small bulb propagation method: naturally divide the mother bulb into individual bulbs (ranging from 2—5, each containing one growing point), plant them in the field and cultivate for one year, and they can grow into larger new bulbs, then plant and cultivate again, and repeat this to obtain bulbs meeting the standard. The disadvantage of this method is that the quantity increases slowly, the amount of seed bulbs used is large, and diseases and variety degeneration are serious; the advantage is that the cultivation time is shortened, and bulbs can be obtained in 1-2 years.
(2) Bulblet (daughter bulb) propagation method: plant small bulblets in the field, and after several years of cultivation they can also form larger seed bulbs. This method has a relatively large propagation coefficient (for example, one Easter lily plant has dozens of bulblets), and the plants are robust after emergence, but the cultivation time is longer than the small bulb propagation method.
(3) Scale propagation method: ① Select healthy, disease-free plants, and collect the bulbs when the leaves begin to turn yellow and wither (larger individuals are preferable). ② Carefully peel off healthy scales one by one, soak them in a 1:500 benomyl or captan solution for 30 minutes, dry them in the shade, and insert them into the substrate to 1/2—2/3 (same substrate as before), spray with water, and place in a shaded place. ③ Insert cuttings in September, and by November several small bulbs can form on each scale. ④ In the spring of the second year, the small bulbs take root, emerge leaves, and form larger new individual bulbs. After several consecutive years of cultivation, bulbs are obtained.
(4) Bulbil propagation: some varieties such as Lilium lancifolium and Lilium sulphureum can grow purple-black bulbils in the leaf axils of the stem nodes. The bulbil is composed of several thick scales, and when planted in soil it can naturally take root and grow leaves, forming a small plant. Its effect is roughly the same as the propagation of small bulbs and small bulblets.
(5) Stem segment and leaf cutting propagation: stem segment propagation is a new method of propagating bulbs. It utilizes the characteristic that lily branches can survive after cutting, form new plants, and can then produce small bulbs. Select healthy, sterile tender branches grown in the current year (those close to the ground are preferable), cut them into 10—13 cm small segments, soak the base 4—5 cm in 0.01% indoleacetic acid or 0.005% naphthaleneacetic acid water for 10 minutes, and insert them into nutrient pots in the seedbed. The seedbed should be leeward, sunny, warm, and well-drained, made of sandy soil. The culture soil in the nutrient pots is composed of four parts garden soil, four parts fully decomposed and finely crushed compost, and two parts river sand mixed together. After insertion, attention should be paid to shading and watering, keeping the soil moist, at a temperature of 20-30°C; callus tissue can form in 8 days, roots can form after 20 days, and the rooting rate can reach above 96%. After 30 days, they can be moved to the field for cultivation. Experiments have shown that one cutting seedling can produce 3—7 bulbs with a diameter of 2—5 cm in the current year, and more can reach more than 10; the harvested bulbs can be used for field cultivation. In addition, operating the upper leaves of the lily according to the above method can also produce small bulbs, but this method is generally not used.
How are Oriental lilies? Oriental lily growing and propagation methods
The Oriental lily is warm-humid and sun-loving by habit. It is relatively cold-tolerant, and afraid of high temperatures and high humidity. The suitable growth temperature for Oriental lilies is 15-25°C; below 10°C, growth is slow, and above 30°C, growth is poor. During growth, daytime temperatures of 21-23°C and nighttime temperatures of 15-17°C are best. Bulbs for forcing cultivation must be stored at a low temperature of 7-10°C for 4-6 weeks. The lily's water requirement is moisture, which is beneficial to the growth of stems and leaves. If the soil is too wet, waterlogged, or poorly drained, the lily bulbs will rot and die. Watering potted lilies should gradually increase with plant growth; during the flowering period, water supply should be sufficient, after flowering water should be reduced, and after the aboveground parts wither, watering should stop. If the potting soil is too wet, it will likewise cause the bulbs to rot.
Growing Methods for Oriental Lilies1. Soil: Oriental lilies like fertile, deep soil rich in humus, and most avoid hard clay; well-drained slightly acidic soil is best, with a soil pH of 5.5-6.5.
2. Watering: watering only needs to keep the potting soil moist; the potting soil should not be too wet, otherwise the bulbs are prone to rot.
3. Light: potted lilies have different requirements for light intensity at different growth stages. During the budding stage, shading treatment is needed, and if the leaf temperature is too high, appropriate shading should also be provided. In other growth periods, light should be strengthened, especially during the flower development period. Temperature: the growth and flowering temperature of Oriental lilies is 16-24°C; below 5°C or above 30°C, growth almost stops; only above 10°C do plants grow normally; above 25°C growth stagnates again. If the winter nighttime temperature is below 5°C for 5-7 consecutive days, flower bud differentiation and flower bud development will be severely affected, delaying flowering or even causing blind flowers and split flowers.
4. Fertilization: lilies have a relatively large demand for nitrogen and potassium fertilizers, and should be applied once every 10-15 days during the growth period, while phosphorus fertilizer should be limited, because too much phosphorus fertilizer will cause leaves to turn yellow. (During the flowering period, phosphorus fertilizer can be added for 1-2 days)
5. Pests and diseases:
(1) Gray mold: use captan, thiophanate, or zineb 500-fold solution for control
(2) Damping-off: before planting, soak in 500-fold formalin solution or 40% formaldehyde 50-fold solution for 15
(3) Root rot: the diseased plants need to be removed, then use dexon to disinfect the soil
(4) Pests: for aphids, mites, white grubs, and cutworms and the like, use omethoate, dicofol, and poison bait for control.
6. Pruning: to make the bulbs plump, the Oriental lily can be cut off at the root after flowering to reduce nutrient consumption, because flowering has already consumed a lot of the bulb's nutrients. If you want to keep the bulbs, you must continue fertilizing to replenish the bulbs' nutrients. After one month, the bulbs can be dug out, the fibrous roots cut off, and placed in the refrigerator for cold storage for a period to break dormancy, then planted again, but the flower quality will decline.
Precautions for Growing Oriental Lilies1. Flowering regulation: if you want Oriental lilies to bloom in November to early February of the following year. Treat the bulbs first at 13°C for 2 weeks (14 days), then at 3°C for 4——5 weeks (28——36 days), so they can bloom in November——December. If flowering is required in January——February, first treat at 13°C for 2 weeks, then at 8°C for 4——5 weeks (28——36 days); at this time after planting, the nighttime temperature is relatively low, so heating should be added to maintain about 15°C.
2. Bud abortion treatment: in forced cultivation of lilies, when the flower buds grow to 1——2 cm, if light is insufficient, bud abortion is prone to occur. Bud abortion often occurs from the end of October to mid-March of the following year. It can be supplemented by artificial lighting: hang one 40-watt high-pressure sodium lamp or ordinary waterproof incandescent lamp every 8——10 square meters. The supplementary lighting period starts before the flower buds reach 0.5——1 cm and continues until harvest. Under a temperature of 16°C, maintaining lighting for about 6 weeks, from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. the next morning every day, has a very good effect on preventing bud abortion, advancing flowering, and improving cut flower quality.
3. Plant leaning: during the growth period, Oriental lilies should also have the flowerpot rotated once a week. Otherwise, the plant is prone to leaning and the appearance is affected.
Propagation Methods for Oriental Lilies 1. Bulbil cultivation methodThis method is suitable for varieties that produce bulbils, such as the Lilium lancifolium variety. Collect mature bulbils in summer. From late September to early October, open sowing furrows 4 cm deep at a row spacing of 12-15 cm, sow 1 bulbil every 4-6 cm in the furrow, and cover with about 3 cm of soil after sowing. Before the ground freezes, earth up, cover with grass, and cover with film to help overwinter safely. When seedlings emerge in the spring of the second year, remove the covering grass and film, carry out intertillage and weeding, and apply appropriate topdressing and watering to promote vigorous growth of the seedlings. After the aboveground parts wither in autumn, dig out the small bulbs, then sow them at a row spacing of 30 cm and a plant spacing of 9-12 cm, covering with about 6 cm of soil. Follow the management method of the previous year, cultivate for another year, and in autumn you can harvest bulbs that reach the standard size; some small bulbs that do not meet the standard can continue to be cultivated.
2. Small bulb cultivation methodThis method is suitable for varieties that produce small bulbs, such as the Lilium auratum variety. When digging up edible large bulbs in autumn, collect the small bulbs in the soil and sow them according to the bulbil cultivation method. Because small bulbs are larger than bulbils, the sowing distance should be slightly larger than when sowing bulbils. After one year of cultivation, most small bulbs can reach the bulb standard, and the smaller bulbs can continue to be cultivated.
3. Scale cutting cultivation methodIn autumn or spring, select well-developed scales from fully mature bulbs, cut the scales off from the base with a sharp knife, first soak them in a 500-fold benomyl solution for 30 min to sterilize, take them out, dry them, and insert them into a sandy loam seedbed. When inserting the scales, the base faces downward, the insertion depth reaches 1/2-2/3 of the scale, and the scale spacing is 4-5 cm. After insertion, shade immediately and water frequently to maintain the soil water-holding capacity at 75%, but the seedbed soil must not be too wet, to prevent the scales from rotting. Generally, 15-20 days after insertion, 1-2 embryo bulbs grow from the cut at the lower end of the scale, and afterward roots and leaves grow. Apply topdressing and watering in a timely manner to promote growth. In autumn, small bulbs the size of corn kernels can form. After digging them out, sow them again according to the bulbil cultivation method and cultivate for another year to reach the bulb standard.
4. Core propagation methodThis method is suitable for single-headed bulb varieties. When harvesting lilies in autumn, carry out strict selection, eliminate diseased lilies, weak lilies, and lilies with abnormal flesh color, select well-developed ones, peel off the middle and outer scales of the bulbs for market or processing, and use the remaining thumb-thick lily cores together with the root disc as seed bulbs. Cultivate them in the seedbed for 1 year, and they can reach the bulb standard.
5. Seed cultivation methodThis method is suitable for varieties that can flower and set seed to produce seeds, such as Lilium lancifolium and Lilium pumilum varieties. Collect mature seeds in autumn, and sow them immediately into the seedbed soil. The seedbed soil is made by mixing 4 parts middle-layer garden soil, 4 parts fully decomposed and finely crushed compost, and 2 parts fine sand evenly, and spreading it flat on the seedbed about 10 cm thick. After broadcasting the seeds, cover with 3 cm of fine soil, then cover with grass and film. Choosing the autumn sowing method, the seeds can first take root in winter, and emerge early and grow quickly the following spring. Be sure not to delay sowing until the spring of the second year, otherwise emergence will be very late and the germination rate will be low. After emergence in spring, remove the film and grass, carry out thinning, then frequently intertill and weed, and apply topdressing in a timely manner to promote growth. The bulbs harvested in autumn are very small and must continue to be cultivated for 4-5 years before they can be used as seed bulbs.