Detailed Explanation of High-Yield and High-Quality Cultivation Techniques for Sorbonne Lilies

The "Sorbonne" lily originates from the Netherlands and belongs to the Oriental hybrid cut flower variety group. The plant height of this variety is 80-120 cm; the stems are hard, the leaves are relatively narrow and long, lanceolate, bright green and glossy; the flowers are pink with narrow white edges, red papillae are distributed on the lower half of the petals, and they are fragrant. The suitable growth temperature for "Sorbonne" lilies is between 18-25°C. Below 5°C and above 28°C, growth is affected to a certain extent. If the temperature exceeds 30°C, "blind flowers" may appear.

1. Select good bulbs

Select bulbs according to different consumer requirements and market time. For planting in early spring and marketing in early summer, choose bulbs with a circumference of 10-12 cm to reduce the occurrence of leaf scorch; for marketing around the Spring Festival, choose bulbs with a circumference of 16-18 cm to improve flower quality.

2. Land preparation and planting

2.1 Site selection: Choose loose, well-drained, fertile sandy loam soil where Liliaceae, Amaryllidaceae and other plants have not been planted in the previous crop. If soil fertility is too low, apply fully decomposed sesame residue (400 kg per mu) as base fertilizer when plowing and sun-bleaching the land. Half a month before planting, make high beds with a bed width of 1-1.2 m and a bed height of 25-30 cm; dig planting furrows 20 cm deep across the bed surface, apply culture substrate into the furrows (the substrate is made of 4 parts mushroom soil, 2 parts coconut coir, and 4 parts sand, fully composted and decomposed); then use 70% Dexon wettable powder at 1000 times dilution for full-garden drenching to disinfect the soil.

2.2 Pre-planting sprouting: Cover the bulbs with 10 cm of sterilized, moist substrate (coconut coir mixed with river sand at 3:1) and place indoors for about 10 days to promote sprouting. When obvious stem root points appear at the base of the bulb sprouts, they can be transplanted to the field for planting. Through sprouting, the following can be achieved: 1) Form good roots and neat, robust young sprouts, which facilitates field management; 2) Reduce the spread of field diseases; 3) Shorten field cultivation time. Sprouted planting harvests about 5 days earlier than unsprouted planting.

2.3 Planting: Dibble plant in the planting furrows where the culture substrate has been applied, place the bulbs upright according to the plant spacing, and cover the top of the bulbs with 8-10 cm of soil. For spring planting, use a plant-row spacing of 12 cm x 15 cm, planting about 18,000 bulbs with a circumference of 10-12 cm per mu; for autumn planting, use a plant-row spacing of 10 cm x 15 cm, planting about 25,000 bulbs with a circumference of 16-18 cm per mu. Water with setting water while planting.

3. Field management

3.1 Water management: Throughout the entire growth period, lilies require the surface soil to remain moist (to the degree that water seeps out when the surface soil is squeezed tightly in the hand but does not drip) and must not accumulate water. When the garden soil turns white and the leaves droop slightly, water promptly. Watering should be done before 10 a.m. every day; watering in the evening is taboo. About one month after planting, "Sorbonne" lilies enter the flower bud differentiation stage. During this period, water should be properly controlled until flower buds appear.

3.2 Fertilization management: Apply water-soluble fertilizer, achieving frequent and light application. In the early stage, mainly use nitrogen fertilizer; after budding, increase potassium fertilizer and trace elements, and pay attention to fertilization during the flower bud differentiation stage and flower bud enlargement stage. Generally, about 10 days after planting, stem roots begin to grow. Every 3-5 days, topdress with 0.8%-1% ammonium sulfate nitrate solution (lilies are sensitive to chlorine and fluorine, so fertilizers such as potassium chloride and superphosphate are taboo). During the flower bud stage, foliar topdressing can be done with 0.2% monopotassium phosphate or 1000 times diluted amino acid potassium, etc. When flower buds grow to 1-2 cm, spray the foliage with 1 g of 20% Qibao mixed with 15 kg of water.

3.3 Netting to protect flowers: To prevent lodging and ensure cut flower quality, begin pulling nets to support flowers when seedlings are 20-30 cm tall. For autumn planting, two layers of flower nets should be pulled to support the flowers.

3.4 Light and temperature management: During the stem elongation period, use shade nets with a shading rate of 70%-75% to provide shade and promote stem elongation. After budding, remove the shade nets so that the flower buds color well, the leaves and stems are firm, and bud abortion is prevented. Before Cold Dew and frost arrive, promptly cover fully with plastic film to prevent cold damage.

3.5 Pest and disease control: The main pests and diseases include gray mold, root rot, leaf scorch, aphids and mites. Disease control should adhere to the principle of prevention first. On the basis of good soil and bulb disinfection, in the early stage of gray mold, use 65% Haoshengling wettable powder at 1000 times dilution or 10% Shigao wettable powder at 1000 times dilution for control; from the flower bud differentiation stage to the budding stage, carefully regulate water to prevent leaf scorch; when root rot diseased plants are found, promptly pull them out and burn them, then use 50% lime milk to disinfect the soil. For aphids, 10% imidacloprid at 1000 times dilution or 20% fenvalerate at 2000 times dilution can be used for control. For mite control, before planting, soak the bulb seed balls in 40% dicofol at 1000 times dilution for 2 minutes; during the growth period, spray the bulb area with 40% dicofol or 50% fenitrothion emulsifiable concentrate at 1000 times dilution.

4. Timely harvest

Generally harvest when the first flower bud at the base is fully swollen and colored. If there are more than 10 flower buds, harvest only when 2-3 flower buds are colored. Harvesting should be done before 10 a.m., graded and bundled, cut evenly at the base, and inserted into 500 times diluted chlorothalonil pre-cooled clean water (water temperature 2-5°C) for storage.