Detailed Explanation of Key Techniques for High-Yield Lily Cultivation

Lily is a yin-nourishing medicinal herb. It clears heat and benefits lung qi, and has the effects of moistening the lungs, stopping cough, calming the heart, and soothing the mind. It is a commonly used precious traditional Chinese medicine. It is mainly produced in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hunan, Guangdong, Sichuan, Shaanxi, and other places. In most areas of our province, the soil plow layer is shallow. If lily is cultivated by conventional methods, the average single bulb weighs about 200 grams, and the yield per mu is less than 600 kg. If new high-yield cultivation techniques are adopted to create a deep and fertile plow layer, making the soil loose, air-permeable, and well-drained, it will be beneficial to the growth of the lower roots of lily and the rapid expansion of the bulb. The specific operation points are as follows:

Prepare sufficient good seed. The lilies suitable for planting in our province are divided into two major categories, edible and medicinal, with more than 10 varieties in total. Among the edible varieties, "Baoqing Longya Lily" is the best. This variety has large scales, shaped like dragon teeth, bright color, white and tender, rich nutrition, excellent quality, no bitter taste, high price, and good market. Medicinal lilies generally have small scales, low yield, and a strong bitter taste, and can only be used as medicine. Therefore, when introducing edible lily seed, be sure to select seed bulbs that are white, have large scales, no spots, and no bitter taste. The propagation coefficient of lily is low, and the seed requirement is large, about 150-200 kg of seed bulbs per mu.

Fertilizing and land preparation. About 30 days before planting lily, deeply plow the soil and apply 50 kg of lime per mu. Use the high temperature and strong light of midsummer for solarization to disinfect the soil; at the same time, evenly broadcast 3500 kg of high-quality decomposed farmyard manure, 35 kg of urea, 70 kg of superphosphate, and 40 kg of potassium chloride per mu, and apply them into the soil as base fertilizer before deep plowing. 2-3 days before planting lily, shallow plow and harrow finely, so that the soil surface is broken and the interior is loose, the soil and fertilizer are blended, the moisture is suitable, and the soil surface is level.

Making ridges and marking. Before planting, first according to a ridge width of 1.2-1.5 m and a ditch width of 40-50 cm, stretch a line and use a hoe to open a deep ditch 6-7 cm deep, marking out the ridge surface. Then on the ridge surface, use a row marker according to a row spacing of 30-33 cm and a plant spacing of 20 cm to scratch shallow ditches 3 cm deep. During operation, the row spacing should be marked perpendicular to the length of the ridge, and the plant spacing should be marked perpendicular to the width of the ridge, so as to facilitate uniform planting.

Place the seed bulbs shallowly. Before sowing, the seed bulbs must be soaked in a 0.1% Topsin solution for about 10 minutes for disinfection. Then evenly place them on the crossing points after marking. After placing the seed bulbs or seed cores, also apply medicated seed-soaking fertilizer to prevent pests and diseases on the seed bulbs and in the soil. The ratio of the medicated fertilizer is: 15 kg of superphosphate, 3 kg of carbofuran, 1 kg of 50% carbendazim powder, 1 kg of dexon, and 200-300 kg of clean fine sand or wood ash and soil, evenly mixed. Then take a small pinch of the medicated fertilizer mixture and place it on each seed bulb.

Thick covering with mature soil. After evenly applying the medicated fertilizer above, below, and around the seed bulbs, shovel crushed mature soil at the marked ditch positions and evenly cover the ridge surface. The covering soil thickness is about 7 cm, making the ridge surface slightly turtle-backed in shape. The depth of the ridge ditch after removing soil should reach about 30 cm. If the covering soil is insufficient, mature soil may be appropriately brought in from outside the field to ensure thick covering.

Strengthen management. After rain in winter and spring, the soil is eroded and the seed bulbs are exposed. Pay attention to clearing ditches and draining water while taking mature soil to cover the seed bulbs well. After the beginning of spring, because the soil sinks, just after lily emerges, in combination with topdressing seedling fertilizer, the ridge ditch can be deepened by 5-6 cm to facilitate drainage. The broken soil removed from clearing the ditches should be directly covered on the fertilizer on the ridge surface, keeping the covering soil on the ridge surface about 7 cm thick from the seed bulbs, so as to benefit the growth of the upper roots and prevent the seed bulbs from being exposed. Strengthen the control of diseases, insects, and rodents, do a good job in chemical weeding, and promptly remove flower buds and tillers to promote bulb expansion.

Harvest and prepare seed. After lily harvest, carry out processing in a timely manner. Those retained for seed use must be stored in time and strictly protected. The method is: cut off the fibrous roots of the newly dug seed bulbs, soak them in 0.1% Topsin solution for 5-10 minutes, dry them, and store them in a cellar or a dark and clean house. Stack one layer of fresh fine loess and one layer of seed bulbs. Cover the top with a 15-20 cm layer of soil. During storage, keep the soil moist and prevent rodent damage. Generally, in early to mid-October, they can be taken out for transplanting.