How to cultivate lily bulbs? 5 methods taught to you
After sowing, lilies need several years of cultivation before commercial bulbs can be obtained. Generally, asexual propagation or seed propagation is used to first obtain bulbs, and then the bulbs are planted in the field. Below are 5 methods for bulb cultivation.
1. Bulbil cultivation method. Suitable for varieties that produce bulbils, such as the tiger lily variety. Harvest mature bulbils in summer. From late September to early October, make sowing furrows 12-15 cm apart and 4 cm deep, sow 1 bulbil every 4-6 cm in the furrow, and cover with 3 cm of soil. Before the ground freezes, cover the soil surface with grass and film to overwinter. When seedlings emerge the following spring, remove the grass and film, cultivate and weed, and apply fertilizer and water. After the aboveground part withers in autumn, dig out the small bulbs and sow them at a row spacing of 30 cm and a plant spacing of 9-12 cm, covering with 6 cm of soil, and cultivate for another year according to the above method. In autumn, bulbs that have reached the standard size can be harvested, and the remaining small bulbs continue to be cultivated.
2. Bulblet cultivation method. Suitable for varieties that produce bulblets, such as the golden-rayed lily variety. In autumn, dig out the large edible bulbs, collect the bulblets in the soil, and sow them according to the bulbil cultivation method. The sowing distance should be slightly larger than for bulbils. After 1 year of cultivation, most bulblets can reach bulb standard.
3. Scale cutting cultivation method. In autumn or spring, select well-developed scales from fully mature bulbs, cut them off from the base with a sharp knife, first soak in 500 times benomyl solution for 30 minutes to sterilize, take them out and dry them, then insert them into a sandy loam seedbed. The base faces downward, and the soil depth should reach 1/2-2/3 of the scale, with a scale spacing of 4-5 cm. After inserting, shade them, and water to maintain soil moisture at 75% of field capacity, but not too wet, to prevent the scales from rotting. 15-20 days after insertion, 1-2 embryo bulbs grow from the cut at the lower end of the scale and roots and leaves grow. At this time, fertilizer and water should be applied. By autumn, small bulbs the size of corn kernels can be formed. After digging them out, sow and cultivate them for another year according to the bulbil cultivation method, and they can reach bulb standard.
4. Core cultivation method. Suitable for single-headed bulb varieties. When harvesting lilies in autumn, eliminate diseased, weak, and abnormally colored lilies, select well-developed ones, peel off the outer scales of the bulbs for market or processing, and keep the remaining thumb-sized lily cores together with the base as bulbs, cultivate them in a seedbed for 1 year, and they can reach bulb standard.
5. Seed cultivation method. Suitable for varieties that can flower and set seed and produce seeds, such as the tiger lily and the morningstar lily. Harvest mature seeds in autumn and sow them immediately in a seedbed. 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, spread on the seedbed, 10 cm thick. After sowing the seeds broadcast, cover with 3 cm of fine soil, and cover with grass and film. The seeds can germinate in winter, and the seedlings emerge early and grow quickly the following spring. Do not delay sowing until the following spring, otherwise seedling emergence will be late and the germination rate will be low. After emergence, remove the film and grass and carry out thinning. After that, frequently cultivate, weed, and apply fertilizer. In autumn, the bulbs are still small and need to continue to be cultivated before they can be used as bulbs.