Detailed Explanation of Lily Cultivation Techniques and Field Management Key Points

Lily Field Cultivation Management

When carrying out field cultivation, the following aspects of work should be done well.

(1) Select good varieties according to the cultivation purpose and local climate conditions, soil and other factors.

(2) Choose a suitable plot: choose sloped land (with a gentle slope) or flat land with high and dry terrain, loose and deep soil with medium organic matter content, and the plot must have good drainage capacity.

For plots prone to drought, it is better to have a certain irrigation capacity.

In addition, lilies are averse to continuous cropping; a plot that has grown lilies must wait 3-5 years before lilies can be planted again. The previous crop is best to be legumes and grasses; after harvesting solanaceous crops and other liliaceous crops, it is generally not easy to plant lilies directly.

Lily Soil Treatment

① After the previous crop is harvested, plow and sun-dry the soil promptly to achieve the purposes of soil disinfection and increasing fertility.

② Apply sufficient base fertilizer, mainly organic fertilizer (cow and horse manure, barnyard manure, chicken manure, etc.). Some fully decomposed cake fertilizer can also be applied, and after application it should be thoroughly turned and mixed evenly.

③ Dig drainage ditches and make raised beds. The bed height is generally 20-30 cm, and the width is about 1.5-2.0 m. The drainage ditch is 0.3-0.5 m wide, and the bed surface is made into a turtle-back shape, low on both sides and high in the middle. The drainage ditches must be interconnected, so that after heavy rain the water can dry up once the rain stops.

Lily Sowing Period

In the Central Plains region, mid-to-late September is suitable; in high-cold regions it can be appropriately earlier. If too late, there will be too few roots before winter, growth will not be vigorous in early spring, and seedling emergence will be unfavorable; if too early, the soil temperature is too high, and the bulbs are susceptible to disease and rot, causing missing seedlings and weak seedlings. The general principle is to sow early rather than late. The best sowing period is when the daily average temperature is about 20°C, no high temperature above 32°C occurs, and it is sunny after rain.

Lily Planting and Topdressing

Planting:

① Dig ditches: the direction of the ditches is perpendicular to the direction of the beds, and the ditch depth is 5-10 cm.

② Place the seed bulbs: be careful to protect the newly grown tender roots.

③ Cover with soil: the soil-covered area should be slightly higher than the bed surface to help preserve soil moisture and drain water.

Topdressing:

① Mainly chemical fertilizers containing nitrogen and potassium; some liquid organic fertilizers can also be used, such as soybean cake water. Lilies generally are not given phosphate fertilizer; phosphorus can be provided by organic fertilizer.

② Fertilization timing. One month after seedling emergence, apply soybean cake water and 0.5% ammonium sulfate; 0.2% potassium nitrate mixed with 0.2% ammonium sulfate can be applied. After flower buds appear, foliar topdressing can be done by spraying a 0.05% potassium nitrate solution. After flowering, apply chemical fertilizer once more to promote bulb enlargement.

Lily Planting Density and Depth

The planting density and depth in the field should refer to the variety, use, soil texture, fertility, etc. In practice, the following principles or ideas can be followed.

Small seed bulbs should be dense and shallow; ornamental use should be sparse; cut flower use and edible use should be dense; heavy clay soil layers should be shallow; loose soil layers with poor water retention should be deep; in cold winter areas, it can be appropriately deeper.

In general, the plant spacing is 15-30 cm, the row spacing is 30-50 cm, about 4500-15000 plants/mu, and the depth is about 5 cm.

Lily Seed Bulb Selection and Disinfection

Before planting, according to the natural growth condition of the seed bulbs, carefully separate the small bulbs growing together (one seed bulb can consist of 2-5 small bulbs) with a bamboo knife or by hand, and grade them by size. The large ones are sold, the small ones continue to be propagated as seed bulbs, and the medium ones are used as seed bulbs. The size of seed bulbs varies by variety; generally the diameter is 3-5 cm and the weight is about 35-50 g. Bulbs free of pests and diseases, damage, and deformities should also be selected as seed bulbs, and the original root system should not be damaged when separating the seed bulbs.

Disinfection method: soak in a 1:500 benomyl or captan solution for 20-30 minutes.