Detailed Explanation of Key Techniques for High-Yield Cultivation of Edible Lilies
Lilies are a cross-year crop. After planting in the autumn of the first year, they do not break through the soil and emerge until the spring of the following year, spending nearly half a year developing and growing underground in the meantime. To achieve high yields, the following technical steps should be emphasized in cultivation:
1. Select suitable improved varieties. Lilies are divided into two main categories, edible and medicinal, with more than 10 varieties in total. Among edible lilies, Longya lily (Dragon Tooth lily) has the best quality. This variety has large, plump scales shaped like dragon teeth, is pure white and tender, has no bitter taste, commands a high price, and sells well. Medicinal lilies generally have short, small scales, low yields, and a strongly bitter taste, and can only be used as medicine. Therefore, when introducing edible lily planting material, be sure to select bulbs that are white in color, have large scales, and are free of spots and bitterness. Lilies have a low propagation rate and require a large amount of planting material, needing about 150 to 200 kg of bulbs per mu.
2. Choose suitable soil. Lilies should not be continuously cropped or rotated with onions and garlic crops; the previous crop is best as a legume or grass-family crop. Before planting, plow the soil deeper than 25 cm, apply 2500 to 3000 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer and 25 kg of superphosphate per mu as base fertilizer, and at the same time plow in 0.6 kg of 50% diazinon for soil disinfection. After fine raking and leveling, make high beds or flat beds, with a bed width of 2 m and a ditch depth of 30 cm.
3. Sow at the right time. Lily seed is the lily bulb, also called the seed bulb. Lilies are best sown in October. Before sowing, soak the bulbs in 2% formalin solution for 15 minutes, remove and air-dry, then sow. Use a row spacing of 25 cm, plant spacing of 15 cm, and depth of 10 cm. After sowing, cover with rice straw or leaves to retain moisture.
4. Field management. After planting, seedlings emerge by March of the following year. Cultivate 1 to 2 times, and promptly earth up any exposed lilies. Before the Beginning of Spring, when the seedlings have not yet emerged, apply 1 heavy application of fertilizer, using 1000 to 1500 kg of human urine per mu. After lily seedlings emerge, do not carry out deep cultivation or weeding again, so as to avoid damaging the root system. When the seedlings are 3 to 5 cm tall, cover the ground with about 500 kg of rice straw per mu. When the seedlings are 20 cm tall, apply 1 seedling-promoting fertilizer, using 10 to 12 kg of urea and 7.5 to 10 kg of potassium fertilizer per mu. When the seedlings are about 30 to 35 cm tall, promptly top and pinch off the growing tips to concentrate nutrients for transport to the bulbs. In early July, spray with 10 packs of high-grade compound fertilizer mixed with 50 kg of water to prevent premature aging. Lilies are afraid of waterlogging; during rainy seasons and after heavy rain, promptly clear the ditch system to drain water and reduce waterlogging. For leaf spot disease and bulb rot, spray with 65% mancozeb at 500 times dilution for control, spraying once every 7 days for 3 to 4 consecutive sprays. For aphids, spray with 40% dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate at 1000 times dilution for control; for root maggots, drench the roots with 90% trichlorfon mixed with water.
5. Intercropping. Lilies have a growing period of nearly 1 year, so reasonable intercropping should be used. In winter, radishes, green vegetables, and the like can be intercropped; in May of the following year, intercropping with watermelon or sweet potato helps loosen the soil, reduces damage from white grubs, and promotes lily bulb expansion.
6. Harvest at the right time. After the Beginning of Autumn, when the lily stems turn yellow and die and the flowers fall off, this is the suitable harvest period. At this time, the bulbs are fully developed, the yield is high, and they store well. Harvesting should be done on sunny days. After digging out the bulbs, cut off the aboveground parts and immediately transport them indoors to store buried in clean river sand, to prevent discoloration and shriveling, which would affect economic returns.