Detailed Guide to Blue Lily Cultivation and Cut Flower Production Techniques

Operating Procedures for Blue Lily Cultivation and Cut Flower Techniques

1. Seedling raising:

Blue lilies are mainly propagated by division, but can also be grown from seed.

(1) Division propagation: When blue lilies grow to a certain stage, their tiller shoots emerge from the apical buds of branches on the horizontal underground stems. The tiller shoots and the mother plant's leaf clusters grow separately, making division easy. Simply cut apart the underground rhizomes connecting the tiller shoots and transplant them. Division can be done year-round, but is generally chosen in March to April each year. For potted plants, division is done together with repotting. The method is to separate overly dense old plants. For potted plants, 2-3 plants per pot is suitable. For open-field cultivation, plant as single specimens. Division can also be done after flowering (in autumn). Each mother plant can produce 3-5 small seedlings per year for propagation and planting.

(2) Seed sowing: Take freshly harvested seeds of the current year, disinfect them with 500 times diluted carbendazim for 30 minutes, rinse clean with water, then soak in clean water for 24 hours. Dry them and place in a constant-temperature incubator at 25-30°C for germination. Once the seeds show white sprouts, promptly sow them in drills or spots in the seedbed. The seedbed medium can be vermiculite or foam plastic pellets mixed with fertile topsoil. After sowing, cover with 60% shade netting, water to keep moist, and germination takes about 30 days.

2. Land preparation and seedling transplanting:

(1) Land preparation: Blue lilies prefer fertile, loose soil. Therefore, before planting, the soil must be thoroughly plowed with machinery or manually, and after careful harrowing and leveling, beds should be made and drainage ditches divided. Bed width is 80-90 cm. Apply more than 1000 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer per mu before planting.

(2) Seedling transplanting: The first transplanting is done when seedlings in the seedbed have two leaves and one heart and are about 5 cm tall. At this time, 2-3 small seedlings can be planted per hole, with a plant-to-row spacing of 8-10 cm. The second transplanting is done when seedlings are over 10 cm tall. At this stage, seedlings are generally planted as single specimens. Note that seedlings of different sizes should be planted separately, with a plant-to-row spacing of 10-15 cm. For large seedlings, the plant-to-row spacing is 20-30 cm.

3. Management after planting:

Blue lilies are native to southern Africa and prefer a warm, humid climate and semi-shaded environment. They are not tolerant of frost and dislike extreme heat and intense sunlight. In winter, they need to grow in environments above 5°C. In summer, they should be in a cool, shaded, and humid environment. They are not demanding about soil, but in soil rich in humus, fertile, loose, and with strong permeability, they produce more tiller shoots and grow vigorously. The variety likes fertilizer and water but fears waterlogging. When temperatures are lower in autumn and winter, watering should be reduced to prevent root rot.

(1) Fertilization: Generally apply liquid fertilizer once every 30-50 days, using 10-20 kg of high-quality compound fertilizer per mu each time, diluted with water and drenched. Be careful to prevent fertilizer water from splashing onto leaves. After fertilizing, sprinkle water appropriately. At the same time, appropriately add urea or potassium fertilizer according to the growth of the seedlings. Regularly spray 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate on the leaves as a foliar top dressing.

(2) Watering: In arid seasons of summer and autumn, water once every 2 days. In winter and spring, water 1-2 times per week to ensure the soil remains moist.

(3) Intertillage and weeding combined with appropriate earthing up to prevent soil erosion and exposed roots.

4. Cutting and packaging of cut flowers:

For cut flower harvesting, avoid rainy and foggy weather. Locally @#@136@#@, it is advisable to harvest fully open flowers. For long-distance sales, harvest flowers with 3-4 small flowers open. When cutting, cut together with the flower stalk. Package individually in boxes in layers to prevent squeezing and damaging the flowers during transport.

For fresh cut flowers that need to be exported, insecticide or fumigation treatment may be required before shipping. The standards for commercial fresh cut flowers are: good color and texture, uniform opening, vase life of 7-10 days. The stems of fresh cut flowers should be straight or nearly straight, and the stem length and thickness of flowers in the same bunch should be similar.