Lily Care – Lily Planting, Cutting & Hibernating

If they are in the right location and have a suitable plant substrate, you hardly have to worry about the plants. You can do pretty well on your own.

Lilies like a sunny spot, but have a special wish. They love to stretch their heads into the sun, but their feet should be a little more shady. This is why it is ideal to plant lilies between shady ground cover, low perennials or annual summer flowers. Their leaves protect the onions from direct sunlight and excessive warming.

• Plenty of sun, but the foot in the shade, please!
• Morning and afternoon sun are ideal. Full midday sun is not so cheap.
• A somewhat sheltered location prevents the stems, which often have heavy flowers, from lying flat.
• Some species of lily, which are originally native to Asian forests, can also cope with partial shade.

Plant substrate

As far as the substart is concerned, lilies are not particularly demanding as long as it is not too wet. They prefer it dry to slightly damp ..

• Lilies need well-drained soil.
• It should be light and fresh
• A sand-humus mixture is best.
• This can be slightly alkaline or slightly acidic.
• Nutrient-rich soil is beneficial.

plant

Planting lily bulbs is not a problem. However, there is also a special feature here. Voles love onions and like to eat them. That is why the onions are well kept and protected in a wire basket.

• Lily bulbs can be planted either in spring or autumn.
• However, spring planting prevails as it is when most offers are available.
• Preferred specimens are transplanted outdoors after the Ice Saints.
• The Madonna Lily and Turk’s Covenant Lily are the only exceptions. They need to be planted in late summer!
• The planting depth for the bulbs is roughly twice the bulb size.
• Plant spacing about 15 to 20 cm.
• When planting in groups, leave 80 to 120 cm space between the groups.
• Lily bulbs can remain in one site for many years.
• If the willingness to flower wears off, transplanting is recommended.
• If you plant several bulbs, you can try planting them in the ground a few days apart. Then not all plants bloom at the same time. You can benefit from them longer.

Watering and fertilizing

It is important to water evenly during the growing season. This is especially important during the flowering period. The plant substrate must not dry out, but also under no circumstances be too wet. A little sure instinct is required.

• Water evenly!
• Rather dry in winter.
• Plenty of fertilizer
• As soon as the plants have buds, use flowering fertilizer!
• Do not use crap under any circumstances! If so, it must have been aged for at least two years!
• It is best to fertilize at the end of the flowering period so that the plant can gather strength for the coming year.
• Humus, rock flour and horn shavings are favorable.
• Nettle liquid strengthens and strengthens the lilies. You can pour or spray with it a few times.

Lily in a bucket position

Even if you don’t have a garden, you don’t have to do without these magnificent flowers. They can also be cultivated very well in a planter. Smaller lily varieties such as ‘Avignon’, ‘Cordelia’, ‘Le Rève’, ‘Marco Polo’ or ‘Mona Lisa’ are particularly suitable for potting.

• It is important to have a drainage hole so that excess water can drain away!
• The onions absolutely cannot tolerate waterlogging.
• It is beneficial to have a drainage layer in the bottom of the pot, which prevents the onions from lying too wet.
• In the bucket, too, lilies look best in groups.
• Lilies have to be watered significantly more in pots than outdoors.
• Lilies in pots must be overwintered indoors.
• If you want to try it outdoors, you have to place the container in a protected place, wrap it up warm and make sure that the onions are dry. It is lightly poured a maximum of once a month, only when there is no frost.
• It is recommended to repot annually so that the flowering pleasure and vegetative reproduction are promoted.

To cut

Lilies attract insects. The flowers are pollinated. This creates seeds. If this is allowed to mature, it costs the lily a lot of strength. That’s why it’s just better to remove dead flowers. The stem is only removed when it is completely dry and can be easily pulled out of the ground. This also applies to the leaves. They can easily be pulled out. Cutting measures are not required.

Overwinter

Lily bulbs are usually sufficiently winter hardy. However, they don’t like the wetness of our Central European winters. In my experience, onions survive better if you cover the soil with a good layer of sticks. This is particularly recommended for Madonna lilies. In the first two winters without a cover, or with a light cover, they did not survive, they were just mud. They survived the last winter, which was very long and wet, just fine.

Multiplication

The easiest way to propagate lilies is through brood bulbs. Carefully separate the smaller onions from the large ones and replant them separately. Alternatively, sowing is also possible. However, the seeds of your own plants do not produce pure lily varieties. Completely new varieties can emerge if the pollen does not come from the same variety.

• The plant substrate should be loose, sandy and always slightly damp!
• The germination period is about a year.
• Most of the time, the plants first take root in the ground before something shows up above the ground.
• In any case, patience is required. It usually takes three years to bloom.

Diseases and pests

Not only do we humans love lilies, but also some pests. Fungi and viruses do not stop at plants either. One has to observe and control well. The earlier diseases and pests are discovered, the easier it is to control them.

Mushrooms
There are numerous mushrooms that live on lilies. One of them triggers, for example, the dangerous Fusarium wilt. This is the most serious and dangerous lily disease. The onion is hollowed out starting from the bottom. The plant dies, there is no chance. The bad thing is that the fungal spores survive in the soil for years and keep infecting new plants.

There are also numerous root fungi, which can also cause a lot of damage. Fungi on the above-ground parts ensure that the plant dies above the ground. However, the tuber remains healthy and sprouts again the following year.

Viruses
Lilies are attacked by numerous types of viruses, which would go beyond the scope of this article. Almost all of them cause pale piebald patterns on the leaves radiating from the leaf veins. Malformations occur. The viruses are mainly spread by aphids. There are no effective ways to combat it. To prevent the virus from spreading, the plants must be disposed of, preferably incinerated. Asiatic lilies are less susceptible. Lilienhähnchen 6 to 8 mm sealing wax red beetle, for which the lily is the only food plant. The larvae in particular are extremely voracious. Lily leaf miner lays its eggs in the buds that are formed. These wither, fall off, or are misshapen.

Roundworms and root mites
feed on the lily bulbs. If you want to do something good for your lilies, you should add field horsetail tea to the water once a week from May to August. Access is made more difficult for sucking and biting insects. The adult chickens are collected and the larvae, which can be recognized by their droppings, are washed away with a jet of water. The leaves and stems are then sprayed with field horsetail tea. The silica it contains promotes regeneration. Aphids should also be removed regularly to prevent the virus from spreading. You rinse them off with water, crush them between your fingers and if necessary you have to use chemicals, but as a last resort.

Tips

• Do not store lily bulbs for a long time! They do not have a solid outer skin and dry up quickly.
• When buying lily bulbs, make sure that they are firm to the touch – they must never have any soft spots!
• Root runners must also not be driven out too long! Then the onions have simply been lying too long.

Conclusion
so large-flowered, colorful lilies, mostly of Asian origin. Contrasts can be created through the color coordination of the flowers. But flowers in the same color tones also have a great effect. You should experiment a little! Have lots of fun with it!