Lily is a flowering plant with a unique bright aroma and a variety of species and varieties. Their growth, full development and lush flowering depend on a properly organized wintering. The process of preparing lilies for the winter period is based on the climatic conditions of residence and the plant variety. Some varieties have their own individual characteristics that must be taken into account when preparing for cold weather.
When and how to dig up lily bulbs
Although most of the species and varieties of lilies perfectly tolerate the winter cold in the soil under reliable shelter, experienced flower growers still recommend digging the bulbs annually. It's all about the daughter bulbs, which overgrow the main bulb. They need to be separated in a timely manner, because they will take most of the nutrients and moisture from the mother bulb, and this will further affect the flowering process. Lilies may not bloom at all if the planting material is of poor quality.
It is recommended to dig up the bulbs in the autumn or summer period, sort, carry out preventive treatment and store in a cool dry room until early spring.
Numerous artificially bred hybrid varieties have different bulbs digging times, since they differ in a different number of daughter bulbs and cold resistance.
- Hybrids "Asian" are a group of frost-resistant plants that can tolerate winter cold in open beds, but differ in a large number of daughter bulbs. The optimal time for the obligatory digging of planting material is the second half of August.
- American hybrids are a group of flowering plants in which small numbers of daughter bulbs appear and do not require frequent digging. Digging of the bulbs is carried out as needed around the last week of August.
- Vostochnye hybrids are cold-tolerant varieties of lilies that do not suffer from a large number of daughter bulbs and are excavated only as needed, around the first week of September.
Digging and transplanting lilies is carried out at different times, since the transplanted plants must still have time to take root and adapt in a new place before the onset of frost. It is recommended to transplant no later than September tenth.
The readiness of the bulbs for digging and wintering can be determined by the yellowed and drooping aerial part of the lilies. This is an indicator that the planting material has accumulated all the necessary nutrients and is ready for the winter period. The process of wilting of leaves and stems of a flower should take place independently and naturally and can continue until the end of September. It is advisable to dig with a garden fork, so as not to damage the bulbs.
Basic requirements for storing bulbs
Preparation, processing and sorting of bulbs
It is recommended to carry out several preparatory procedures with the dug out bulbs for their further high-quality storage in the winter months.
First, you need to separate all daughter bulbs and rinse all planting material well. Then you need to trim the stems and roots, their length should not exceed 5 cm. Next, each bulb is examined in order to exclude the presence of a disease or the beginning of decay. Damaged and infected bulbs cannot be stored. If there is a slight damage, you can try to cut it off, and then treat it with brilliant green or sprinkle with crushed activated carbon (or wood ash).
Preventive treatment is required for all healthy bulbs prior to storage. First, they are soaked for 30 minutes in a warm disinfecting solution based on manganese or karbofos. As a prophylaxis against the appearance of an onion mite, a soap solution based on laundry soap is used for washing. After that, damp bulbs should be dipped in wood ash and left in a dark room with good air circulation to dry. It is very important not to overdry the planting material, as it will become unusable.
The next procedure is sorting. Large and medium-sized bulbs are useful for spring forcing, and the smallest bulbs can be used for planting in flower beds during the spring season.
Temperature
The most favorable conditions for proper storage of bulbs are temperatures from 0 to 5 degrees Celsius. In such a moderate cold, the bulbs will not freeze, but they will not germinate either.
Storage
The storage location should be such conditions under which the planting material will maintain the necessary humidity and receive fresh air in the form of regular ventilation. One of the most suitable storage locations is a household refrigerator or basement. It is important that the bulbs are not stored in the refrigerator together with vegetables and fruits, since most of the fruits negatively affect the lilies with ethylene gas emitted. A loggia, glazed balcony or cellar can also be a storage place, but bulbs can suffer from unexpected temperature changes.
Storage methods
Wet wintering - during wet storage, the planting material retains the necessary moisture and air permeability. You can put the bulbs in a plastic bag filled with sand or moistened peat, but it is better to put them in moss and wrap them in tissue paper. As the wrapper becomes wet, it is replaced with a dry one.
Dry wintering - dry storage means placing the bulbs in dry soil with a waterproof cover. These bulbs need timely moistening (about 2 times a month) and treatment with manganese solutions at the first signs of mold.
Wintering in the open air - a place for such storage should be chosen on a site in a lowland where snow lies for a long time and high snowdrifts accumulate. The construction of the storage consists in preparing a shallow trench with a cover, the walls and floor of which must be insulated with polyethylene or thick cardboard (or dry peat). This material will perfectly retain moisture and heat. The bottom of the storage is covered with a reliable drainage layer, which in spring will protect the bulbs from melted snow.
Experienced flower growers recommend placing small containers of water in a prepared trench along with the bulbs in order to control the temperature inside. If the water is not frozen when you inspect the storage, then the bulbs are safe.
Potting
You can save the planting material in another way, if you transplant the plants from the garden or flower garden into an ordinary pot, and after the aboveground part wilts, rearrange them in a cool room with a temperature of 5 to 10 degrees and with good lighting. The main care is moderate soil moisture as needed.These bulbs are suitable for spring planting in open flower beds.
Wintering lilies in the open field
Pruning
Cold-resistant varieties of lilies that are not dug in the fall require special preparation for wintering in the open field. Plants of these varieties are not pruned in the fall. They should fade gradually and naturally. This period can last until mid-November. It is very important that the bulbs accumulate the strength and nutrients necessary for wintering. Pruning leaves and stems early can remove this ability from the bulbs. It is only necessary to remove completely wilted shoots and leaves, as well as the ovaries remaining after flowering. Ripening lily fruits negatively affect the preparation of the bulbs for wintering, as they draw on useful substances, and the seeds are not used by growers for further reproduction of flowers.
Oriental lilies
Oriental hybrids do not like excessive waterlogging of the soil. That is why flower growers recommend that lilies of these varieties be dug out before heavy autumn rains and not planted on open beds until the snow melts. From an excess of moisture in the soil, the bulbs will gradually begin to rot.
If storage of planting material at home is impossible, then it is worth using the method of wintering lilies in the open air. True, you need to take care of future storage in advance, even during planting. For this, raised flower beds are built, on which planting holes are dug and filled with a drainage layer of river sand.
Oriental lilies are perfectly preserved in the winter under a cover of spruce branches or compost and polyethylene. It is very important to cover the plants before the onset of long rains, but after their aboveground part wilts. With the arrival of spring, the spruce branches and the film are removed, and the compost is left as an organic fertilizer.
Asiatic lilies
Lilies of Asian hybrid varieties are not afraid of even the most severe frosts, but the presence of a snow cover is required. In the absence of snow, you will need a "blanket" of compost or peat, as well as of plastic wrap. Unlike oriental hybrids, these lilies need to be insulated only when the first frost appears and the soil freezes slightly. But it will be possible to remove the cover after the snow has completely melted.
If all the requirements for organizing the storage of bulbs in summer are fulfilled, lilies will reward flower growers with lush flowering and a unique pleasant aroma. The main thing is to make every effort, patience and attention.
