Planting and caring for lilies in the open field: recommendations and advice

Lilies are flowers loved by gardeners for their colorful and long-lasting bloom. Planting and caring for a lily in the open field is not particularly difficult. Flowers are successfully grown not only in Europe, Asia, but also in North America. The word "lily" refers to the Gaulish language. In the original version, it sounded like "li-li" and meant "snow-white". In fact, these flowers have many different shades, ranging from the most delicate and lightest, to the darkest and most intense.

Biological characteristic

Lily (Lilium) is a perennial that belongs to the lily family. The stems of this flowering culture are straight and tall. Some varieties grow up to 1.5 m or more.

The inflorescence of the plant is in the form of a brush, often compact, sometimes branched. Its shape is usually conical or cylindrical, but it is found umbrella-shaped and in the form of a shield. The inflorescence has 8 to 16 flowers, but it can reach 30. The flowers do not fade and look decorative within a week.

Leaves are small, glossy, pubescent in Asian hybrids. Their location is not identical:

1. In the popular Candida lily, with dazzling white flowers, the largest leaves are concentrated in the root rosette. And each goes into the scales of the bulb. And the rest, covering the stem, are quite small.
2. They can snuggle tightly against the stem and also decrease in size, depending on their location.
3. In American hybrids, leopard, curly, Hanson's lily, leaves are collected in nodes (whorls) of which there can be from 2 to 4 per stem.
4. Royal lily and its tubular hybrids are distinguished by thin leaves, the length of which can be from 8 to 15 cm. They grow in a spiral.

In the axils of the leaves of some varieties of lilies, small bulbs can form.

There are three types of roots in the root system. Thin supra-luminal roots perform their main task during the growing season. Located at the bottom of the stem, they hold it tightly and feed the plant. The bottom is formed by bulbous, which are subdivided into basal and contractile (retractile). Due to the developing contractile roots, the bulb can not only go deeper into the soil, but also strongly shift to the side.

In large bulbs, the diameter of the roots is about 3 mm, and the length reaches 50 cm. When transplanting, or transporting, they must not be overdried and broken off.

Features of the structure of bulbs and flowers

The bulbs are quite loose, in good conditions in some varieties they can reach 30 cm in diameter. Most often they are round, oval or egg-shaped, and in the leopard lily and other American species they are similar to rhizomes.

The bulbs are susceptible to drying out, since they do not have integumentary scales. By their characteristics, expressed in the shape, color, number and placement of bulbous scales, they recognize the type or variety.

The roots and bulbous scales are attached to the bottom of the bulb. There is a growth point in it, which provides it with constant growth instead of regularly dying parts.

All flowers are located on pedicels. They can have different sizes and shapes, often cup-shaped, bell-shaped, stellate and funnel-shaped. But the number of petals they always have exactly six, the same as the number of stamens.Usually lilies grow in gardens with yellow, orange, pink, lilac, red flowers and, of course, white.

Currently, new varieties with two-color and mother-of-pearl flowers, as well as “painted” ones, with contrasting spots at the base and dense specks, are very popular. A feature of lilies belonging to tango groups is the speck, the specks of which in the central part of the flower merge into one continuous spot.

A pleasant smell is characteristic of most varietal lilies. American hybrids, snow-white lily and long-flowered ones smell gentle. Quite a pungent aroma in royal lilies and tubular hybrids. A spicy, pronounced smell is characteristic of OT hybrids and oriental ones. But the Orleans and Asian hybrids, with flowers in the form of a turban, have almost no aroma.

Cyclic development of lilies

Lilies have adapted well to the changing seasons, all kinds of cold snaps and droughts. Their development - growth, flowering and fruiting - corresponds to the onset of favorable weather. The snow-white lily has two periods of rest. In winter and during the driest season. In spring, plants begin to grow vigorously with stems and flowers, and after a dry summer, basal leaves begin to develop. In this variety, they will remain green all winter. In other varieties and groups of plants, by winter there is a gradual dying off of all aboveground parts. Only a bulb with a developed root system remains deep in the ground, having a growth point and a supply of essential nutrients. In the spring there is an active growth and development of plants, but by the summer the need for lilies in moisture becomes insignificant, and by autumn they do not need water at all, since the formation of the bulb is over. She can already survive the winter cold.

Lily propagation by seeds

Lily fruits are called small dry capsules that are round or cylindrical. Seeds are flattened, resembling a triangle. They have a filmy border. Ripen in late autumn.

Seed propagation of valuable varieties allows you to get many plants at once, which are most adapted to the peculiarities of the local climate. This method is suitable for many types of flowers, as it allows you to maintain varietal characteristics. But this process is very long. Since flowering will have to wait three or four years.

For some lilies, planting and care in the open field is not difficult. Therefore, using seeds, it is easy to create new varieties and hybrid forms. More viable plants grow than during vegetative propagation, which are resistant to diseases. First of all, this happens because disease-causing viruses are not transmitted through seeds.

In rainy or damp weather, seeds, when ripe, can germinate right in the capsule. And in arid - get enough sleep from it. To prevent this from happening, the boxes are collected without waiting for them to open completely.

For sowing, it is best to use freshly harvested seeds. However, in order to grow a golden lily, two-year-old seeds are needed. They are stored in a refrigerator, in a common chamber, at a temperature slightly above zero. Then they remain viable for three years.

Seed germination methods:

1. Aboveground - the cotyledonous leaf appears on the soil surface and gradually turns green.
2. Underground - the cotyledons are located underground, a real leaf immediately appears on the surface.
3. Fast or slow. It should be taken into account when determining the landing time.

Some lilies, for example Daurskaya and Philadelphia lilies, can germinate in different ways, both aboveground and underground.

Not all lilies can be propagated by seeds, since some of their species simply do not have full seed material. There are many high-quality seeds in the Tibetan lily, as well as in the Daurian, drooping, monochrome, saffron, regala.To get viable seeds from Canadian, luxurious, snow-white, long-flowered and a number of other species, artificial pollination will be required.

Vegetative breeding methods for lilies and planting features

Several vegetative methods can be used to produce new lily plants. They are suitable even for novice flower growers who want to reproduce their favorite varieties for the first time on their own.

Reproduction by baby bulbs

The formation of children occurs on the part of the stem that is on the surface. In early September, they are separated from the mother's bulb. But the bulb itself is not touched, left in the ground. And immediately planted in a previously prepared bed with light nutritious soil. Planting depth - about 5 cm. Two years later, the matured plants will need to be transplanted to a permanent place in the flower garden. After three or four years, lilies bloom. If for some reason this happens earlier, the buds that have appeared will have to be removed immediately so that premature flowering does not deplete the plants.

Dividing the bulbous nest

On the bottom of the bulbs, small bulbs appear annually. After three years, a fairly large nest is formed in the ground, with five or six bulbs closely pressed together. Further, the plant will not be able to develop normally. Therefore, at the beginning of autumn, the bulbs should be divided and planted in a new location. This operation can be performed in early spring, when young plant shoots have not yet appeared on the surface.

Lilies grown from transplanted bulbs require careful attention. We must not forget to water and feed them, loosen the ground in time. If the transplant was done correctly, after three years, bright flowers with a bewitching aroma will bloom on the stems of the plants.

Propagation of lilies by bulb scales

This method allows you to get many new plants from one bulb, which is a very important condition when breeding valuable or rare varieties of lilies. One bulb can produce about 150 new ones. Small bulbs grow without problems even on a piece of scales.

The scales are removed from the bulb at any time of the year. Planting and caring for lilies in the open field obtained in this way is best done in early spring. But if this is not possible, you should resort to replanting perennial plants in the fall.

They do it like this:

1. Carefully remove the lily bulb from the ground and wash.
2. The scales intended for reproduction are separated. The largest are selected from the outer layer.
3. The scales are washed with clean water and placed in a manganese solution for 15 minutes. Remove from the solution and dry a little.
4. Placed in a plastic bag and sprinkle with chopped charcoal on top. Tied tightly. (If there are several such packages, labels with the indication of the variety are attached to them).

The bags are stored for six weeks at room temperature, approximately 22 or 23 ° C. For the next four weeks, the bags are transferred to a cooler place, with a temperature in the range of 17-18 ° C. All the remaining time, before planting in the soil, the package must be stored in the refrigerator at a temperature of 2 to 4 ° C.

You can leave the package in a warm room, then not only bulbs, but also roots will have time to form on the scales until spring. Or immediately transplant the scales from the package into boxes with nutrient soil and grow them to planting in open ground at home.

Method of growing lily bulbs from stem bulbs

Not all types of lilies form buds on the stem (in the leaf axils). This ability is characteristic of most Asian hybrids.

The size of the grown bulbs (bulbs), as well as their number, is due to:

• varietal characteristics of plants;
• the applied agrotechnical methods;
• the age of the mother plant;
• flowering features.

The largest buds are formed in young plants or with remote buds.When the air humidity is high, the roots of the grown bulbs may begin to grow.

Gather the grown bulbs immediately after flowering, at this time they are easy to separate from the stem. Then they need to be placed in a bag and put in the refrigerator. After about two weeks, they will begin to develop a root system. At this point, they should immediately be planted in open ground, in a garden bed prepared for growing.

The bulbs are planted in grooves, to a depth of no more than 3 cm. The distance between them should exceed 5 cm. The grown young plants are looked after in the same way as for the rest of the lily bulbs. The next year, they are transplanted to a permanent place. It will take about three years to wait for flowers, with this method of reproduction and planting.

Cutting leaves and stems

The rarest varieties of lilies or with little breeding opportunities are propagated by cuttings. Planting material is obtained from stems before bud formation begins. The stem is divided into pieces 7 cm long, and then planted in open ground, on a bed with a light soil composition. The cuttings are placed in the ground obliquely, buried to the upper leaf node. Shade after landing.

Lilies are also grown from a leaf and a small piece of the stem. It turns out a good planting material. Cut the leafy cuttings before the buds bloom. They are planted in boxes filled with soil, and covered with foil on top. Abundant watering is not required. It is enough just to slightly moisten the earth. After 4 weeks, the film can be removed, since the cuttings have already taken root during this time. After adaptation to room conditions, they are planted in open ground.

Planting and caring for a lily outdoors in summer

The successful cultivation of various varieties and hybrids of lilies depends on the correct choice of the site and the degree of its illumination. Soil preparation should be done and the best bulbs selected. Liliaceae tolerate transplants rather poorly. Therefore, they will grow in one place for several years.

How to choose a site for planting

The requirements for the site where the lilies will be grown depend on their type and growing characteristics. The most important, universal, are several:

1. For planting tubular, Asiatic and Oriental lilies, choose areas that are illuminated by the sun during the day. The wind oppresses the plants. The flower garden should be closed with a fence or shrubs, or low trees with a dense crown. But these types of lilies tolerate partial shading with almost no loss. But still, in the morning they should be well lit.
2. Lily curly, forest or Martogon grows best in partial shade. The sun's rays should fall on the plant in such a way that only the flowers and the stem are illuminated, and the leaf rosette always remains in the shade. Therefore, they are grown next to the cornflower or other low-growing perennials.

Plain areas or a small hill are best suited for lilies. In lowlands or in places with a close location of groundwater, the bulbs will get wet and suffer from fungal diseases. In cold winters, they can die.

How to prepare the soil

For good development, lilies need drained garden or vegetable garden land. If the soil throughout the garden is sandy, then peat and humus must be added to the garden bed. Coarse sand is introduced into heavy and cold clay soils. It is best to grow lilies in moderately acidic soils.

Moreover, it should be borne in mind that the degree of acidity for different species and varieties is different:

• tubular lily varieties like slightly acidic soils, with a pH level of 6.0 to 6.5;
• Asian and Oriental varieties need soils with a neutral level of acidity;
• Snow-white and curly lilies grow well in areas with a moderately alkaline reaction.

Adding ash, chalk to the soil, dolomite flour or lime will help reduce the acidity of the soil.And watering with a weak solution of acetic acid, adding peat or colloidal sulfur, on the contrary, will make the soil in the garden more acidic.

Soil preparation is done properly in advance. In the autumn, they equip a bed intended for planting lilies in the spring. The soil for planting in the fall needs to be prepared in the summertime. They dig deep enough, 35 or 40 cm, and the removed earth layers must be turned over. Fertilizers are also added before this.

For 1 m² of the plot you should add:

• 1 liter of a weak solution of wood ash, but only if tubular lilies will not be planted;
• a bucket of humus or well-rotted compost;
• a tablespoon of nitroammophoska, superphosphate and urea.

This supply of minerals and nutrients will further enable lilies to grow rapidly and contribute to their luxurious flowering.

Preparing the bulbs

In order to avoid damage to the lily bulbs by fungi, you need to process them before planting. If they are too dry, they are soaked in clean water for a couple of hours. Its temperature must be at least 18–20 ° C.

And then immersed for 15 minutes in one of the solutions:

• the drug "Vitaros" or "Maxim", specially designed for the treatment of bulbs before planting in the ground;
• potassium permanganate pink;
• karbofos or foundation, made in proportion to 1 liter of water - 2 g of substance.

After soaking in the solution, the bulbs must be dried in the shade.

Planting and caring for lilies in the open field, bulbs

If you follow the rules, planting lilies in the ground in early autumn will allow the bulbs to take root before the frost begins, and by next year they will definitely begin to bloom. As an exception, planting OT hybrids and Oriental lilies. They bloom quite late. Therefore, even by the end of September, they are not ready for planting. We have to plant the plants in the spring.

Planting depth is determined by a number of the following factors:

• the larger the size, the more deeply you need to plant the bulb, at least 10 cm, but you should not bury it further than 25 cm;
• in heavy soil, the bulbs should not be deepened excessively;
• for low-growing lilies, the planting should not exceed 10 cm, while for tall plants the optimal level is 15-20 cm.

Do not forget the distance of 20 cm between plants. Asiatic lilies are growing at an accelerated pace, because of this, the distance between them should be greater - about 30 cm.

In autumn and spring, the bulbs are planted in specially prepared holes, where there is a kind of "pillow" of 5-7 cm from river sand. The roots should be distributed evenly, and after covering the lily with earth, it is imperative to water it.

Lilies that are planned to be planted in spring often have a curved sprout. There is nothing wrong with that, but there is a slight difference in the planting method. Try to place the bulb in such a way that the sprouted tip is above the ground in an upright position. Subsequently, the bulb will also straighten.

To get more babies, you should put the bulb on its side when planting. The formation of the bulbous nest will proceed sooner, and the number of daughter bulbs will increase.

All bulbs are mulched. Oriental, Asian varieties of lilies, LA and OT hybrids are sprinkled with peat or sawdust. In the case of planting snow-white lilies, curly or tubular varieties, it is recommended to use leaf humus, mowed grass.

Features of planting in summer

LA and Asian hybrids are usually planted outdoors in summer. They do the same with snow-white lilies. In this case, the transshipment method is used. For this:

1. Dig up the onion.
2. Prepare a large hole and add a tablespoon of superphosphate to it.
3. Place the seedling in the hole and water it. The bottom is covered with river sand by 5-7 cm. If necessary, they are tied to a support and all the buds are cut off.

Thus, the lily will begin to use all its capabilities only for rooting.

Features of summer care

It is not too difficult to grow lilies in the country. Care can be reduced to periodic watering, regular loosening of the soil and top dressing.

Throughout the growing season, the soil under the lilies should be moistened, but little by little. Otherwise, stagnant water can lead to rotting, and interruptions in watering can lead to drying out of the leaves. It is worth noting that lilies are still able to survive a short drought.

The highest demand for watering is observed in lilies in spring, during the most active phase of plant development. Throughout the summer period, it is necessary to moisten the soil before the bulbs are deposited. Since the usual watering of the surface layer is ineffective. A crust may appear that will not allow air to pass through. It is advisable to water the lilies before noon, at the root and without touching the leaves. During the flowering period, the amount and frequency of watering can be reduced. It will be enough to shed soil 25-30 cm deep once every 14-15 days.

Mulching can make it easier for gardeners to loosen the soil. As a basis - wood shavings, but ordinary straw will also go. You can also protect lilies from overheating by planting small perennial plants. This will help keep the humidity level stable.

In the first year, the plants will need to be fertilized once - if there is auto-irrigation, care is practically not needed anymore. But when the buds go, you will need complex fertilizer. For this, ammophosk and nitroammofosk are used in equal amounts. For 10 liters of water, 30 g of the substance is needed.

How to care for lilies after flowering

After the flowering of lilies is complete, it is still impossible to leave them unattended. On the contrary, you need to concentrate on caring for weakened plants that have spent a lot of effort to ensure abundant flowering.

Pruning

Wilted flowers are immediately removed from the peduncle. You should not linger with this, because seed pods begin to form on the peduncle and the forces of the plant should be directed to this process.

In September, after the leaves and peduncle have completely dried out, the stem of the plant is cut off and only a small stump is left, the height of which should not exceed 15 cm.Before the onset of cold weather, in November or earlier, all the stumps must be pulled out to block the access of cold air to the bulbs.

If it is necessary to cut a bouquet of flowering lilies, the peduncles are cut at an acute angle. In addition, the cut line is best hidden under the leaves. When it rains, drops will run down it. Moisture caught on an even cut will be absorbed and flow along the stem to the bulb, which will certainly cause it to rot.

Watering

After the lilies have faded, they should be provided with sufficient soil moisture at a depth of 30 cm.But from August 15, they stop watering the plants in order to create suitable conditions for further wintering. Most of all it is necessary for oriental lilies and OT hybrids. Therefore, they stop watering immediately after flowering. In September, the bed is covered with plastic wrap to keep the ground dry during rains and winter thaws. It is necessary to remove the film in the spring, after the snow melts and it is time to fertilize the soil.

Top dressing

Once the lilies have faded, it's time to replenish tired plants with nutrients. First of all, they need potassium-phosphorus fertilizers. You need to take superphosphate (10 g) and potassium sulfate (30 g) and dilute in 10 liters of water. So that the plants do not suffer, they are first watered with clean water, and only then with this solution under the root.

Organic fertilizers are also applied very carefully. This is due to the fact that lily bulbs do not have a protective shell. Weak slurry solutions will be of great benefit. You can take from 300 to 500 g per bucket of water. No more. Organic matter, which will be in excess in the soil, will cause rotting of the bulbs.

Overwintered bulbs also need feeding. It is produced at the beginning of the snow melting. In dry form, fertilizers are evenly scattered over the entire area of ​​the garden. And they will gradually, along with melt water, flow to the bulbous roots. This will improve the development of plants.

Protection from pests and diseases

All types of lilies are affected by pests. Therefore, you need to find out how to deal with them, even before purchasing the bulbs:

1. When a purple scoop appears, the simplest plant protection measures will help. It is enough to weed out all the weeds in time and get rid of rotting plant residues.
2. Timely collection of beetles, as well as treatment with chlorophos solution (10 g per 10 liters of water) will help from the onion leaf beetle.
3. As a preventive and protective measure against onion mites, heat treatment of the bulbs can be used. They are immersed in water at a temperature of about 50 ° C for 5 minutes. Also, the bulbs can be pickled before planting with a solution of karbofos (5 g per 1 liter of water). They are kept in it for 30 minutes.

In case of violations of the agrotechnical conditions for planting lilies and further care for them, plants can infect fungal diseases. Mostly gray rot, fusarium and rust. The bulbs rot and the leaves covered with spots wilt. If urgent action is not taken, the lilies will die.

To protect the bulbs from fungal attack, they should be treated with fungicides during preparation for planting. Such drugs as Fundazol, Euporen, Topsin have shown themselves well. They can also be sprayed on plants during the period of active growth, when the first signs of fungal diseases appear.

Plants affected by viral diseases should be immediately removed and destroyed away from the site.

When is it better to transplant lilies

The best time to transplant is early September. At this time, a lot of nutrients have already been accumulated in the bulbs, which allows them to gain a foothold in a new place. You can't hesitate with a transplant. If the bulbs are planted at a later time, they will not have time to prepare for winter and may die if frost sets in.

When transplanting, babies are removed from the bulbs, and always with a part of the bottom of the mother plant. They will be useful in the future for reproduction. Peel the bulbs, trim the roots with them.

Then they are treated with one of the most effective antifungal solutions:

• aqueous solution Fundazola;
• one percent potassium permanganate;
• 2% iodine solution.

Lily bulbs are transplanted 7 days after they were dug up. But the planting of oriental hybrids or lilies belonging to the Orienlet group is best done in the spring. Since they fade only by the end of August, they are dug up, dried and stored until spring. Why do they fit plastic bags with holes made in them? To prevent the bulbs from drying out, you can sprinkle them with moss or moistened sawdust.

Spring planting and care of a lily in the open field - video