Bulbs: Propagating lilies from bulb scales, 1 by critterologist

critterologist wrote:
The following is some information that Illoquin Dmailed to me a while back, when I mentioned to her that I'd ordered a bunch of lilies through a co-op this spring.

(I am posting it here with her permission.)

"Get some sandwich ziplocs and put a label in them for each of the varieities you ordered. When the bulbs come, fill each with BARELY damp spagnum peat or vermiculite. Examine your bulbs for loose scale, anddon't forget the bottom of the baggie because there could be some there, too. Handle each variety separately -- do all of one kind together before going to the next kind. For each bulb, pull off the outer 3 or 4 scales andslip them in the baggie. 2 of the 4 will be "flabby" (useless to the bulb) and the other 2 will be turgid -- they will help the bulb, maybe, but probably not. SNAP them form the base of thebulb. The turgid ones might sound like carrots snapping in half.

(She recently amended the above to note that that bulbs and individual scales are plumpest in FALL, not spring. In spring, the outside 2 or 3 scales will be flabby and not good candidates for scaling. It's because these were harvesed last fall and stored cold over winter. So depending on how large your bulbs are, you might want to take some fat scales from them in fall rather than when they arrive in spring.)

Stick them in a dark place, room temperature for 4 weeks - a month or 30 days -- which ever is easier to remember and at the end of the time look for roots. If they arent rooted -- is it dark? Is it 70 degrees or room temp? If so, try 2 more weeks. But they should be rooted.

For everything except Trumpets & Asiatics:
If they are rooted, stick them in the refrigeraotr for 3 months or 12 weeks or until Mother's Day or whatever will help you jog your memory to go looking for them. Then pot them up ina nursery pot and they will throw up leaves. Next year a stem, the next year a flower.

Trumpets & Asiatics do not need chilling - they can go out to the garden if it's the right time of year. Over 40 degrees and no night with potential frost) You *can* chill them to hold them back, though.

After chilling, instead of potting them I just plant everything out under the mother bulbs where I know what they are and what they will be when they bloom. But my lily soil is VERY friable (meaning that she probably wouldn't recommend direct planting in a hard, clay soil)."