Help! I' m new to lilies. I recently bought some lily oriental & asiatic lily bulbs and forgot about them for a couple of weeks. My intent was to plant them immediately. But, when I remembered to check on them, I found that some have already sprouted. Is there anyway to save them? Should I plant them in pots or in the ground? Also, how deep should I plant them, ie. should I cover the sprout tip?
Lily Bulbs Sprouting
I would plant at the required depth and let the sprout find its way to the surface if it gets covered in planting.I have had successes with sprouted lilies doing it this way.
Nothing to loose.
Oh thank you so much. I feel much better now.
Been there!!
Still am.
How sprouted is it ~ a nub or is it leafy?
If possible, Dust the bulbs with a fungicide before planting.
In the garden:
Dig a hole at least 8" deep.
Plant each bulb at least 6" deep by 6" wide in organic soil.
Space each bulb at least 6" from each other.
Mix soil with Miracle-Grow Sphagnum Peat Moss:
* A soil conditioner that aerates soil to promote strong root systems.
* Highly absorbent, helps retain moisture and nutrients.
In a container:
At least 8" deep and 6" wide.
Cover holes with clay chips.
Add 2" of organic soil.
Place bulb in middle of container.
Gently fill with mixture of Miracle-Grow Sphagnum Peat Moss and organic soil.
Firm the soil lightly around base of stem while filling to rim of container.
Water only when top 1 1/2" is dry to the touch. Do not overwater.
Keep in a sunny location.
Stake when needed for support.
Moby, the sprout is knobby, no leaves.
TP Nursery, thank you so much for the detailed information. At least I know that I have the option of putting them in pots, which I will probably do. I'm not positive that I'm not losing bulbs to voles. At least I know that they are safe in the pots and that I'll get to enjoy the flowers this summer. And yes, I will dust them with fungicide. Thanks again everyone for your help. Happy Gardening to all of you!
Deebie, I have planted many a sprouted lily bulb in pots. If the sprout is not leafed out, plant it at the proper depth. If it's leafed out, plant the part that's leafed out about soil level. The lily will pull itself down anyway. I plant my lily bulbs about 2/3 of the way down the container.
Thank you for the reassurance, PollyK.
You're welcome.
Deebie ~ theres a gal on Daves Garden that hand makes cages for bulbs.
They are pretty deep and large.
I have some sprouting in the ground! Weird because we've had a cold winter and even the daffs are just coming up still and are about a month later than normal.
Fortunately the various freezes have not seemed to harm them.
They can take it. There is a saying here "snow twice on daffodils before spring"
Thanks, TNP, but I don't think my situation is bad enough to consider bulb cages just yet. I too, think I saw some lily sprouts, but it was too cold for me to investigate further. I'll look tomorrow. Anyway, aren't lily sprouts adversely affected by freezes? I know that daffs can handle it, but can the lilies? And speaking off daffs, I noticed that one of my clumps had been nibbled upon. I think the deer are letting me know that they are in the area. That will be another thing for me to have to deal with.
Lilies may tolerate a little frost if it's just the tips of the foliage. If frost gets to the center where the stem is, then that's probably it for the year. Should that happen, remove all mushy / damaged parts.
Moby!
Will a lily recover if mushy parts are removed?
Does it depend on the amount of damage?
Pirl has has mold on bulbs and they bloomed and did well anyway!
ge1836, I am sure Moby will chime in, as she is very knowledgeable about lilies, but yes in my experience they will recover but probably the following year. Lily bulbs themselves are very tough but often the sprouts are not and a ruined stem usually = no flowers this year, though it should return on schedule next year. I know the daffs can usually handle about anything (unless they are tazettas) but I was worried about the lily shoots in my picture! :-) I cannot remember is those were last fall's planting or from a prior year.
Usually they just seem to "know" when to come up once they've been in the ground for a couple years or more but sometimes on a first-year planting they can get confused and come up during a warm spell. I have had Asiatics ruined before when they emerged too early first spring after planting but then they came back and bloomed at appropriate time the following year. The flower buds on lily stalks are already formed near the top of the shoot so it the top third of the stalk is ruined the buds are gone too. With our temps in the teens many times and some of mine being up, I am shocked (and glad!) they are still looking good.
Good luck, Steve. I hope they all grow and bloom unscathed.
The lilies that were moldy were received from a mail order company many years ago - probably around '92 or '93. They were not soft and they bloomed beautifully.
Thanks pirl! I agree with you on the mold - I have planted bulbs with a little mold before (not just lilies but hyacinths can get it too) and as long as the bulb itself is not compromised or mushy, they do fine and I think the mold goes away once underground and buried.
Mushy and crispy aren't good gardening words - more like curses!
A little mold on a bulb and a mushy, rotten stem are 2 very different things. In the past, I've lost the top of the stem due to frost but the stem continued to put out some growth ~ if the mush is promptly removed. Any growth after that is a bonus and will help the bulb for the following year.
If the mold in a lily bulb is bluish-green, then it is penicillin mold and will not harm the bulb. A lily bulb is high in sugar content and during storage penicillin growth occurs on an area where there might be some bruising during the harvesting and handling process.
That's exactly how mine looked.
This is why Oriental lilies need a little fungicide treatment before they are planted.
The application aids in diseases unseen and unknown of while the bulb adjusts to its new habitat.
Thats great information Thanks