Baby Oriental Lily Sprouts?

Hi
What do you do with the little sprouts that come up around the main lily bulb? I think these are from the tiny bulbs that are formed around the root that leads from the main bulb to the surface of the ground.

From my experience, they don't make any blooms, but should I let them alone to help the tiny bulb get bigger, or should I just snip them off?

Any other information on what to do with these tiny bulbs would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Sue

I leave mine. I think it is how your bulb develops from a single bulb to a cluster and they should eventually bloom. I planted one bulb about 3 years ago and this year had a group of stems in the same area and several of them bloomed.

There are three ways of getting more lily bulbs. One is to break off scales from the original bulb. Then there are the baby bulbs like the ones you have. Just plant them and in about 2 years you should have another blooming lily. The third way is from the baby bulbs that grow on the stems where the leaves meet the stems. Those will also grow large enough to flower in a couple of years. Oops! There is a fourth way...from seed, but those won't be true to the original plant. The 'baby bulbs' actually grow quite quickly. I'd plant them or use them for a trade, myself.

naturepatch

Thanks for the information. I didn't realise that the baby bulbs would grow that quickly. While we're on the subject, sort of, do you have any idea how long lily bulbs last; or in other words, their life expectancy before you need to pull them out?

Sue

Don't think I know the answer to that one. The flowers just seem to get bigger and better as they age. The older the bulb, the better the show. I think the only thing you have to be concerned about is if they get crowded. And apparently the babies just under the soil will crowd mom eventually. So I guess those need to be cleaned out periodicly. I'm pretty sure that they only take about 2 years to bloom once you split them off though. I split some off a potted pixie lilie I bought two falls ago, and they bloomed this year.