lycoris question

My orange spider lilies have started popping up, and will be blooming by next week. I want to move some to my new garden. Will it be ok to move them after they finish blooming, or should I wait until spring?

There don't seem to be as many as in past years (I presume due to the awful weather), so now I'm afraid to lose even more. Any advice greatly appreciated ...

Cheri'

I saw on another site recently that they will huff for a year or two when moved

mark, i like how you put that. "huff" for a ....

hmmm, pouty are they?
I can deal with pouty, I just don't want to kill them outright. LOL.

Thanx for the response.

Cheri'

I got some from a someone here on DG two years ago and I'm still waiting to see leaves and flowers. The bulbs are fine. I check on them now and again.

The one's I have have been here for at least 30 years, and (although I understand they are sterile) they have spread here and there through the yard. They have turned up in the oddest corners.

Just because I planned to move some to my new garden this fall, they are being shy. I've only got them popping up in one area. I presume all the rain this summer has given them second thoughts about blooming, if it hasn't killed them outright. So I've only got about 6 small clumps showing, and I'm loathe to do anything that might kill them.

I think I'm going to have to search for some of the ones that are AWOL, if they don't show up soon, and see if the bulbs rotted. If the bulbs are still viable, I'll move them to the new garden and hope for the best. If they rotted, I don't know yet what I'll do.

I'm not willing to risk the few I have left.

Cheri'

i have some martagon's that seem to have the "huff factor". :) the bulbs are fine, just resting i guess. i read that they can take 2-3 years to "get settled in" to there new home. now how come they don't tell you these things in the little bleeps in the catalogues. i would still get it, but that info is on the 4th page of a google search under. "martagon and the huff factor." you might try a similar search sundry. lol ;)

I'm stoopid. After saying they will huff I dug mine up because they havent done anything for two years. They have new roots which means they will now huff for another two years

maybe this url can help http://www.floridata.com/ref/l/lyco_rad.cfm

amaryllis [family amaryllidaceae] http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/poison/Lycorra.htm

amaryllis culture http://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/Horticulture/g188.htm#propagation

try not to confuse Martagon with amaryllis. Martagon belongs to the liliaceae family or lillium NOT amaryllidaceae or amaryllis.

lilium http://www.botany.com/lilium.html lilium are the true lilies.

MaVieRose
Mine are the lycoris. Just like the ones in your first link, but Orange and perhaps not so tall. Mine only get about 12" tall.

I had done a little research before posting my question, which is how I found that they are supposedly sterile (which only confuses me, since I have had clumps develop 50 feet away from the 'mother clump'). I really hadn't found a definitive answer on when to divide.

It makes sense to me that you would divide in spring, when the bulbs go dormant for summer. But I find conflicting info, and most sources say divide in fall.

Since they put on their new leaves after the flower dies in the fall, and spend the winter storing energy for next year's bloom, it seems wrong to dig 'em up and divide them at that time. It makes much more sense to me to dig and divide when they are dormant, in the spring.

Initially I thought, since I have plenty of them, I'll divide some this fall and see what happens. And divide some in spring, and see what happens. But now I realize that I may not know what happens for two or three years, and I don't seem to have as many as I did in the past. So I'm being a more cautious.

Perhaps too cautious. ;-)

Cheri'

Cherí,

i personally have not grown lycoris, so i would not know what to tell u. this is the reason why i post url, hoping it might help some. accdg to the 1st link, to divide plant in early summer when the plant is dormant.

having done so many researches on plant, i would say u are right... only because we are all in different planting zones. this is the reason why i always give warning on some of the post i do on some thread 'what works for me, may not work for u'. plants and planting have too many factors to consider: type of soil, atmosphere, latitude of the land, weather and temperatures. all these factors are or will affect how a plant will grow in ur area.

funny just this morning, i was watching Martha Stewart on tv. in her show she is talking about peonies. her guest mentioned tree peonies may bloom in May in the eastcoast, while the same plant will bloom in March in the Calif. area. i brought it up only to prove the point across that other factors will affect plant's growth.

however, i have grown lilium like asiatic and oriental lilies. each spring, i do change their soil in the pots and add ample amounts of Superphosphate in the soil. Phosphorus, the 2nd # in fertilizer formulas, it promote and stimulate root and plant growth. it encourages flower and fruit production. i also use superphosphate in all the plants i grow around here. the 1st time, i planted lilium, i took notes on their growing and blooming habit. todate, they have been true to their behavior all these 4 yrs. i've grown them. oh, almost forgot, i foliar feed with MG 15-10-15 once a week throughout their growing season.

i have posted the other links, thinking the other url might shed a hint or two. observe ur plants, in observing they will be giving u clues here and there of how they will perform. good luck.

You've hit the nail on the head. Things are different in zone 9 and lots of good advice for the rest of the country is bad advice for me. This is why I posted here, hoping to get some 'first hand experience' advice.

I'm growing some true lilies for the first time myself, Asiatics, Orientals and trumpets. Most, especially the Oriental, are not recommended for my area due to the heat. I'll be taking careful note of how each behaves, because I know I can't rely on the information out there. "Blooms late summer" might mean "blooms in spring" or "shrivels up and dies before it ever blooms" in my zone. I've grown Easter Lilies for a few years now, and I know just when they bloom, just when they start to die back. They have been very consistent for me.

Unless I get different info, I'm going to go with my instinct, and wait until the foliage comes and goes before dividing my spider lilies. Tho, if those that haven't shown up don't make an appearance soon, I'm going to have to go digging around for them ...

Cheri'

Cherí,

basing from personal experiences growing lilium, as previously mentioned i do repot each spring or very late fall. depending on how they reached dormancy.

all the asiatics i grow do come true to blooming around May or June. whereas oriental do come around late June to early August.

where i am situated, we get a max. of 10*F during winter season, and 110*F in the peak of summer. i found both asiatic and oriental loves the cold, cold winter and hot, hot summer to perform real well. am not at all familiar with ur area. probably in ur case, u need to refrigerate ur bulbs & bulbils [baby bulbs] soon as they go into dormancy. then plant in the springs. just guessing as i am not so familiar with other areas temperatures.

i have noticed that when the bulbs get the coldest winter is when there is profusion of blooms the following flowering season.

another note to take into consideration, after the bulbs finished blooming, u need to feed MG 15-30-15, at least twice a week, until the leaves turns yellow and die. this is a critical time. others will ignore it, but it is critical cause this is the time the bulbs are storing food for the next season's growth or blooming success.

plants i believe can grow anywhere, provided u give them the right growing medium and care. here in the desert, my neighbors think i have gone bunkers for growing the plants i grow. then the surprise is on them when they smell lovely fragrance at night, and see lovely blooms during the daytime. hth.

This message was edited Thursday, Sep 4th 1:41 PM

That's wonderful, MaVieRose! I'm sure your place must be a desert oasis. I can just imagine the fragrance.

Our winter temps rarely dip below 30ºF, and then not for more than a night or two in a row. Ground temps don't get to freezing, except once every ten years or so. Our summer temps are not as hot as yours, usually in the upper 90's - but with humidity to match. I think that's the real problem, the humidity. And we get LOTS of rain, all year round.

My Easter Lilies have stood it well. I fed them osmocote when I planted them in their pot three years ago, and they get MG through out the summer. (not so much this summer, as the rain would not stop long enough for me to get out and MG anything!) Also, they get fresh potting soil and osmocote added to the pot, every year. And the pot is mulched with oak leaves. They have been outside the whole time and bloom profusely the first two weeks of May. They are just about finished dying back, now. I always let them die all the way back.
I started with 3 tiny bulbs and now have 8 huge plants! I'll be dividing them when they are finished dying back this year, and transplanting some to my new garden. If the new Orientals and Trumpets don't do as well, I'll take them in and refrigerate the bulbs next winter.

Cheri'

i fertilize my liliums with a bulb fertilizerd 3 times a year. in the early spring, even before they have started to push there little heads up out of the soil. 2-3 months later, before they blossom and again after they are done blossoming. if they are still green 2-3 months after blooming, i will give them some more fertilizer. the longer they are alive and producing energy, they are storing for the new year, the main bulb is getting larger and staying healthy and they are also able to produce and nurture the bulbettes that give me more of these beautiful lilies.
i occasionally will fertilize with miracle grow type of fertilizer, but not as a regular feeding program, as you do mavie. i can definetely see the advantage though to them taking in the nutrients through there leaves.
i used superphosphate when planting my new liliums this year from the co-op, and found good results. thank you for the heads up on that.
i find in my gardens, that the lilies will bloom at different times depending on if they are in full sun or partial shade. so i can definately see how 3 or 4 zones can make a huge difference in bloom time.
i have a pot of lilies dh gave me for mothers day. the main stem has gone, but now i have small green growth of the new bulbettes. :) they'll all go in the ground soon.