Asiatic Lily Problem, Please Help!

hi there guys,
i bought a box of mixed asiatic lilies at my local sams. when i got them home and opened the package, i found that they had all sprouted. some of the white sprouts were fairly long, over 6 inches. anyway, i have never grown lilies and had a few questions. i went ahead and planted them 6 inches deep, some had the tops sticking out of the ground. first, will the early sprouting hurt this years bloom? second, one of the tops of the sprout broke off. i looks like it was baby buds and leaves. i went ahead and planted it, but am i just out of luck on that one, or will it develope a new bud? i dont know why i even bothered to get these, i have so many nice ones coming from the coops on this site. thanks for any info you might have.

tracie

Tracie, I've planted lilies that were sprouting before, as it is often the case from box store bulbs because they're stored in warmth. They will be stunted this year, but you'll still see blooms on most and next year they'll perform as they should. The one with the broken sprout will most likely live, but you won't see any growth from it this season. With lilies, often the bulb will be recovering underground for a year, then show back up next year.

hey there,
thanks for the info. when you say "stunted" how stunted are we talking? also, the prechilled bulbs that i am getting from your coop, do you expect them to grow and flower this year or will they take a year to settle in? i know this sounds crazy, but i rent the house that i am in and i have planted tons of daylilies, bulbs, etc. i plan on staying there, probably for many years, but hate to plan too far into the future. thanks again, am looking forward to my lilies from you! :-)

tracie

Typically when I've planted sprouting bulbs, the plant has only reached 8-12" the first year.

The bulbs I got from our co op source a couple of years ago all bloomed and nearly reached full height the first year. They cater to a lot of cut flower growers and greenhouse operations that sell blooming, potted plants, so they have to guarantee blooms the first year :-)

OMG, 8 to 12 inches! i planted them all in the back of the beds! lol oh well, hopefully my pygmy babies will be pretty. good to know about the bulbs i will be recieving from you. thanks again

tracie