freezing oriental lily bulbs, any experience with this?

I can get a really good deal on some oriental lilies that are precooled. All of the information I've read on the net says that they can be frozen around 28 degrees and thawed slowly for forcing later. Has anyone had any experience with this?
I've had good experience with orientals as potted plants for market sales, but never tried to freeze them. Just planted as soon as they were received. Since I have access to a good deal right now, I was thinking of purchasing a larger quantity to stage across the season.
If anyone has experience, I'd love your thoughts on this.
Thanks in advance!

No experience here, but . . . . .
How would you freeze them at around that temperature?
A freezer is low to mid teens temperature.

The only thing I remember reading is that bulbs must be slightly dehydrated before freezing. I think something like down to 80% of the original weight. I will try to remember where I read that.

Andy

I am sure Andy is right in that they do lose some water, and/or at least move water around within the tissue to prepare for cold temperatures. It will be important that you also slowly acclimate the bulbs to freezing temps too.

I've never frozen them, but I did purchase various lily bulbs in the spring, kept them in the fridge at approx 36 degrees, and just potted some up for Christmas bloom. They are doing well so far. The ones I have left in the fridge for later spring potting have shown no signs of sprouting yet.


I am sure my wholesaler would answer your question. Here's his name and info. Jeffrey is a very big help to me in my sales of lilies.

Ednie Flower Bulb

37 Fredon-Marksboro Road
Fredon, NJ 07860-5014

Contact: Jeff Den Beejen
Phone: (973) 940-2700
Fax: (973) 940-2839
email: info@ednieflowerbulb.com

This message was edited Nov 24, 2008 12:34 AM

Well Sandy,

What did you decide to do? And please let us know how it turned out.

I haven't done anything yet. I'm still trying to get more information. I'd hate to spend like $500 on lily bulbs and not have good results. I'm going to call that man from Ednie and get back to you.

I've been waiting til now to throw my 2 cents in. Last fall I had some baby lily bulbs that I had potted up in the spring and left outside to grow. They were really packed in an old plastic shoebox with the attitude of if you live great if not "such is life". They grew beautifully, but I didn't get them in before they froze in the late fall. I moved them into the fridge in the garage and there they stayed until a few weeks ago. The ones at the very bottom had rotted because the soil was wringing wet, but the ones in the top layer were ok so I planted them in individual pots. As of yesterday they were all sprouting and looking lovely. It seems the main trick is to keep the soil moderately moist and to thaw them slowly, but to make sure they dry out some. The ones in the bottom were mini scuba divers.

Yehudith

Yehudith, did you get moved yet?

Unfortunately not. My husband's transfer is supposed to come through in June now. Just as well, we're trying to get both houses on the market and my son in school in Toronto. He went for a visit and just loves it. We had to force him in the car to come home, he just wanted to ditch his old school and stay there. The head master wasn't doing anything to disuade him by the way. You should see his lillies he planted last year. The boy has a green thumb! His tiger lillies have more than multiplied. They've sent up tons of sprouts and seeded all over the front bed. Little tiny lillie leaves all over the place. And he made me promise to dig everyone of them and bring them with me to Detroit, including the other 20 he planted along side the house.

Most of the lillies are potted up from my white garden. Now I have to do the ones from the lillie and peony bed I planted last year and the ones from the rose garden. Then come the hydrangeas, hostas, solomons seal, ariseamea, trilliums etc, etc, etc. Lord and we plan to be gone by July!!!
'

You have enough time to be able to get what you want potted up, if you don't eat or sleep. ;) Just kidding. You'll do fine! :)

Tickker
Here's a pic of my sweetie at his new school with his friends. He's the little one to the far right. Okay, I know he's not a lilly, but he is cute and has very long stems.

He is a cutie. :)

Sandy, Fridge, yes. Freezer, no. From everything that I have read, Orientals need to be protected from freezing during the Winter. I put all of my Fall bought bulbs in the fridge for 8-10 weeks, so at least the first time around they go into my garden they have had a good chill. I tried a short freeze on some bulbs that I had taken from pots, so that I could get them into the ground sooner. Well they went into the trash, sooner.

Most lily bulbs that are hardy in zone 5 or colder can freeze, but that is not the same as a freezer, that abruptly freezes to a temp of usually 15F or so. Zone 4 and 5 soils will never get that cold to the depth where a lily bulb would reside.

Freezing a bulb, as opposed to refrigerating, will not produce a shorter cold treatment. Even if the bulb would survive, the effect would be a need for a longer time in the freeze.

The changes that take place that are lumped together as the cold treatment happen most quickly at the 35-40F range. Significantly colder than that and the processes practically come to a stop.