Little Bulblets

I put in many bulbs (about 400) last year in mainly two large groupings. Now bulbs are coming up but around many of the bulbs are these teeny tiny little lily leaflets growing. I pulled on one of them and it is attrached to a very small bulblet. Really, really small. What should I do? Should I pull them up? Just snap off the top growth?

I would leave them, keep them covered with a bit of soil and let them multiply. Unless of course, you don't want anymore lilies. Asiatics multiple the fastest and some LAs do as well. Orientals can take many years to do so, if any at all.

So, it looks like you have done nicely and will just be getting more out of your plantings. Congratulations.

These can't be bulbs splitting and muliplying. I have never had anything like it before. They are too small. And yes, they do happen to be mostly were I put the asiatics.

Check out this information on the North American Lily Society website under Stem bulblets. This is what you are seeing!
http://www.lilies.org/propagation.html

This message was edited Apr 15, 2009 7:34 PM

Thanks for providing that link Mainiac. It's funny how once you get into a plant, how you may start to see all sorts of things that are happening, that you may not have noticed before. Multiplication is good, especially if you love lilies ;)

Little babies are a good thing!

Congrats Rita, that just means your Lilies are happily multiplying and happy with their home. Those babies will often reach blooming size in just a couple of years. I typically just leave them be.

This is very puzzelling to me. How could a bulb divide into little specks? And that is what they are, little specks. Weird.

NYRita - I'd be willing to bet that you were kinda small when you started out. Delivering a full grown human would be a little rough on the mother!

Are they concentrated around where last years stems were?

They are pretty much all over the place but only on the Asiatics. Nothing on the orientals. I was just out there peering at them again.

Oh, now that's a different story. Almost sounds like seedlings, but I've never seen that happen. Did they go to seed?

Would it be possible to take a picture of them?

Three possibilities.

1)If these areas were void of any lilies prior to planting in fall 2008, then:

Some of the bulbs you planted partially rotted, so the growing point was destroyed. Remaining healthy scales (part of the original bulb) then initiated new tiny bulblets, producing what you see. Biologically speaking. they begin with a single cell (smaller than a speck) and grow on to various sizes.
See Mainiac's link:
http://www.lilies.org/propagation.html
under the section "Scales".


2)If some lily bulbs were present in the areas before planting in fall 2008, then:

Remember Mainiac's link
http://www.lilies.org/propagation.html
What you have are stem bulblets. They are not divisions of a larger bulb, but are new bulblets originating along the lily stem above the main bulb, and most often are nearer the surface than close to the mother bulb. Biologically speaking. they begin with a single cell (smaller than a speck) and grow on to various sizes. These stem bulblets would have been unknowingly scattered around by you as you planted new bulbs.


3)If (2) is true, it could be a combination of both scenarios.

Edited because there is no such word as voild.


This message was edited Apr 16, 2009 10:21 PM

I planted them in spring of 2008. No bulbs were there whatsoever before. I did not plant anything in the fall. I think as the lilies come up more, it might make it clearer to me. That is, I will be able to see if there is a mother bulb or only the little specklets in those spots in the rows.

I have only had anything that looks like this once before and that was little baby plants coming up around my tiger lilies. Since the tiger lilies make those little "seeds" all along the stem I am sure some of those fell off and started growing.

When I was cleaning up my beds for spring, I gently pulled out one of last years bloom stalk stubs from Trumphator. It had several tiny baby bulbs attached to it. Stuck them back in & didn't pull out any more of the stubs.

This is what Yudi's tiger lily did this year (the one he planted last year) it was covered with bulbils to begin with and then I had him, let it go to seed as I do with just about everything in my garden. The birds have to eat something. Now we have babies all over (I mean ALLover ) the front. He's tickled of course. As soon as I get clothes on (we had a late night, Passover wasn't finished until after 10) I'll snap some pictures.

By the way, lots of "green onions" in the back. Won't rip them out this year thanks to you guys.

Yehudith

Rita,

Do they look like this? These are from the tiger lily my son planted last summer.

Some do look like those one leaf babies. Any of those I tugged on came up very easily with a tiny bulblet. They seemed to be close to the surface. Others look more like a normal lily plant but just in various sizes if small. Those don't seem to want to come up with gentle pulling so I don't know what they are attached to. Will get out my camera in a day or two to take pictures. I have just been too busy with all the things need doing in my garden this spring to do it yet.

mattsmom~
I was reading this thread with great interest because this early spring as I was gently rocking and pulling up the old stalks from one of my lilies that had been left over the winter, I found that it had a bunch of one leaved tiny mini-bulbs attached to and around it. I thought this thread might help me know what to do, what they were and why they formed. Guess which Lily this was --- Triumphator! What are the odds that out of all the lilies out there, and all the ones the two of us probably grow, that we both had this happen to old stalks of the same lily? LOL Small world sometimes :-) I thought that was so funny to be reading along and come to your post - I thought for a second I had already posted my comment - of course I 'm gettin' old and my memory these days....UGH!!

Great thread Rita!! And thanks for the great info and links Leftwood!

Jamie

Jamie, I wonder if this is common with Triumphator. Mine has multiplied like crazy already. It has only been in the ground for two seasons & I see 12 noses comming up. She is a very good mommy here! Triumphator multiplies like an asiatic it seems. How does yours do? Becky

I think that is typical of Triumphator, its also multiplied well in my garden. I think that is a longiflorum trait coming through.

I have lots of lilies, don't really know much about their habits though! I am trying to learn. You have all been so helpful in that.

LOs (longiflorum/orientals) tend to multiply readily. It's nice because one bulb will turn into a blooming colony in just a few years. The LOs perfume is just superb too. I would say that most LAs (longflorum/asiatic) have the same multiplication quality, only magnified ;) Gotta love that.

Becky~
It actually has done a good bit of multiplying here too! Not as well as yours, but 3 bulbs planted in 2006 are 8- 9 lilies now although a couple are really small and won't bloom for probably another year! I am planting some of the tiny little bulbs found on the stem in pots ...will see how they do. I would guess it takes a good couple years for such a tiny little thing to grow and bloom, but I have a lot of people compliment that particular Lily when in bloom, so will always have people who will take them off my hands!! I also grow a good many lilies Becky, but am really new to learning thier specific traits and habits, like which kinds are rapid multipliers, which ones more slow etc.... I am amazed at how well some of the Asiatics multiply! I have spots where 3 bulbs planted 3 years ago are 15+ plants poking through the soil. I will definitely have to dig these clumps and divide as they must be so crowded in those spots! Would Fall be the time to do this, or should I do it now? They are up 1-6 inches and growing strong!! We are still cool in the evenings, with lots of rain for another month or two....Would you leave well enough alone for this season as they are in active growth? I have never had any bulb multiply as well as some of these Lilies. It is amazing how with so little care after planting they just do thier thing and then give back in such abundance!! I am so hooked on Lilies -- which of course means I have way too many on my "WANT" list!! LOL :-) This forum is amazingly helpful, and I find myself checking in on it more and more as the season progresses!

Have a great day!
Jamie

Oh yes Jamie and you are in lily country! It's an exceptionally great thing to love when you live where you do.

I prefer to dig lilies in the fall. When you do, dig carefully. Then I think at least you stay on the plants natural cycle. They are trying to grow and flower for us now, so although you could divide now, fall would be the best.

Magnolialover~
It makes that it would be best to dig and divide them in the fall - thanks for the quick response!! I think some of them may be a little crowded this summer, but lily bulbs do seem to be able to make room for themselves as they multiply - at least for a few years. As long as they were initially planted with good space between them. The first year I grew lilies, I dug a hole that was as deep as the lily book I had at the time said was correct, but I didn't pay attention to spacing between the bulbs. I put them practically right next to each other - planted like 6-8 big bulbs in a hole as big around as a large dinner plate....they were just crammed in there like sardines. Needless to say I learned my lesson and now give them plenty of "elbow room" when planting! :-)

Thanks again! Will dig them in fall - maybe to trade for some others I have to have!! :-}
Jamie

Hers what they looked like. Sorry to be so late with the picture :-(( See some of the little leaves in the front?

Yep, that is increase from stem bulblets. Lilies are notorious for sprouting a few inches away from where the bulb was set, then you get the babies throughout the area. Those babies start blooming in just 2 or 3 years, so it doesn't take long to have a colony of Lilies :-)

Yep, those lilies are little tricksters. 2 years ago when everything froze, my lilies when into reproduction overdrive resulting in huge clumps of bulblets.

I dug a bulb for a trade and came up with this ~ so many bulblets from previous stems that the original bulb sent the large shoots to the outside.

I have them in a row back there, I can't have them trying to multiply like
rabitts :-(( No room there for that. I weeded out the tiny tiny bulbs so
as to leave the room for the bigger bulbs from last years original plantings.