When to dig up lilies after flowering and when to plant

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-18 00:05

Wild locust lilies perfectly tolerate Siberian frosts down to -40 ° С. They can be planted in the garden and forgotten. But garden beauties are more capricious. Consider when to dig up lilies after flowering and when to plant outdoors.

Do I need a dig for the winter

Lily generally tolerates cold well. It is better not to disturb the flowers again. However, some groups of lilies in the Russian Federation need to be dug up.

They tolerate winters well in the middle lane:

1. Asian hybrids.
2. OA hybrids.
3. OT hybrids.
4. Aircraft hybrids.
5. Lilia daurskaya.
6. Lily Martagon.

Candidium and royal lily overwinter well under cover.

Sensitive to cold or temperature extremes:

1. Oriental hybrids.
2. Tubular.
3. American.

Oriental varieties are not afraid of frost. However, they are highly susceptible to wetting, which is why gardeners usually prefer to save the tender bulbs. If the place is dry enough, there is no risk of standing water in the spring, they can be left in the ground.

Lilies are also dug up to separate the babies from the mother's bulb. Plants that are cramped grow and bloom worse, their underground parts become smaller. Asian species grow faster than others, they are separated once every 2 years.

Commercial growers scoop up flowers annually, regardless of the group.

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Digging time

The earliest time to dig up lilies for transplanting or storage is 30-40 days after flowering. If you hurry, you can get the bulbs depleted by flowering. The recovered specimens will be tight, dense.

To be sent for wintering, the bulbs are dug out before the onset of frost or unstable damp weather. In most regions of Russia, this period is until mid-September. In warmer regions, you can postpone digging for another 2 weeks. But by October 1, the bulbs of almost all groups should be harvested.

Terms of transplanting and digging lilies for different regions:

Region	Beginning of period	End
Moscow region, Central Russia	August 15	1 october
Ural, Siberia	August 15	September 15th
Krasnodar, South Russia	25-th of August	15th of November
Leningrad region	August 15	September 25

In the northern regions, they are dug earlier than in the southern ones. The timing must be adjusted taking into account:

1. Features of the climate in the current year. You should not keep the planting material in the ground if the fall is damp and cold.
2. Features of the site. In dry and elevated places, the digging can be postponed a little.
3. Type and variety of a flower. The features of the various groups are shown in the table. Dates are indicated for the middle band. For other regions, they shift.

Group of lilies	Optimal digging period
Asian	August 15 - October 31
Martagon	August 15 - September 1
LA hybrids	August 15 - October 1
OT hybrids	August 31 - September 15

The white lily has a special development cycle. Immediately after flowering, she retires. Therefore, it is dug up as soon as the flowers have withered. This usually occurs in mid-July.

Oriental hybrids are a complex group. They are considered to be quite gentle, but modern varieties are quite resistant. This does not negate the long growing season.

You should focus on your own situation. If the plant has bloomed late and the fall is dry, it is best to dig it up as late as possible. Even in Siberia, the best time is October. The bulbs will have time to gain strength.

However, it is important to keep an eye on the weather. Eastern hybrids are not afraid of dry coolness, but unstable weather with frosts, dampness, short-term thaws will destroy them.

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What to do if I did not have time to transplant, is it possible in November

The timing of transplanting lilies is not hard. If autumn is favorable, planting can be delayed a little. The group must also be taken into account.

Asian hybrids in the Krasnodar Territory and other warm regions can be transplanted in November, while October will be the deadline for eastern hybrids. If you did not manage to plant them before November, it is better to just put them in the refrigerator until spring.

In Siberia, with its harsh continental climate, the weather may be suitable for both groups until early November, but only in some years.

In the Leningrad region, in general, no lilies should be planted in November. The only suitable month for all lilies in this region is September, and only Asian lilies can be delayed until the first decade of October.

How to properly dig up lilies

Instructions from gardeners:

1. Lilies pinch the ovaries. It is better not to remove the leaves, let them dry naturally.
2. Dig nests with a large clod of earth so as not to hurt the bulbs.
3. They touch the earth with their hands, gently shake it off the planting material.
4. It is examined, damaged, rotten bulbs are removed.
5. Washed in running water.
6. Soak in an average solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes.
7. Spread out on a cotton cloth, allow moisture to drain.
8. Lay out to dry. It is best to do this in mesh boxes, in a shaded, well-ventilated area, turning over from time to time.
9. The stems are cut after drying.

Storage

The bulbs are placed in containers, covered with slightly moistened moss or sprinkled with peat soil. Store at a temperature of + 1 … + 5 ° C in a dry room.

Outdoor wintering

Most lilies do not require additional shelter, a snow cover of 10 cm or more is enough. But if there is a risk of severe snowless frosts, the planting sites are sprinkled with dry peat, needles or covered with spruce branches.

The winter shelter is removed at the same time as the snow melts. If you hurry, young shoots can damage the frost. If you are late, the sprouts will be pale and elongated.

Landing in open ground in the fall

Autumn is the best time to plant a flower. After flowering and dormancy, the bulbs enter a recovery and winter preparation phase. In autumn, as a rule, the optimum temperature is and there is time for the plant to have time to form the underground part. In addition, the bulb is at rest.

Therefore, there is no significant disadvantage of spring planting, when the plants, sensing the heat, quickly wake up and begin to grow. Meeting with unfavorable conditions during this period will ruin the future flower bed. Plants will be weak, expressionless.

In autumn, there are no such risks: the bulb is planted in a dormant state and in the near future is "busy" with one thing - rooting, which in bulbous plants is better carried out at low temperatures. When planting in spring, the flower has two tasks at the same time:

• rooting;
• the growth of the ground part.

For spring planting, it is better to choose the strongest, sturdy planting material.

The period for autumn planting of lily bulbs is mid-September to mid-October. Soil temperature - 10 ° C. The specific terms depend on the flower group, region, summer growth conditions.

The more unfavorable the summer was, the more energy was expended on the bulb. A dry or unstable summer means it has been slow to accumulate nutrients and will form later than usual. Landing in this case is carried out a little later.

Warm, relatively dry summers, nutritious soil, top dressing and timely watering contribute to the fact that the bulbs form earlier. Planting can be done in September.

You can check the readiness of the bulb for planting by touch. It should be tight and elastic.

Spring planting is poorly tolerated by some groups. It is preferable to plant a snow-white lily, canadian, curly, Hanson, Shovitsa in the fall.

Summer transfer

In case of emergency, you can transplant lilies during flowering. These flowers tolerate handling well. A flower with a lump of earth is transferred to another place.

When to plant lilies outdoors in spring

Lilies are planted in open ground, taking into account the fact that the plant will take time to grow the root system. The optimal period for the middle zone is April, when the threat of frost has passed, but dry and warm weather has not yet been established. Soil temperature - from 7 ° C to 15 ° C.

Landing at a later date, for example, in May, is unfavorable. The lily will not have time to form enough roots to properly nourish the flowers. As a result, they will exist only due to the nutrients of the bulb itself. Such planting material will be depleted by autumn, and flowering will be weaker. Late planted flowers are more likely to get sick.

Let's look at a specific example of when to dig lilies from the LA hybrids group after flowering and when to plant them in open ground in the Moscow region. Summer turned out to be unfavorable, and autumn was dry. The plot is medium in height.

In this case, it is better to wait with the transplant, giving the bulbs more time to recover from flowering, and carry out the procedure at the end of September. Bulbs of LA hybrids tolerate the winters of the Moscow region well, therefore autumn planting is better.

After digging, examining and dividing the overgrown nests, the bulbs are immediately planted, or they are briefly stored in a cool place, covered with moss. If the fall is warm, LA hybrids can be planted even at the beginning of October, although this is already a risky period.

If spring planting is preferable, then the bulbs are sent for further storage in a refrigerator or cellar and taken out only in April. Until the end of April, they are planted in open ground.

Outcomes

The most important points about digging lilies for transplanting or storage:

1. The bulbs are dug up a month after flowering, from mid-August to late September.
2. The optimal time for transplanting is from mid-August to early October.
3. The exact timing of planting depends on the lily group, region. The colder it is, the earlier the procedure is carried out. The most time-tolerant group is Asiatic lilies; in warm regions they can be transplanted even in October-November.
4. Autumn planting is preferable, but spring planting also has advantages.
5. In the spring, lily bulbs are planted in April.