Even before our era, lilies became a symbol of purity of thoughts and closeness to God among the Greeks, wealth and success - among the ancient Romans, royal power - among the French. Each prosperous merchant, official or patrician in ancient Rome, these flowers grew near the house, making it clear to others about the wealth of its owner.
Thanks to the French, lilies began to be cultivated, grown everywhere and used both for home decoration, clothes, and hairstyles. Already in those days, people knew how to propagate lilies.
Bulk propagation
Nowadays, almost every summer resident on the plot has a flower bed with lilies, and it is clear why. These beautiful flowers have a pleasant aroma, beautiful large buds, they are unpretentious in care, bloom for a long time, and even a novice florist will be able to figure out how to propagate lilies.
Unlike other flowers, lilies offer their owners a choice of several reproduction methods at once. The most common and simplest is the reproduction by stem bulbs and “babies”.
To understand how to propagate lilies with bulbs, it is necessary to determine which varieties they grow. Bulbs are formed in the axils of the leaves of lilies such as tiger, sargent, sulfur and bulbous.
Bulbs on the stems are formed during the "ripening" of the bud in early June, during the summer they form, ripen and crumble in late August. The process of reproduction by bulbs involves the following actions:
- Sand or garden soil is poured into prepared boxes mixed with sand, slightly moistened.
- The collected bulbs "stick" into the ground at 3-5 cm depth at a distance of 10 cm from each other.
- For the winter, boxes with planting material are placed in a cool dark place where the temperature does not drop below 0 degrees.
- In spring, the bulbs are brought into the light and planted in open ground, where in a year or two of them you get real bulbs that can be transplanted to a permanent flower bed.
In such varieties of lilies, such as bulbous, long-flowered, saffron and Taiwanese, the formation of stem bulbs can be artificially caused. To do this, you can bend and sprinkle the stem with earth or cut it almost to the base and put it in water, after which, after 1.5-2 months, bulbs are formed in the axils of its leaves.
Reproduction by "children"
One of the options for how to propagate lilies can be planting bulb children. This method is carried out every 3-4 years, when the time comes to transplant flowers to a new place.
During this period, several “babies” are formed on the mother’s bulb, which can easily separate if they are ripe for a transplant. This is easy to verify by swiping your fingers over them. If the baby bulbs do not separate when touched, then it is too early to use them.
If you do not know how to propagate lilies in the fall, remember: there is no better way than “kids” and bulbs. The daughter bulbs should be placed in boxes with earth until the spring, and as soon as the heat is established, transplanted into open ground.
Reproduction by scales
In addition to bulbs and bulbs, there is another popular way to propagate lilies - with scales. These are peculiar “petals” at the base of the bulb, which can be carefully torn from it without digging the plant itself. It is enough to expose the onion and “remove” several scales from it.
This process of lily propagation takes 2-3 years, but the resulting bulbs will be strong, healthy and will give a high "yield". The step-by-step actions of reproduction of lily by scales are as follows:
- You can separate from the mother’s bulb no more than a third of the scales, and it is better if they are near its bottom.
- A mixture of garden soil and sand (3: 1) is poured into the container and small pits are prepared.
- Planting material is placed in the holes to a depth of 2/3 of the height of the scales and sprinkled with a substrate.
- Prepared containers are covered with a film or transparent glass to form a greenhouse effect, spray the soil as it dries.
- In a warm place after 2-3 months, when the roots and "babies" grow on the scales, they are transplanted into separate pots.
- Until next spring, scales develop in their new containers at a temperature of + 5-10 degrees, and with the onset of heat, the "children" are separated and transplanted into temporary beds for "ripening".
Thus, after 2-3 years, a full onion is obtained. This type of reproduction gives the largest coefficient, since from one flake up to 4 new bulbs are formed. This means that flakes removed from a single mother’s bulb can produce between 15 and 150 new bulbs.
Propagation by cuttings
There are varieties (regale, brindle, white) in which the development of bulbs is slow, so there is no better way how to propagate lilies by cuttings.
To do this, you must:
- Prepare a container with peat crumb with humus and sand.
- Cut leaves with a “heel” or just separate it at the base of the bulb.
- Stick the planting material at an angle to the prepared soil and cover with a film.
- Sprinkle or sprinkle sprouts immediately after planting.
A month later, onions are formed in the axils of the leaf, and the roots will sprout at the stem. Bulbs can be separated after ripening and planted separately for growing. Boxes with sprouts should be kept warm, and if planting material was planted immediately in open ground, then for the winter it needs to be carefully covered and insulated.
Such a simple way can be mastered even by beginner gardeners wondering if lilies can be propagated by cuttings.
Bulb reproduction
This method is used by more experienced flower growers, as it requires attention and skills, namely:
- to be able to carefully dig out the root without damaging it or the stem;
- shake off the ground and cut stalks secateurs 15-20 cm above the horse system;
- very carefully separate the bulbs from the "nest" and trim the old roots to their base, and shorten the young and strong by 15-20 cm;
- check the bulbs for damage and rot.
In this type of reproduction, all work must be carried out either on a cloudy day or in the shade. Selected healthy bulbs should be covered with moistened gauze before planting, and then planted immediately on a prepared permanent flower bed.
Seed propagation
Among the lilies there are rapidly growing varieties (Daurian, long-leaved, luxurious, golden, drooping and others), which form seed boxes, so the question of how to propagate lilies of this kind is not posed. They are propagated by seeds.
- To do this, they are sown in boxes with earth and put in a greenhouse or room for germination.
- As soon as the first sprouts appear, the air temperature should be lowered to +15 degrees.
- With the advent of the first sheet, the temperature is increased to +20 degrees.
- After the complete formation of the first leaf, the lily is transplanted into boxes up to 10 cm deep, and with the establishment of heat (in April), these boxes are buried in open ground.
In order for the bulb to grow faster, it is better to immediately find a shaded place and bury the boxes with seedlings there.
Selection of planting material
To plant a lily for the first time, it is better to contact specialized stores and purchase healthy bulbs.
When buying, you need to check their roots, bottom and scales for damage and rot. If the roots are dried, then they can be safely removed, and the bulbs themselves can be planted in moist soil. New roots will appear quickly.