Some summer cottage owners prefer to plant perennial crops on their plots. Lilies are very popular. They amaze with their rich variety, sophistication and beauty. To make them glad with lush flowering, you need to know how to care for lilies in the country. Consider what you need to do during the spring and summer, starting with the planting of this plant.
Features of planting lilies
Experienced gardeners recommend growing together several bulbs of the same variety. Transplantation can be done once every four years, otherwise growth will noticeably worsen. And it is advisable to do this in the autumn. But spring planting has its advantages. A new plant will have time to please with good growth and flowering. The risk of bulb death during the winter is reduced. Spring plantings can be dug up in the fall and stored in the refrigerator so that they do not freeze and get wet.
It is also important to consider how to plant in the country and take care of lilies of one variety or another. For example, North American species are recommended to be planted in the fall, and plants with late flowering in the spring. In addition, the climatic conditions of the region are important. So, if the summer is long and warm, then it is rational to plant in the spring. If it is cold and short, then it is better to do this in mid-autumn, otherwise the flowers will appear no earlier than next year. In central Russia, seedlings are usually planted in April.
Preparing planting material
In spring, it is better to give preference to bulbs with small shoots. They should not be rot, mold, stains and other signs of disease. To protect the seedlings from damage by various fungi and bacteria, they carry out a disinfectant treatment. To do this, first, all planting material is carefully washed with ordinary water, and then lowered into a weak solution of fungicide or potassium permanganate. This is the fundamental foundation and one of the helpful tips on how to care for lilies in the country.
Then the plant is freed from damaged scales and washed thoroughly in several clean waters. After this treatment, the bulbs can be planted in the ground using cut plastic bottles. This is a great mini-greenhouse for fragile and young shoots.
Tillage and soil preparation
Lily as a whole is an unpretentious plant, but it is quite demanding on the soil. It does not tolerate heavy soils, from which growth success suffers greatly. It is better to give preference to loose, well-drained and fertile soil. At the very beginning of spring or even at the end of winter, some preparatory activities can be carried out. In the future, this will greatly facilitate the process of how to care for lilies in the country and grow them.
You should choose a site that is never flooded and is always on the sunny side. Shadow and partial shade are categorically not suitable for this plant. The upper layers of the site are dug up about half a meter in depth. Next, they arrange drainage using river pebbles or gravel for the outflow of moisture. If necessary, fresh soil is brought to the summer cottage.
New or old land is enriched with potassium-phosphorus fertilizer or humus. Manure and other organic matter cannot be used. If the soil is characterized by high acidity, then it must be reduced. To do this, make dolomite flour, wood ash or chalk. Adding foundationazole to the soil will additionally protect lilies from diseases. It is also important to keep the earth moist before planting.
Planting lilies in the country
Before caring for lilies in the country, you need to make a competent landing. The depth of the pits depends on the type of soil. The lighter it is, the deeper the hole will be. The type of plant also matters. Tall flowers are usually planted to a depth of 12-20 centimeters. In this case, it is important to maintain a thirty-centimeter interval between the bulbs. For undersized lilies, a depth of 8-12 centimeters will be good. The interval between them should be approximately 15-20 centimeters. If the plant has a well-developed root system, then five more centimeters should be added to these values.
Experienced gardeners note that it is important not to overdo it with deepening bulbs. If it is redundant, then the lilies will not bloom even after a few years and they will have to be transplanted to a new place. It is recommended to lay the bulbs on a barrel. According to numerous observations, so they multiply much faster. If rodents constantly live in the summer cottage, then it is better to plant flowers in a metal mesh or special baskets.
Primary feeding
The first feeding is one of the most important stages of how to care for lilies in the country in the spring. As a rule, wood ash, ammonium nitrate or nitroammophoska are applied as fertilizers to the soil. One thing is to be more careful about the frequency and dosage when feeding. Since an excess of nutrients, as well as their lack, is detrimental to plants. The most harmless additive can be called wood ash. It can be made up to six times per season. It not only creates a favorable environment for good growth, but also protects flowers from pests and mold.
Features of watering lilies
Even if you prepare and feed the soil in advance and correctly, but do not take care of its moisture from the moment of planting the bulbs, then all efforts can go down the drain. Flowering will either be scarce or not at all. If you want to know how to properly care for lilies in the country, do not neglect competent watering of the plant.
It is recommended immediately after planting to properly moisten the soil. But this is not enough. It is important to observe regular watering throughout the season. At the same time, neither water stagnation nor soil overdrying should be allowed. Otherwise, it will inhibit the development of lilies and adversely affect flowering.
It is most effective to irrigate in the morning or afternoon using a root method. But you need to try so that the water does not fall on the leaves. The fact is that excessive moisture on them or even splashes can contribute to the appearance of diseases and burns. Experienced gardeners give helpful tips. How to care for lilies in the country and to irrigate without stagnation of water in the ground? A small trick is that you need to mix into the soil rotted sawdust or branches of needles. They do not allow the soil to dry out, holding water in itself. Also, so that the moisture is distributed evenly among the plants, when planting, you must maintain the interval mentioned earlier.
Planting Lilies with Sprouts
With the spring planting of lilies with sprouts, you can guaranteedly get beautiful buds in the summer. For this, the bulbs are first germinated and only then buried in the ground. It is better to do this at the end of May, when the time of frost ends. Of great importance is the degree of development of the sprout. If it is small, then it is planted at the usual depth, which was mentioned earlier. If the sprout is already well developed and even has unfolded leaves, then the bulb should be immersed in the soil shallow, only to the neck. Otherwise, it will not break through the layer of earth and rot.
But with this method, the risk of freezing of lilies in the winter is high. Therefore, it is recommended to transplant in the fall to the usual depth. Also, to prevent freezing, the sprouted bulbs are laid in the ground with a barrel. If it is known about the approaching frosts, then urgent need to take protective measures. Therefore, it is important to know how to care for lilies in the country in such situations. Usually the bushes are abundantly watered with water with the addition of epin. This substance will help plants relieve stress, and moist soil will take on the freeze.
Usually, as soon as the stems appear from the ground, re-feeding is carried out.
Repeated feeding of lilies
Whether abundant and prolonged flowering will please you or not, flowers will mainly depend on how to care for lilies in the country in the spring. Top dressing in this matter is not the last role. They contribute to the accumulation of forces necessary for the successful formation of buds. During this period, the plant is most in need of a large amount of nitrogen. Some flower growers introduce a solution of nitrophosphate into the soil, and after flowering, superphosphate.
Along with fertilizing lilies, it is recommended to carry out the prevention of various diseases. To do this, in May the soil is impregnated with a one percent Bordeaux mixture. The procedure is repeated several times already in mid-summer, treating not only the soil, but also the plant itself. If there are obvious signs of the disease, then top dressing is continued so that the bulbs are additionally saturated with useful substances.
Feeding Features
When applying fertilizers, it is important to know some of the nuances of how to properly care for lilies in the country. Feeding should only be done in warm soil. This is because the root system of the plant needs to absorb beneficial substances that are completely dissolved. Otherwise, they will leave all with meltwater. For example, in central Russia, this period begins in early May. The length of the sprouts acts as an additional signal. It should be at least ten centimeters, and the leaves should deviate from the stem in different directions.
In some cases, fertilizing lilies can, on the contrary, become harmful. This procedure can be carried out only as necessary. Indeed, an excess of minerals slows down the growth of roots and aerial parts of the plant. For example, top dressing is not required in the first years after planting, if the land is fertile enough and not depleted by other green pets.
When and how to feed lilies?
Consider the secrets of growing and how to care for lilies in the country with fertilizers.
In the first year, planted bulbs are fed with organic components. Before planting, humus is introduced into the soil, and then slurry is prepared, which is later watered shoots. Half a liter of fertilizer is usually taken on a bucket of water.
In the second and third year after planting lilies, top dressing is performed with complex mineral compositions. In them, the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium should be 1: 2: 2. Also, after two years of plant life, in addition to mineral fertilizers, it is recommended to use ammonium nitrate. It takes about thirty grams per square meter of land. This substance is fed three times during the lily growing season (after the appearance of sprouts, buds and directly at the flowering stage).
In the third year, they also introduce complex fertilizer. It should consist (per square meter) of twenty grams of superphosphate, twenty-five grams of potassium salt and fifty grams of ammonium nitrate. This procedure is repeated three times in accordance with the growth of lilies.
Features of summer feeding of lilies
Consider how to care for lilies in the country in the summer, because during this period it is most important to maintain the strength of the plant with nutrients and increase its resistance to various diseases.
Most often, flower growers use wood ash to make the plant pleased with its beautiful appearance, bright, plentiful and long flowering. But top dressing with this substance must be carried out regularly and competently. As a rule, a glass of wood ash is taken on a bucket of water. It must be applied once during watering or constantly added in small portions throughout the summer.
During the formation of buds, it is recommended to treat the vegetative parts of lilies with special solutions from various pests. To strengthen the stems and enhance the brightness of flowers in mid-summer, superphosphate with the content of kalimagnesia is introduced into the soil.
It is worth noting that during flowering, it is preferable to use liquid fertilizers. This is due to the fact that granular fertilizers dissolve in water for a very long time, therefore they do not have the desired effect. Fertilizing plants with liquid products is best after good watering.
Do I need to feed after flowering?
Many people wonder how to care for lilies in the country after flowering. First of all, attention should be paid to top dressing. At the end of summer, the bulbs are already beginning to move to the stage of supply of nutrients that will be needed next year for full flowering. To help the lilies regain their strength and easily endure the winter harsh cold, it is recommended to do top dressing. Typically, a decorative plant is fertilized in late summer or early autumn with phosphorus-potassium compounds. Also during this period, potassium magnesia or superphosphate-based top dressing is excellent.
Useful tips for gardeners: how to care for lilies in the country
The spring-summer care of lilies consists of a number of activities that help the plant maintain vitality and beauty.
First of all, they remove the shelters under which the seedlings were kept in the winter. After you need to carefully loosen the soil around the bushes. It is also imperative to do regular watering and apply organic and nitrogen fertilizers in a timely manner. With the advent of buds, the earth is enriched with potassium-phosphorus fertilizing in the form of potassium nitrate, superphosphate or wood ash. When watering, it is important not to touch the leaves so that moisture droplets do not provoke a burn. It is also necessary to weed the weeds and remove the faded buds. Experienced flower growers, in addition to everything, recommend that you mulch the soil around the plant roots with organic materials such as straw, sawdust, leaves or mowed grass.
When and how do flower stalks be cut?
In how to care for lilies in the country and in the garden, pruning is not the last place. This procedure must be carried out in several cases. If the leaves are rotten, dried up or affected by disease, if the flower stalks have faded, when it is time to clean before winter storage. Peduncles must be cut to maintain decorativeness and stop the ripening of seeds. Otherwise, they will take away the forces necessary for growth.
It is recommended to remove parts of the plant at such a level that the leaves sufficiently cover the fresh cut. Such a little trick will help protect him when watering, and the lily will not be susceptible to various diseases.
And how to care for lilies in the country in the fall and late summer? Everything is very simple - you need to wait until all the leaves become sluggish and acquire a pale color, then they can be cut off at a distance of a few centimeters from the soil. So the bulbs are easier to adapt to winter and in the spring they will give young shoots faster.
Some problems
Sometimes flowers do not appear on lilies, and there are several explanations for this. The plant has underdeveloped bulbs or a very young age, there was no dormant period in winter or there was insufficient rest. In these cases, changing the substrate and introducing nutrients into the soil can help. Some gardeners plant lilies in oversized pots. Therefore, the plant begins to grow exclusively in the root, onion and leaf parts. An optimal solution would be a smaller pot.
Yellowed or dried leaves become another common problem. This problem occurs due to thickened plantings, lack of moisture and nutrients. Therefore, you need to plant the bulbs, feed and do regular watering.
Now you know how to care for lilies in the country in the spring and summer. If everything is done correctly, then this luxurious ornamental plant will delight its owners for many years.