Such a bulbous flower as a lily is very popular among gardeners. Sometimes it seems that the fog descended from the sky and created a delicate fragrant flower. Lilies allow you to create bright flower beds in gardens, decorate balconies, make beautiful bouquets, and carry out forcing in winter. Many species of this plant were bred, with various developmental features and adaptability to cold weather. Some frost-resistant varieties are left to winter in flowerbeds, and heat-loving species need to create conditions for wintering. Check out tips for storing winter lily bulbs at home.
Do I need to dig lilies for the winter?
Lily is a very unpredictable culture. She has a moody character. Some gardeners decorate the entire flowerbed with it, others complain about their frequent illnesses and poor wintering. Many people wonder whether it is worth digging out these flowers for the winter or is it enough to just cover them well? First of all, you need to take into account the climatic conditions of the area and the location of the garden.
Some varieties of lilies are quite hardy and tolerate wintering in many cold regions. They are perfectly preserved under high snowdrifts. There are varieties that require special storage conditions.
What varieties should be dug up?
Asian varieties, as well as OT hybrids, tolerate harsh winters. They withstand very low temperatures. Snow will be their best shelter. Oriental hybrid varieties can be easily covered with hay, foliage for winter or placed under caps.
There are very delicate varieties that die from frost, so it’s better to dig them up. These include LA hybrids and tubular lilies. Over the summer, these types of flowers are overgrown with children who are still weak. In the spring, these children will grow to the mother's bulb and will be fed from it.
When to dig bulbs for wintering?
The timing of digging bulbs depends on the variety. The following signs will help determine the best time for this:
- after flowering 2-3 months have passed;
- all leaves are yellowed;
- the foliage began to fade.
Such signs most often appear in the third half of September - early October. At this time, you can safely remove the bulbs from the ground. It is sometimes advised to dig out lilies after the first frost.
Conditions for proper bulb storage and digging
There are several ways to store dug bulbs. The main thing is to consider the following conditions for their savings:
- Bulbs should retain moisture, so do not put them in a too dry room, otherwise they will wrinkle.
- Humidity should not be too high. This will lead to moldiness or premature germination.
- Create the optimal temperature for the bulbs: not too cold and not too warm.
- The storage area should be well ventilated, otherwise the bulbs will begin to hurt and mold.
Dig the bulbs with a shovel, because the hole must be made wide so as not to touch the roots. Carefully peel the dug bulbs from the ground, but do not pick the roots. Rinse them thoroughly under running water, use a hose in the country. Inspect each onion for illnesses and rot. Sick bulbs should be thrown away so that they do not infect other plants. Put all the plant material in a tray and set it for several days to dry in a cool, dark place. It can be a barn or a garage. Do not dry the bulbs in a heated house. The ideal temperature for this would be + 15 or + 20 ° C. After drying, treat the bulbs with fungicidal powder. The material is ready for winter storage!
How to store lily bulbs before planting in spring in peat, compost?
In a favorable environment, dug planting materials are very well preserved. A few recommendations on how to properly store lily bulbs will not hurt you. Very often peat or compost is used for storage. To do this, take a dense plastic bag, poke small holes of 3-4 mm in it. At the bottom of the bag, pour 10 cm of peat litter or compost. From above, next to each other, lay the bulbs without pressing them to the edge of the bag. Sprinkle them on top with the same layer of peat. Then lay the second layer of onions. Fill it up. Once you have laid all the material in this way, tie the bag and place it in a suitable container or box.
It is better to place this box in a cool dry cellar with several ventilation holes. The temperature of such a storage should be from + 1 to + 3 ° C, and humidity - up to 45%. Twice a month, check the condition of the bulbs so that rot and mold do not appear. If you suddenly find mold, remove it from the bulbs with a clean, dry cloth, and then dust it with ash. If you notice a bit of rot, then remove it with a knife, and treat the places of cuts with brilliant green. Bulbs that have been treated, put in storage separately from healthy ones.
There is another interesting way to store lily bulbs in peat until spring. You can plant dug onions in peat pots and put them in the basement. In the spring, about 15 days before planting, take out the pots in a warm room and hold until sprouts hatch. Do not forget to water. Sprouted bulbs can be planted on a flower bed along with pots. Thus, you accelerate the period of plant development.
Use of sawdust, needles
Where to store lily bulbs, except peat and compost? Sawdust or small needles are an excellent material for saving bulbous plants. After you dig and wash the bulbs, they need to be treated with a solution of any fungicide and dried. Then put the onions in cardboard boxes, cover them with dry sawdust or pine needles. Place the boxes in a dry, ventilated cellar until spring.
Storage space
You wonder where to store lily bulbs? Many gardeners manage to do this in the refrigerator. Pre onions are placed in a plastic bag with peat, as described above. The temperature in the refrigerator is constantly regulated, so that the planting material is at rest. The optimum temperature for such a wintering will be from 0 to + 5 ° C. Such a temperature regime will not allow plants to develop and will not allow them to freeze. The only disadvantage of keeping the bulbs in the refrigerator is that they store food products that can produce ethylene gas, which makes breathing difficult for plants.
If you are uncomfortable storing planting material in the refrigerator, place it in a cellar or basement. These options are less suitable, because the temperature regime there is not quite stable.
How to store lily bulbs until planting in spring if there is no basement? Well-insulated containers with planting material, you can save them on the balcony, loggia or in the garage. Place the bulbs in containers, thermal packs, cover with sawdust. After that, additionally wrap the containers with warm clothes. The thickness of the insulation must be a sufficient amount of material so as not to miss severe frosts. Make sure that the balcony does not become too warm, because the flowers can sprout.
Storage in plastic bottles
Lily bulbs dug in the fall can be stored in plastic bottles. To do this, cut off the top of the bottle and make several holes in the bottom. Then pour a mixture of peat with sand and earth into the bottle. Deepen the onion into this soil to a depth of 15 cm. You can add a little sand to the bottom. Place the onion bottles in a cool place where the temperature would not exceed + 10 ° C.
Periodically maintain the moisture content of the soil in the bottles with light irrigation. In late May, transplant the sprouted bulbs into the open ground. To do this, carefully cut the bottom of the bottle, push the plant along with a lump of earth. Before this, prepare a landing hole. Fill the flower with earth, making a tubercle near the stem.
Outdoor storage
Do you know how to store dug bulbs of lilies in the open ground? Particularly daring gardeners resort to this particular storage method. To do this, make a special "house" in the ground. Arranging it is not so difficult:
- Choose a place on the flowerbed where the most snow falls in winter. In winter, it will protect flowers from frost, and in spring, water forms from it.
- Dig a small groove. Strengthen its walls with boards. Such a house should be covered with a lid. You can also make it out of wood.
- Cover the dug ditch with polyethylene. Put the dug lilies there, cover with a lid.
- Put several layers of cardboard on top of the lid, then cover with peat. Apply insulation material over the ground.
Such a "house" will allow the lilies to perfectly winter.
Mulching for the winter
In a temperate climate, you can leave lilies wintering on the street, do not dig. Do nothing with the plant until it withers. For this, refuse watering. Wait until the stem and leaves wither themselves, do not cut them. This will enable the bulbs to accumulate a sufficient amount of energy for the winter. Too wet soil is not suitable for wintering lilies, so before planting bulbs, always take care of the soil drainage system. This can be achieved by adding gravel or perlite to the wells.
Another condition for storing lilies in the ground is growing bulbs above the water level. To do this, create a small tubercle above each bulb. This will protect them from decay.
Now the most important moment for such a winter is mulching. You can put a layer of straw or pine needles on top. Some mulch the soil with decomposed horse manure. You can use as a mulch leaf humus with the addition of ash. Mulch will not only warm the soil. She will also protect and improve her properties. Mulching will enrich the earth with useful elements, protect it from weathering and freezing. In the spring, lilies will begin to develop actively, since the earth under the mulch remains loose. Mulch is a kind of clothing for the soil.
Combining storage with reproduction
Do you know how to store lily bulbs in winter and jointly propagate a favorite plant? This can be done with scales. From one bulb you will get many children. This simple procedure is performed as follows:
- Take the onion, gently grab one flake with your fingers, try not to damage its tissue.
- Carefully separate the right amount of flakes from the main bulb.
- Sprinkle the prepared flakes with peat immediately.
- Store the flakes under the same conditions as the bulbs.
Thus, from one bulb the next year you will get a whole bush of fragrant lilies.