Lilium experience up date
Posted: November 6th, 2013, 12:51 pm
Because of bad experience of past, I had stopped growing Lilium. Three years ago I again started to grow them.
The sprouted bulbs I bought in Nov. 2011, except for a few others bloomed very well. They were left in the pots, some died others produced bulb lets and some bloomed late in April, the blooms were poor and lasted a short while.
Some more new bulbs were added in 2012. After normal bloom some bulbs were lifted and stored in refrigerator in some peat. yesterday I opened it and found a big mass of tangled roots and shoots.
Out of curiosity I opened one of the pots having dormant bulbs, The growth was there too but relatively far less.
How the biological clock works?
Today I opened up all pots except one and found;
Some bulbs had completely turned in to bulb lets, each scale forming a bulb let, some had reduced in size having a few bulb lets attached to the remains of old stem.
I have re-planted all bulb lets a dozen to a 14 inch pot and bigger bulbs go to refrigerator for two weeks chilling.
This year I will get only a dozen or so bulbs and harvest them as soon as the stems dry up, Keep them in moist peat and store in a cool dark place, come September I will chill them for 4 weeks before planting.
I don't want them as annuals, if I can get blooms year after year they will stay, else SIONARA.
Arif
The sprouted bulbs I bought in Nov. 2011, except for a few others bloomed very well. They were left in the pots, some died others produced bulb lets and some bloomed late in April, the blooms were poor and lasted a short while.
Some more new bulbs were added in 2012. After normal bloom some bulbs were lifted and stored in refrigerator in some peat. yesterday I opened it and found a big mass of tangled roots and shoots.
Out of curiosity I opened one of the pots having dormant bulbs, The growth was there too but relatively far less.
How the biological clock works?
Today I opened up all pots except one and found;
Some bulbs had completely turned in to bulb lets, each scale forming a bulb let, some had reduced in size having a few bulb lets attached to the remains of old stem.
I have re-planted all bulb lets a dozen to a 14 inch pot and bigger bulbs go to refrigerator for two weeks chilling.
This year I will get only a dozen or so bulbs and harvest them as soon as the stems dry up, Keep them in moist peat and store in a cool dark place, come September I will chill them for 4 weeks before planting.
I don't want them as annuals, if I can get blooms year after year they will stay, else SIONARA.
Arif
