Planting lily bulbs in the fall: timing, patterns, aftercare

When to Plant Lily Bulbs in the Fall

Any autumn procedure associated with a plant must be carried out at the appropriate time. It is important to do everything not too early and not too late - this is the main condition thanks to which the culture not only quickly adapts, but also takes root.

When choosing the month for the operation, you need to take into account weather conditions - planting should be done 20-28 days before the expected frost, so that the bulbs have time to take root in the new area.

Landing by region

Due to the fact that Russia is located in different climatic zones, the timing of autumn planting of lilies varies. So, they have to:

• South – first half of October;
• Middle zone - September;
• Siberia, Ural, Leningrad region - late August-early September.

When choosing the optimal time for the procedure, you need to take into account the temperature and weather forecasts. There is no need to start the procedure very early, since at above-zero temperatures the bulbs may begin to grow. The ideal daytime temperature for planting lilies should not exceed 10℃ with a plus sign.

According to the Lunar calendar 2021

If you want to know in more detail about the timing of planting lilies at your summer cottage, you can turn to the lunar calendar for help. It displays the days when it is worth doing this operation and when it is better to refuse it.

If you carry out the procedure these days, the bulbs will take root. You can do this on other days, the main thing is to avoid the days that are indicated in the table of unfavorable dates.

Selecting lily bulbs for autumn planting

In order for the flowerbed to delight you with abundant and beautiful flowering in the future, you need to choose the right planting material. This must be done taking into account the following rules:

• the bulb must be clean, without traces of rot, mold or stains;
• the ideal size is no more than 3-4 cm in diameter. You should not buy material that does not exceed 2 cm;
• the bottom must be intact, without signs of any damage;
• there should be no sprouts on the planting material;
• the root system is healthy, without rot, mold or signs of drying out;
• The bulb is dense with tightly fitting scales that do not fall apart. It is better to refuse to purchase limp, loose or dry specimens.

There are no special recommendations regarding the color of the bulbs, because... The color is influenced by the variety and varietal of the flower, not the quality.

Selection of planting material

When choosing bulbs, make sure that they are alive (if placed in your palm, they should be heavy), large, with juicy scales, without damage or rot. There should be buds, but not long shoots that can easily break. As a rule, the size of the bulb already indicates the height of the plant.

When buying lilies, pay attention to the flowering periods: June or July-August. You can choose varieties so that flowering will last all summer. The height of plants is also important when planning planting in a flower bed or flower garden.

Storing bulbs before planting

When flowering is over, the seed pods of the lilies must be removed, but the stems and leaves should not be trimmed - they continue to feed the bulb and are needed by the plant for photosynthesis.

When the time comes to dig up and replant the crop, you need to

• cut off its above-ground part and remove the bulb from the soil along with the children, clean it from the soil, inspect it for mechanical damage, insect gnawing, rotten roots, dry scales and other defects;
• rinse under running water;
• carefully separate the children who are ready to leave;
• place the onion for 30 minutes in a solution of Karbofos at a concentration of 1% or a concentrated solution of potassium permanganate;
• dry in the shade and plant in a new place or put for storage.

Landing place

It is better to plant the lily in a lighted area with no drafts. You should try to choose a place without tall plants and buildings nearby. If stagnant processes occur in the soil, it is drained with gravel and drainage channels are made. If possible, it is better to plant the lily in an elevated area.

Heavy soil with high humidity will cause the bulbs to rot. Soil with a high sand content, on the contrary, will not provide enough moisture to the plant. When preparing the site, you need to remove debris, stones, and weeds, if any. To saturate the soil, you need to dig it up, adding a bucket of humus per 1 m2. It is also possible to apply mineral fertilizer, this can be superphosphate at 40 grams per 1 m2.

Acidic soil must be diluted with ash or dolomite flour, and acidic peat must be added to alkaline soil. The issue of the predominance of clay in the soil is solved by adding sand and peat.

Autumn planting of lilies: step-by-step instructions

Each stage of this procedure is important. Each stage needs to be studied in more detail.

Choosing a site and soil for planting

Before you begin the procedure, you need to determine where it is best to plant lilies in your summer cottage. The following requirements apply to the location:

• the area must be protected from drafts and wind, but there must be excellent air circulation;
• some varieties require good lighting, but slight shading is not a problem;
• oriental lilies prefer light partial shade, so they cannot be grown in open sunny areas - if you ignore this rule, the sun's rays will burn the flowers.

Attention!

Please refer to the bulb packaging for detailed lighting information. Here you can also find information about the required level of soil acidity.

In addition, you can also choose a suitable location taking into account the favorable neighborhood. So, lilies will look good with peonies and astilbe.

The soil for planting bulbs should be fertile, loose, and well-drained. But you should avoid dense, heavy, clayey and waterlogged materials, because... the bulbs will not develop normally in it. Very light and sandy soil is unfavorable for planting material - the bulbs will lack moisture and nutritional components.

Preparing the site and soil

If the soil in the area does not meet these requirements, then it is necessary to prepare the site 14-20 days before the autumn planting of lilies.

Key rules for preparing a site for planting lilies:

1. Remove stones, debris and weeds by the roots, if present in the selected area.
2. If the soil is not fertile enough or has not been fed for a long time, then you should dig it into compost or humus at the rate of a bucket per 1 m2. In addition to organic fertilizers, you can also use mineral ones: 40 g of superphosphate and 20 g of potassium sulfate per 1 m2.
3. In the case of acidic soil, you will need to add wood ash (200 g per 1 m2) or dolomite flour to deoxidize the soil, in the same ratio as the ash.
4. If the area is alkaline, then you need to add acidic peat or ferrous sulfate.
5. The soil is heavy, clayey, dense - you need to dig up the place along with the sand: a 1 m2 bucket, or better yet, replace the sand with peat.
6. In the case of light sandy soil, you need to dig up the soil with humus or compost and peat (a bucket for every 1 m2).

Then you will need to loosen the soil with a rake and level the area.

If you decide to plant tall varieties of lilies, then before the procedure you need to make a support for the flowers. If you do this after planting, you can accidentally damage the bulb and destroy it. A wooden peg can act as a support, and then make a landing hole next to it. And when the plant grows, carefully tie it to the support.

Preparing bulbs for planting

Preparing lily bulbs will help them survive stress more easily, quickly take root and adapt to a new place, and also reduce the risk of developing fungus and other pathologies.

First of all, you need to cut off all dry, limp, damaged, black roots. There is no need to plant with it, because... they will not grow in the soil in a new place. The remaining normal and healthy roots do not need to be cut, but if they are too long, you can shorten them slightly to 3-5 cm. Thanks to this operation, the procedure will be easier.

After this, you will need to remove all the old, darkened scales.

Before planting garden lilies in open ground, you need to soak the bulbs in a fungicide solution to disinfect and eliminate fungal pathogens. A solution of the drug “Fitosporin-M”, “Fundazol”, “Maxim Dachnik” is suitable for this.

Attention!

Prepare the solution and soak the planting material according to the instructions indicated on the package.

In addition to disinfection, you can treat lily bulbs with a growth stimulator (Epin-Extra, Zircon, Energen). After soaking, leave the planting material for 30 minutes to dry.

If the bulbs with sprouts

When planting lilies in the fall, the bulbs should have no sprouts, they should be in dormant mode. If the sprouts hatch, then this is a clear sign that the dormant period has been broken.

It is possible to plant such material in the spring, but in the fall such a procedure is undesirable, because When cold weather sets in, the sprout will die, which will have a detrimental effect on the condition and health of the bulb - it will not bloom next year.

If the bulbs have sprouts, then you can do this in three ways:

• plant them in open ground without changing anything;
• In the fall, plant in a pot for home growing. The lily will soon delight you with flowering, and in the spring it will be planted in a flowerbed;
• Before planting, carefully unscrew the sprout. In this case, the planting material will not expend its energy on the formation of the stem.

If you decide to get rid of the sprout, then such specimens must be planted earlier so that the culture has time to take root.

Planting lilies

Algorithm for autumn planting bulbs in a flower bed:

1. Make planting holes or a trench in the area. The distance between the holes should be 30-35 cm, and their depth is calculated taking into account the height of the bulbs: multiply the height of the planting material by 3. So, if the height of the bulb is 3 cm, then the depth of the hole should be 9 cm.
2. Pour a little top fertile soil layer into the bottom of the hole. You can mix it with a handful of wood ash and a handful of superphosphate (provided that it has not been used before). After this, pour sand, which will act as drainage.
3. Plant the onion in the sand, bottom down, so that it is level. At the same time, you should press it a little, carefully straighten the roots so that their distribution on the sides is even.
4. Cover with sand on top - it should be surrounded by it.
5. Fill in fertile soil.
6. Compact the soil a little by hand.
7. After planting, water thoroughly. If after the procedure the soil settles, then you need to add soil to the previous level.
8. Mulch the area with lilies.

The last point is not mandatory, but it is still necessary to somehow mark this place in the flower garden so that it is not accidentally trampled on in the spring.

Fertilizers

Flowering plants take up a lot of nutrients during the growing season, so depleted soil must be fertilized annually. In order for lilies to bloom profusely every summer, in the fall, before planting the bulbs, fertilizers must be applied to the ground. To do this, humus or compost (5 kg), superphosphate (100 g), potassium sulfate (50 g) are mixed and planted to a depth of 30-40 cm of each m² of flower bed.

Wood ash increases the frost resistance of lilies. The crushed and sifted wood combustion product is scattered over a section of the flower garden at a rate of 200 g/m² and mixed with soil. After laying the fertilizers, the flowerbed is watered abundantly. Planting can be done the next day.

Ash for soil when planting lilies

Caring for lilies after autumn planting

Undoubtedly, it is necessary to provide proper and complete care for flowers at all stages of cultivation. But after planting lily bulbs in the fall, care is simpler compared to the spring procedure.

Caring for lilies after planting:

• water only by the root method, without sprinkling. Carry out the procedure moderately so that excess liquid does not cause rotting of the planting material. After autumn planting, you need to water twice, and then stop watering until spring;
• Mulching is necessary to protect the bulbs from winter cold. Peat, humus, compost, and rotted sawdust are suitable as mulch. The layer thickness should be approximately 7-10 centimeters;
• getting rid of weeds if, under favorable conditions, they grow to the point of frost;
• Lilies are often fed in spring and summer. If the site is well prepared and the planting holes are filled, then fertilizers will not be needed in the fall.