During the summer season, lilies do not require special care. It is enough to water so that the soil around them is not dry, loosen the soil around each bush, remove weeds and apply fertilizer several times a season. But with the arrival of autumn, caring for lilies will become more difficult.
How to properly prepare flowers for the winter season? When do they require digging, and which of them can simply be trimmed and covered before the onset of cold weather? All this should be reminded of those gardeners who decide to grow these beautiful flowers in their garden.
Features of caring for lilies in autumn and preparing for winter
Not all types of lilies require careful care in the autumn - the simplest of them just need to be fed and pruned. And you don’t even have to cover it before the frost starts. But varietal varieties of lilies cannot simply be left for the winter - most likely they will simply freeze. The basic procedures carried out in the fall in a flower garden with these beautiful plants will be described below.
By the way! After flowering and in the fall, it’s time to transplant lilies to a new place, which you can read about in detail in this article . And about autumn planting - here .
When to replant lilies
The most optimal time for planting and replanting lilies in the garden of the middle zone is August-September, in the southern regions - until mid-October. In any case, lilies need to be “disturbed” after flowering (which is why September is considered the ideal month for replanting).
Immediately after flowering, the flowers of the lily must be cut off so that the plants do not waste nutrients on the formation of seeds.
Is it possible to replant lilies in summer (July)
In July, only certain varieties with a special vegetative cycle can be replanted. These are mainly Candidums, which have a dormant period in July-August, so it is better to replant them during these months. Asian hybrids can easily tolerate transplantation at any time of the year. The main thing when replanting in summer is not to damage the roots.
If the lilies have bloomed early, they can be replanted in the summer
Pruning lilies in autumn
When should you prune lilies in the fall and how to do it correctly? Is it really necessary to carry out this procedure: maybe just leave these plants as they are? However, experienced gardeners still recommend autumn pruning of lilies . The process of pruning these flowers is simple, the main thing is to carry out this procedure on time so as not to harm the plants.
When to prune lilies: after flowering or in the fall for winter
Most varieties finish flowering early - by mid-summer. And many inexperienced gardeners tend to immediately prune these flowers. Is it correct? It turns out not. Not only do cut stems look unsightly in a flowerbed next to plants that continue to bloom, but such a procedure carried out at the wrong time harms the lilies themselves. After flowering ends, vital processes continue in the foliage and stems. The roots continue to grow and store nutrients for the winter, and the process of photosynthesis continues in the foliage. Therefore, immediately after the end of flowering, lilies are not pruned , but are given the opportunity to gain strength (nourish) before the coming winter.
Technology for pruning lilies after flowering (summer) and autumn
Lilies are pruned in several stages. At the end of flowering, the petals fall off on their own, and in place of the flowers, boxes with seeds begin to form, and they will need to be cut off so that the plant does not waste energy on producing seeds. In addition, most likely, this will have a positive effect on the development and better ripening of the bulb. In general, this type of pruning is called summer pruning .
Video: pruning lilies in summer after flowering
And the final pruning of lilies is carried out in the fall , so to speak, for the winter, when the stems and leaves wither and dry, in other words, the formation of the bulb is completed. This usually occurs (depending on climatic conditions) in early or mid-September. Then the stems are either completely removed or stumps up to 10-15 cm high are left.
It is better not to leave withered stems and foliage unpruned until spring (if the variety overwinters in open ground). Pests or pathogens can “hide” in them for the winter , which will wake up in the spring and cause a lot of harm to flowering plants and other crops growing in the garden. It is better to immediately collect and burn all cut aerial parts.
Lily diseases
Mice love to eat flower bulbs, and slugs love to eat succulent stems. In addition, lilies are susceptible to fungal and viral diseases.
Botrytis, or gray rot, is a common lily disease that appears on the lower leaves, then quickly spreads throughout the flower.
The causative agent of gray rot lives in plant bulbs, which is why it is so important to disinfect them. The first symptoms are the formation of round brown spots, which over time become a rusty coating and cover the entire plant.
Having discovered the disease, they immediately begin treatment with Bordeaux mixture and fungicidal preparations: discor, oxych. The treatment is repeated after 10 days.
Autumn care for lilies after flowering, but before pruning for the winter
Feeding after flowering
Immediately after these perennials fade, fertilizers containing potassium and phosphorus should be applied to them. For example, you can use potassium sulfate (potassium sulfate) and superphosphate , 30-40 grams per 1 square meter. meter of bed or flower bed, or special ready-made mineral fertilizer marked “ Autumn”. For lovers of organic farming, bone meal (phosphorus) and wood ash (potassium) , 100 grams per 1 square meter, are suitable. meter.
Important! However, you cannot use ash for lilies that do not tolerate alkalization of the soil, and these are varieties such as “Oriental”, “Asian”, “American”, “LA-hybrids”.
This potassium-phosphorus fertilizing will allow plants to ripen before the onset of winter, restore strength after abundant flowering and prepare for the onset of cold weather. These fertilizers will allow the root system to receive a large amount of nutrients and better withstand the cold, and in the spring they will also allow the above-ground parts of the flowers to grow faster.
Under those lilies that will not be dug up for the winter, a layer of rotted leaves or compost should be added (the thickness of such a layer should be at least 8-10 cm). This fertilizer will serve as a kind of “blanket” for the roots and provide additional protection from the impending frost. And in the spring, humus will be a good fertilizer and mulch for lilies.
This shelter is suitable for long-flowered, oriental and American hybrids.
The main fertilizing is now complete, but caring for flowering perennials continues.
Treatment for diseases
Next, you should sprinkle the lilies with copper sulfate or Bordeaux mixture a couple of times . This treatment will protect plants from possible diseases during the rainy season.
Watering
Already from the end of summer, that is, from about mid-August, it is recommended to avoid watering lilies altogether, because... the bulbs can simply get wet due to the abundant moisture.
How to properly cover lilies for the winter
If flower growers leave their flowers to winter in the open ground, then before the onset of cold weather, most of them should be covered. You can leave these flowers without shelter if the region has mild winters (for example, in the south of Russia) and the varieties are highly frost-resistant.
In principle, if lilies do not grow in the conditions of the Far North (and regions close to them in climatic conditions), then many varieties and hybrids can be left in flower beds for the winter :
- Asian (tiger) hybrids;
- Martagon (curly);
- Candidum;
- Tubular;
- hybrids Longiflorum Asiatic (LA),
- OT hybrids;
- Royal;
- Daurian.
All of the above varieties feel great in the garden in winter, but they should be covered in case of severe frosts.
Shelter is necessary only for long-flowered, oriental and American hybrids of lilies.
Usually, lilies do not require special shelter if in winter a large amount of snow falls in a given region, which will cover the bulbs during the winter. If there is little snowfall or the winter is warm, then care should be taken in advance to prepare natural covering material. It is best to use pine needles (pine or spruce sawdust, or spruce branches) , under which slugs and other “harmful” insects will not crawl, as well as pests (especially mice) that can damage the growing points of bulbous plants. A layer of high-moor peat can be poured on top of the needles, which will prevent the needles from flying away in gusts of wind. In colder regions, the top is covered with a special covering material.
By the way! In autumn, when there is heavy rain, it is recommended to lightly cover the lilies with film. As soon as a constant minus is established, the film is removed.
Thus, lilies should be covered correctly for the winter, and the shelter should be removed (removed) on time. If you remove it too early, the growing stems will freeze during spring frosts. And if opened too late, the stems grow too thin.
How to transplant?
If the lilies were originally planted with your own hands, then replanting them will not be difficult - after all, these two processes are very similar
However, despite this, when transplanting there are several points that need to be given special attention
in spring
In the spring months, you can replant both bulbs dug up in the fall and those that have overwintered in the ground. It is quite easy to plant stored bulbs.
They must be removed, thoroughly examined and healthy ones selected (without signs of damage, with a living bottom). To prevent onions, you can soak them in a solution of potassium permanganate for half an hour. In this case, they need to be placed in the container so that the solution covers only the lower part. While the bulbs are being prepared, you can make indentations in the previously dug flowerbed
There are quite a few planting schemes, and it is important not only to correctly position the lilies themselves, but also to organize their proximity to other plantings. Depending on the idea, lilies are usually planted in holes or holes, at the bottom of which a layer of sand must be poured. The depth of the recesses depends on the type of lilies
For low-growing plants, 10 cm is enough, for tall ones, they will have to be buried to 20 cm. If the bulb is small, reduce the depth, otherwise it simply will not break through the soil. Planting too deep can delay emergence and delay flowering, but in dry areas with sandy soil it helps conserve moisture. The distance between adjacent bulbs can vary from 10 to 20 cm depending on the variety and flowering. It is better to leave more row spacing to make it more convenient to care for the crop. To make the flower bed look neat, the spaces between plants should be approximately equal. When placing the bulbs in the recess, you must ensure that they are positioned vertically. After this they are covered with earth. Often, immediately during planting, pegs are installed for gartering tall varieties.
Bulbs left in open ground should be replanted before germination or while they are still very small. Otherwise, it's better to wait another season. The bulbs are dug up with a clod of earth, large children are separated and examined - not all of them can remain healthy after wintering. The selected material is lowered into the prepared hole with a depth at the same level as before extraction.
In summer
Varieties of lilies that bloom in June can be planted without waiting for autumn. After flowering ends, it is enough to wait three weeks. They are replanted according to the same scheme as in the spring. It is believed that some hybrids, which are particularly hardy, can be replanted at any time of the year and even during flowering. If you need to move an already large plant to a new location, you need to proceed as follows.
- Dig it out as carefully as possible, along with a large amount of soil. When transferring, you must try not to damage either the bulb with roots or the above-ground part.
- After replanting, the plant must be protected from the sun for several days. Watering should be timely and moderate. You can add agents to the water for better rooting.
in autumn
In autumn, it is important to choose the right period between rain and the onset of frost. The transplant follows the already familiar pattern:
- digging, dividing the bulbous nest, selecting planting material;
- flowerbed preparation;
- disembarkation
However, there are some peculiarities here too. The harsher the winter, the deeper the holes for the bulbs are made. The top of the flower bed must be insulated. To do this, it is covered with straw or leaves. However, the insulation becomes an excellent breeding ground for rodents that can damage the bulbs, so it is better to use cardboard and spruce branches.
Digging up lily bulbs and storing them in winter
But if exclusive varieties of these flowers were planted in the flower garden, flower growers know little about their frost resistance, then it is better to dig up such lilies for the winter and store them at home. There are types and varieties of these flowers that are too delicate and even with good insulation can freeze over the winter:
- American;
- Long-flowered;
- Oriental hybrids.
If possible, these varieties of lilies are transplanted into a greenhouse for the winter or grown there all year round . Otherwise, bulbs of these varieties are dug up in the fall and stored indoors.
But not only those varieties of lilies that are not highly frost-resistant are dug up for the winter. Some hybrid varieties from Asian and other species are dug up in the fall to separate the children that have grown over the summer season from the mother bulbs. Over the winter, the children grow so tightly to the main bulb that it will no longer be possible to separate them. In the spring, they will take on the bulk of the nutrients and moisture, which will negatively affect the development of the mother bulb and the entire plant as a whole. As a result, the plant will be weakened, grow slower, and flowering will be weak.
Therefore, in the fall, such lilies are also dug up, the bulbs are separated from the children, and then the main bulbs are planted again in open ground. It is better to plant the children in the flower garden in the spring and leave them indoors for the winter.
The process of digging up lily bulbs is carried out in stages:
- First, the stems of the bulbs are trimmed;
- then you need to dig the bulbs out of the pre-moistened soil;
- all soil from them must be carefully shaken off;
- you should carefully examine the bulbs to see if the roots are rotten or if there are dried scales;
- then they are washed under running cold water;
- clean bulbs are placed for half an hour in a disinfectant solution (potassium permanganate or Karbofos, Maxim);
- then the bulbs are laid out to dry.
And only after all the procedures described above are carried out, the lily bulbs are ready for storage.
How and where to store
It is optimal to store lily bulbs in cool and fairly humid rooms at a positive temperature of up to +10 degrees (ideally 6-8), humidity - from 70% and above.
As for the storage method, it is good to sprinkle the bulbs with a mixture of peat and sawdust (coniferous wood) in a box that was previously covered with newspapers, and then again cover the top with newspapers or paper.
Advice! During storage, periodically inspect the lily bulbs for rotting and promptly treat them with fungicides or the most common green stuff.
Video: preparing oriental lilies for winter - digging and storing
Mistakes in caring for lilies in the fall and when preparing for winter
The main mistakes that novice gardeners make when caring for lilies in the fall:
- continue to water, although there is already a lot of rainfall in the fall;
- they forget to fertilize in the fall;
- stems and foliage of plants are cut too early or not cut at all;
- Do not dig up bulbs of those varieties in the fall in which the children can grow to the mother ones over the winter;
- do not dig up in the fall those varieties that cannot winter in open ground;
- plants are not covered correctly for the winter;
- removing cover from lilies too early or too late.
Autumn care of lilies and preparation for winter should be carried out correctly so that the plant will “thank” its owners with active flowering next year.
Video: how to prepare lilies for winter
