Planting lilies in the fall is the best solution. With the correct timing, the bulbs have time to harden in the soil, forming a powerful root system. The flowering of garden beauties in this case occurs 2-3 weeks earlier than during spring planting.
Pros and cons of autumn planting of lilies
Planting lilies in the fall is quite common among gardeners.
Planting lily bulbs in autumn has several advantages:
- flowers build up a powerful root system and grow faster in spring;
- being in a dormant state, the bulbs tolerate the transplant more easily;
- in winter, lilies are hardened, so the risk of their death during returnable spring frosts decreases.
The disadvantages of planting in the fall include the possibility of damage to the bulbs by rodents. In winters with little snow and frosty winters without shelter, lilies can die.
Planting lilies in the fall: timing
The specific terms depend on the climatic conditions of the region. The time remaining before the onset of persistent frosts is taken into account. The bulbs take root in 2–4 weeks. The difference in terms, given the vast territories of our country, is up to two months.
Table: time for planting bulbs in open ground for different regions
Site Selection
Lilies should not be planted in shaded areas.
Lilies feel comfortable in areas protected from wind and drafts. The degree of illumination depends on the variety of colors:
- Asian, tubular and LA hybrids need maximum access to sunlight;
- oriental lilies and martagons will begin to fade in the sun, so they are planted in partial shade.
The level of acidity also depends on the variety: there are varieties that are planted in acidic, slightly acidic and neutral soils. A detailed recommendation can be found on the bulb packaging and in the specialist literature.
Lilies cannot be planted in the place where they grew earlier. It is also unacceptable to place it on a site where asters, garlic or strawberries were located. The best predecessors for culture are legumes and annuals: violets, petunias, snapdragons. Planting after radishes, cucumbers, cabbage of all kinds is permissible.
Soil Preparation
Planting lilies requires well-drained soil.
A site for planting lilies is prepared in 30-40 days, so that the soil is compacted and settled. If you dig later, the bulbs in the loose soil will go deep, and the process of their germination in the spring will be delayed.
Under the digging at 1 m2 make:
- compost or humus – 5 kg;
- superphosphate – 100 g;
- potassium sulfate – 50 g.
The structure of the soil should be loose, air and water permeable. On heavy, clayey and non-water-intensive soils, conditions are created for bulbs to rot. It is unacceptable to place them in swampy places, in lowlands.
Selection and preparation of planting material
If possible, it is better to prepare the planting material yourself.
Healthy, well-developed planting material is the main secret of a beautiful flower garden. For planting, select large, hard bulbs without signs of decay. Visual characteristics of high-quality planting material:
- Tight flakes of uniform white, pink or cream color;
- elastic roots 3–5 cm long;
- absence of mold, stains, inclusions, damage on the surface.
Selected specimens are cleaned of integumentary scales and soaked for 30 minutes in a warm light pink solution of potassium permanganate. If the roots on the bulbs are longer than 5 cm, they are trimmed so as not to break off during planting.
If there are few high-quality bulbs, diseased or damaged specimens can be planted. Damaged areas are cleaned from them, treated with fungicides (Fundazol, Karbofos) and placed in a separate area located far from the main one.
Is it possible to plant bulbs with sprouts in autumn
Sprouted bulbs are best planted in spring.
At the end of summer, lilies end their growing season and, after flowering, are dormant. New shoots are not formed on them until the next season. If an onion with an emerging sprout is purchased in a store, then improper storage provoked a way out of a dormant state.
It is possible to plant such a specimen in the soil, but during the winter frosts, the stem that has begun to develop will die. The bulb itself will remain viable, but the growing season will begin only after a year: for one season it will simply “sit out” in the soil. The procedure for planting a sprouted bulb does not differ from the usual one.
Planting bulbs: step by step instructions
When planting flowers in autumn, the bulbs do not need regular watering.
An important condition is the depth of immersion in the soil. This parameter depends on the length of the stem and the size of the bulb:
- undersized varieties are immersed to a depth of 7-10 cm at a distance of 15-18 cm from each other;
- the middle ones are deepened by 12–15 cm with a step of 25–0 cm;
- tall – by 15–20 cm, the distance between specimens is 0–40 cm.
Experienced growers advise, when calculating the planting depth, to be guided by the height of the bulb: above it there should be a layer of soil equal to two heights. For white-flowered hybrids, the conditions are different: they are buried in the soil by no more than 5 cm.
The planting process consists of the following steps:
- Dig holes of the required depth and pour a small layer of expanded clay or fine gravel on the bottom. On light, loose soils, coarse river sand can be used as drainage.
- In the center, make a low slide of nutrient soil and place the onion on it, straightening the roots.
- Fill the holes first with a layer of sand and then with soil.
Watering the plantings is carried out in 2 days, when the earth settles near the roots. After moistening, the surface of the site is mulched with peat. For marchon lilies, tubular and snow-white, leaf humus mixed with wood ash is used as mulch. If the autumn is hot and dry, the lilies are watered several times so that the roots spread out better and take root in the soil faster.
Before the onset of frost, plantings are additionally covered with dry leaves or needles. In the spring, this layer is raked off from the site immediately after the snow melts. In warm regions, lilies do not need additional shelters.
Compliance with the recommended planting conditions and rules will help the bulbs to adapt and overwinter even in severe frosts. It is equally important to accurately determine the date of planting, because if you do this early, then there is a risk that the flowers will begin to grow and die in winter.
