Lilies have faded, what to do next

Content:

The article addresses the question: lilies have faded, what to do next? Recommendations are given for care after flowering, storage of bulbs.

Lilies will decorate any garden, they are very beautiful, they amaze with a variety of color palette of shades: there are delicate white flowers, bright sunny yellow, rich reds, maroon, almost black, and many others. And for all their majestic royal beauty, lilies are unpretentious and do not require particularly difficult care.

If you initially carefully chose the planting material, then in the first year you will have a lush flowering, but then some difficulties may arise. In order for the lily to bloom again next summer, it is imperative to create comfortable conditions for the bulb to prepare for a state of dormancy, because it is after the end of flowering that the processes begin that ensure the formation of buds in a year.

In most cases, you will hear from summer residents that a lily can grow in one place for years, while it will bloom annually, you do not need to take care of it, but this is not so. The lily will indeed bloom for 4-5 years in one place, but if the plants are not properly cared for, then the flowers will become smaller every year, their number will decrease, and one day they will not appear at all. As a result, you will get a thicket of lilies without a single flower. Therefore, it is important to understand the intricacies of caring for lilies in a timely manner and follow some rules, this will help your flowers gain strength, stay healthy and bloom every year.

Lilies have faded, what to do next: cut or not cut

And the answer to this question is completely unambiguous and does not require discussion - do not cut it off! If you plan to admire the flowering next year, then do not touch the lilies, give them the opportunity to bloom, do not cut them for bouquets. I'm not talking about the fact that lilies on the vine will delight you with flowering much longer than in a vase. It is precisely about the fact that for the full formation of the bulb, natural processes should not be disturbed.

Fading and losing petals, the lily loses its decorative effect. At this moment, knowing for sure that the flowering is over, many inexperienced gardeners practically cut the stem to the root so that it does not disturb the beauty of the flower bed with its appearance. Accordingly, the ripening process of the bulb slows down, making such a mistake, you can deprive yourself of flowering for the next year. So that your aesthetics does not suffer, take care of this in advance - plant annuals of the same height next to the lilies, which will mask an unattractive stem. Low-growing varieties will wonderfully hide in the company of velvet flowers, calendula, asters, daisies or pansies. Higher varieties can be decorated with ferns, various astilbe or openwork cosmey. Any of these flowers will hide the lily stems behind their spreading foliage and lush large inflorescences and give them time to calmly complete the growing season.

Lilies also harmonize well with various low conifers, so by planting lilies among thujas and junipers, which look attractive at any time of the year, you can also disguise the stems that are losing their decorative effect.

And you need to cut the stems only after the final wilting, around August or early September.The foliage will wither, the stem will dry out - this is a signal that the growing season is complete and the bulb is ready for wintering. At this point, you need to cut off the stem, leaving a stump of about 11-14 cm.

Lilies have faded, what to do next: feeding after the end of flowering

Fertilizers are an essential part of caring for any plant, and the lily is no exception. In order for the bulb to form and gain strength for wintering, it is necessary to provide sufficient and high-quality nutrition. Therefore, it is necessary to feed the plants with nutrients not only during the period of growth and flowering, but also during the formation of the bulb. After the lilies have faded, it is necessary to feed them with a complex fertilizer containing phosphorus and potassium, they now have the greatest need for these substances.

In flower and agricultural stores, specialized solutions are sold specifically for lilies, containing useful and necessary microorganisms, if possible, then use just such compositions for feeding, they will provide the bulb with everything you need.

Fresh organic fertilizers should not be applied under the lilies, as this can burn the bulb and destroy the plant. But the lily will accept humus or rotted manure with joy, they will not cause any inconvenience to her and will provide a full set of necessary nutrients.

Lily has faded, what to do with the bulbs. When can you dig

It is not at all necessary to dig up lilies annually, but you still have to do it periodically. Asian hybrids reproduce very actively and form many "babies", so they should be planted every couple of years, so that both "babies" and the mother plant can fully develop. But most lilies, as we said earlier, are able to grow in one place for 4-5 years, and only after this period it becomes necessary to plant them. In any case, you can only dig up the bulbs after the plant has finally wither, and this happens about a month after the end of flowering. If you plan to plant the bulbs again in the same fall, but dig them up no later than the beginning of September. And if you want to save them for planting in the spring, then dig them out in early October.

Pre-cut the stem, leaving about 10 cm, and very carefully remove the bulb from the ground. Try to avoid mechanical damage or deformation. Then carefully peel the bulb from the ground and inspect - if during inspection you find traces of rot or any stains, then carefully cut them off with a very sharp and disinfected knife (the health of the plants depends on the quality of the tool), the cut can be sprinkled with activated charcoal for a while.

Then the bulbs must be rinsed in running water and then dipped for 45-60 minutes in a solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection. After that, we proceed to drying. Spread out the planting material under a canopy, where it will be closed from sunlight or rain, but there will be sufficient ventilation. If the weather is humid outside, then you can dry the bulbs indoors, a dry attic is ideal for this.

Storage rules for planting material

For additional disinfection, well-dried bulbs can be generously sprinkled with wood ash, and then your choice: place them in bags of sawdust, write the names of the variety and put them in the vegetable storage compartment in the refrigerator. During the winter, periodically inspect the bulbs, at the same time airing them in order to monitor their condition and, if signs of illness appear, to solve this problem in a timely manner.If you have a dry basement or cellar and a large number of lily bulbs, then after drying, they can be folded into wooden boxes, sprinkled with sawdust, moss or peat (very slightly moistened) and stored. The room must be ventilated regularly, as the bulbs can begin to rot.

Lilies have faded, what's next: whether to cover them in the cold season

In most cases, lilies tolerate the winter well and the snow that has fallen is enough for them to shelter. Asian varieties are particularly frost-resistant and can withstand even very harsh winters. However, there are also varieties that can hardly endure the winter and can suffer from frost, so it is better to take care of shelter in advance. Dry foliage, peat, spruce branches or fallen needles can be used as mulch. Moreover, it is better to give preference to coniferous mulch, since it will also scare off pests (they do not like the smell of needles) and protect against diseases, due to its bactericidal properties.

As important as it is to shelter lilies from frost, it is just as important to remove the mulch in time in spring, since without access to direct sunlight, the sprouts will not be able to fully develop, they will be deformed and, as a result, they may not bloom. But at the same time, if you remove the shelter too early, then having gained access to light, the lilies will begin to grow actively and may suffer from recurrent spring frosts, which will also affect flowering. Therefore, carefully monitor the weather forecast and act according to the circumstances.

Conclusion

The beauty and duration of their flowering depends on how correctly you care for flowers. Timely pruning of the stem, competently carried out top dressing, proper storage of planting material, or vice versa, shelter for the winter - by performing certain actions, you help the plants to form, create a supply of nutrients and gain strength in order to go into a state of dormancy and overwinter. And responding to your concern, next summer they will delight you with lush and stunningly beautiful blooms.

Lilies have faded, what to do next