Lilies have faded what to do next - instructions

Lilies have faded, what's next: briefly about lilies

Lilies have faded, what should I do next?

All summer residents love lilies for their beauty and unpretentiousness. Caring for them is not difficult, and their appearance will delight all gardeners who decide to plant this flower. In order for the lily to please you for more than one season, and even bloom, in principle, without diseases, you need to adhere to a couple of rules for care. Especially you need to pay your attention to caring for lilies that have already faded. It is enough to explain this by the fact that the future of the lily depends on the bulb. If the bulb grows and develops under normal conditions, then the flower will continue to grow well and delight your eye for a long time. Since the bulb is formed after the lily has faded, this moment cannot be missed. After the lily has faded, you need to immediately start caring for the bulbs.

The lilies have faded, what's next? Care errors

Often, gardeners make the mistake of relying on the fact that the lily does not require any personal care at all. They only water it and pull out the weeds. It is believed that the lily does not need to be covered for the winter and transplanted to a new place every year. However, this is not entirely true and the lily needs care, albeit not much. Indeed, at first, you can honestly think that the lily does not require care, because in appearance it does not give signs that it needs care. But after a while it will be seen that the lilies are not so good without care. The flowers will be smaller and their number will decrease as well. To avoid this, you need to take care of the lily at least a little. When leaving, the lily will give large flowers and delight your eyes for a long time. In addition, the lily must be transplanted, since without this it will grow and interfere with other lilies.

That is why now there will be an analysis of the care of lilies that have already faded. Because, as practice shows, summer residents do not know how to care for the bulbs.

Do you need to cut the stems of lilies after flowering

And the first thing worth paying attention to is that the lily cannot be touched. If the time comes to autumn and to the moment when the flower fades, then he must do it himself. It cannot be pulled out, cut off and plucked. You may think that by doing this you are helping, but no, you are only making it worse. Even if you cut lilies into bouquets, it badly affects their future flowering. After interfering with this process, you shorten the life of new lily flowers. Therefore, if you decide to breed a lily yourself, then in no case pluck its flowers. The flowers themselves must fade, and then the future flowers from their bulbs will be just as large and bloom for the same long time and delight you. There is also a mistake that all gardeners make. After our plant fades and the flower falls, a stem remains in its place, which in no case can be cut off, although it does not look beautiful. For example, other plants, such as tulips, can cut this thing off and nothing happens. It is worth understanding this system, why this stem cannot be pruned and how it affects the bulb. The fact is that after the lily has faded, all the accent in the plant goes to the bulb. It turns out that by cutting off this stem, you deprive the bulb of nutrients. When the bulb does not receive the required amount of substances, this has a bad effect on the future of the lily.The flowers will be small and will not grow long in time, they will not be so lush and not bright. Of course, lilies that have just faded don't look very pretty. However, this problem can be solved very easily. It is only worth planting beautiful other plants next to the lilies, which will cover not beautiful stems and bulbs after the lilies have faded. You can also plant tall grass, the main thing is to draw attention from the lily to another plant. Alternatively, plant lilies next to conifers. This is an excellent solution to our problem, since the needles retain their bright green color all year round, which is suitable for our case. When the lily fades, the needles perfectly mask our bare stems. And during beautiful flowers, monochromatic needles will only emphasize the brightness of the lily flowers. It is generally worth picking up a monochromatic plant, preferably more lilies in size and spreading. Such plants can only emphasize our lily, and not block it, making it not noticeable at all.

About pruning stems

You can cut the stems, and you should, but only when the plant is already completely ready for winter. When all the leaves have fallen off and the stems have dried up. This will happen sometime in September. During this time, you can not be afraid to interfere with the connection of the stems and bulbs. After you have cut off the stems, there should be about fifteen centimeters left of the lily.

How to feed lilies after flowering

As with any plant care, lilies require fertilization. Our flower needs them during flowering and especially after the lily has faded. Since the bulbs need nutrients and the plant itself may not be enough. In this case, it is better to play it safe. Lilies are especially fond of phosphate fertilizers. In any case, you need to take care of fertilization if you want to admire the same beautiful, bright and lush flowers next year. It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that mineral fertilizers will not suit our lily. This is because they give a short-term effect and then all summer residents notice that their lilies grow lethargic and sick. This can be explained by the fact that mineral fertilizers are not enough for a long time and the lily was not saturated with the required amount of nutrients. And the bulbs really need them, since in the fall they must absorb as much nutrients as they will last until spring. It is phosphate fertilizers that will help solve this issue. Lilies also love humus, but it is not recommended to use fresh humus, as it can burn the stems and bulbs. This will not lead to anything good and in the future the lily will be sick. But second-year humus is perfect for fertilization. Since the molecules that can corrode the lily bulbs are already softened and do not harm the bulbs and only have a positive effect on the lily. Last year's manure has a great effect on the growth and further development of the lily. Also, special fertilizers can be used with solutions that can be purchased at gardening stores. They are made specifically for lilies and will not suit other plants.

When to dig up lilies

This is a very controversial issue that depends on many factors. If your lily has never been transplanted and you notice that it has grown very much, then you should think about a transplant. When the stem has completely faded, the bulb should be dug up and planted in a new place. By doing this you give new life to your lily. Digging should take place one month after the flowers have faded. It also depends on the type of lily, because some varieties do not need a transplant and without it they bloom for a long time and without disease. Other varieties, on the contrary, require frequent replanting, since their new bulbs do not give their mother a chance for further flowering.

Digging Algorithm

However, digging up lilies also has its own characteristics. The digging algorithm will now be provided.

1. First, you need to dig out the bulb along with the stem, which must be trimmed in advance.At this stage, you should be very careful and show tenderness towards the bulb.

2. Likewise carefully remove the remnants of the soil from the bulb.

3. Next, a careful examination of each bulb is carried out. If you find some kind of rot or something suspicious, you need to cut it off and clean the onion from foreign bodies.

4. After all this, the bulbs must be washed.

5. Next, the bulbs should be put in a disinfection solution for an hour. This represents protection against disease and ensures a long life for the future lily.

6. After such disinfection, the bulbs must be dried in the shade without exposure to the sun.

7. The final step is to keep the bulbs cool.

When can you dig

You can dig up lily bulbs at any time. It all depends on your preferences and your free time. Digging can be carried out from August to October. True, the planting time of these bulbs will depend on this.

How to store bulbs

If you are planning to plant the bulbs in the spring, then they need to be prepared for winter. This can be done easily. You will need to roll the onions in ash and put them in a box. It should be covered with sawdust to maintain moisture. These boxes should be left in a cool, damp place. A barn is perfect for this business. If possible, add moisture by pouring water on the sawdust and ventilate the room. However, if you do not have this opportunity, nothing terrible will happen.

Lilies have faded: how to cover lilies for the winter

As practice shows, the lily does an excellent job without shelter for the winter, but this also depends on the variety. In principle, what exactly your variety needs can be read on the packaging or find detailed information in another article. In most cases, snow is sufficient. But it is advisable not to experiment and cover the ground with autumn foliage or needles, so that the roots of the lily do not freeze and dry out from frost. Needles are best suited because parasites do not form under the needles, which can also devour the roots.

In the spring

In the spring, it is necessary to immediately remove the frost protection with a thaw. Since the lily should grow in the light, however, after winter it is rather weak and can finally weaken from the still cold nights. This will have a bad effect on the further development of the lily. It is worth understanding that how your lily overwinters depends on its future flowering, lifespan, flower size, color brightness and much more. You also need to take the transplant seriously and understand that with any bad effect on the bulb, the consequences will not be so good.

Conclusion

If you take careful care of your lilies, then in the end they will delight you with their beauty and tenderness for a long time.