In almost every flower garden you can find lilies. In order for a plant to please its colors, it is important to follow the rules of autumn planting and care for lilies in the open ground. It is very simple.
How to plant lilies in the fall?
Lilies differ from other bulbs in a variety of varieties and an elegant, festive look. Before growing a plant, it is necessary to determine the planting time, place and soil.
When to plant lilies in open ground
Most often, gardeners begin to plant bulbs with the onset of autumn. Lilies are no exception. Autumn is the best time to plant new varieties of lilies. The advantage of such a planting is that the terms can be somewhat stretched, and bulbs at rest can easily tolerate all procedures. In addition, in the autumn, the gardener has more time, you can do transplanting lilies that have already faded.
The timing of all events depends on weather conditions and the region of lily growing. Optionally plant plants from the end of August. In places with a warm climate, you can postpone landing until September or early October.
Unambiguously answer the question of when to plant lilies is difficult. Too early planted bulbs can start to grow, which will harm the plant. Late planting will lead to freezing of rooted bulbs.
Advice! If the air temperature has established at around 10 degrees, then you can safely proceed to planting the bulbs.
What lilies should not be planted in autumn
When preparing for planting, it is important to remember that not all varieties of lilies can be planted in the fall. Therefore, before buying bulbs, you need to inquire what kind they belong to.
Bulbs of Dutch lilies will not tolerate a harsh winter, so it is better to postpone the planting of these plants until spring.
How to care for lilies in the fall in the open ground
Lilies are unpretentious plants, need minimal care. But in the autumn, work is being added, it is necessary to prepare lilies for winter: water, feed, cut dry stems, cover in case of severe frost, and dig out the bulbs if necessary.
Some gardeners are limited only to loosening the soil after blooming lilies, but this is not true. Not all varieties can tolerate harsh winters without shelter in open ground. In what order to care for lilies in the fall?
Mandatory feeding of lilies in the fall
First of all, for a good wintering of the bulbs, they should mature well. A harsh winter will be tolerated only by healthy and nourished bulbs.
Immediately after flowering, feed the planting with superphosphate. Then apply only organic dressing in the form of mulch. A thick layer of mulching layer protects the bed from frost.
Feeding should be carried out no later than the beginning of September. Too late mineral fertilizing will provoke the growth of shoots in the bulbs.
When to prune lilies in the fall?
In autumn, it is imperative to prune the shoots of a lily. It is done before winter mulching the plant. Hurry with pruning the stem is not worth it, as if this were not desirable. The fact is that early pruning slows down the ripening process of the bulbs, so it should be done only after the stem has completely dried up naturally.
Correct pruning is to cut each plant stem almost to the base. You can mark the landing site with a stick.
The procedure is carried out very carefully, with a sharp instrument. With awkward movements you can pull the bulb out of the ground. But do not panic. It must be immediately planted in a deep hole so that it takes root as quickly as possible.
All care for lilies in the open field in the fall does not take much time, but next summer the work will pay off. Lilies will again please with bright colors.
Autumn is the time to prepare lilies for winter
In some regions, lilies are dug up for the winter. But here it is important to understand - why do this. First of all, they dig up the bulbs if they need a transplant or they need to be divided. Also, lilies of Asian varieties and LA hybrids need regular digging. These species grow rapidly and require division. Young baby bulbs take away nutrients from the mother plant, which weakens it. Oriental lilies and OT hybrids can be dug less frequently, once every 4 years.
Bulbs should be stored in an unheated room where the temperature does not drop below +5 degrees. You can wrap the prepared bulbs in moist moss.
When it's time to cover the lilies for the winter
One of the important steps in caring for lilies in the open field is autumn mulching. Without reliable shelter, lilies can winter only in the southern regions. Especially carefully you need to cover Eastern lilies and Tubular hybrids.
It is best to cover the garden in late autumn or early winter, when the soil has already frozen. If the winter is not snowy, then straw, fallen leaves or sawdust are used to shelter the lilies. Top planting insulated with spruce branches.
Later varieties of lilies, which still bloom in September, need to be covered with agrofiber for the night.
Important! In early spring, shelter from lilies is removed before the sprouts appear.
Further growth and development of lilies depends on the timely and proper care of them in the fall. Therefore, in the open ground, lilies need to be well prepared for the upcoming winter.
Tips from experienced gardeners
1. What should I do if lily sprouts are grown before planting? In the fall, such plants cannot be planted in open ground. It will be correct to plant the sprouted bulbs in a pot and grow them at home until spring, after which they will transplant them to a flower bed.
2. It is important to prune lilies not only before winter, but also after flowering. How to do it right? In order to cut off a faded lily, you need a pruner. You need to cut only 5 cm from the top of the stem. This is done so that the testes do not form and all the nutrients go into the bulb.
3. Lilies are planted in elevated beds. This is done so that groundwater does not damage the bulbs. Once in the water, the bulbs begin to rot.
4. Why mulch lilies for the winter? Under a good layer of mulch, the soil does not freeze for a long time, which allows lily roots to develop even with low procedures. If the winter is warm, then the roots may not stop growing.
5. Lilies grow better if the aerial part of the plant is in the sun, and the root system does not overheat. Experienced gardeners are advised to plant lilies between rose bushes. Such a landing will obscure the lower part of the stem.
When autumn comes, it's time to take care of the lilies. Particular attention should be paid to those plants that need transplanting.
After that, all other flowers are fed. Despite the fact that lilies are unpretentious plants, and caring for them consists of simple procedures, they can not be neglected.
The health and flowering of a plant depends on the condition of the bulb. The main task of the gardener in the fall is to prepare lily bulbs for the winter, to provide them with comfortable conditions.
