How to preserve lily bulbs until spring at home?

Lily is one of the most beautiful garden and indoor flowers, which has found a place among many lovers. At the same time, it is easy to propagate if you know how to preserve lily bulbs until spring at home. There are many ways to save seed so that you can plant your favorite flowers in the garden again next year.

The essence of most methods of preserving seed is to keep it cool and dry.

Rules and recommendations

The optimal time to dig up bulbs for storage depends on when the lilies bloom. It is recommended to dig up varieties with early flowering from the last days of August, and late varieties - from the second half of September.

You can also determine the time when it is time to poison the seed for storage based on the weather - the procedure for removing the bulbs is carried out as soon as the first night frosts begin.

Rules and recommendations for storing lilies in winter:

• Do not put the bulbs in plastic bags - the seed material will begin to rot and rot;
• the room where lilies are stored must be regularly ventilated;
• when storing on a loggia, it is necessary to protect the bulbs from direct sunlight;
• seed stored in boxes must be sprinkled with sawdust or peat - this will help maintain moisture inside the bulbs;
• mandatory crushing of the bulbs several times a month.

Every month, lilies need to be reviewed to immediately remove rotting specimens.
Even if all conditions are met, there is a risk of mold or mildew developing on individual specimens, from which the disease can spread to other lilies.

You should inspect regularly for mold growth.

Which lilies should you dig up?

Almost all varieties of these flowers are frost-resistant. But you need to find out whether the plant belongs to hybrid forms. It is imperative to dig up lilies for the winter if they are of varieties such as oriental, American, trumpet and Asian.

And hybrids of LA lilies must be dug up and replanted every year in any climate, since secondary flowering is difficult to obtain without this agrotechnical technique. These varieties quickly produce many babies, which take away nutritional components.

For the winter, you should not dig up the Pennsylvania and Asian hybrid, matragon, candidum, Daurian lily and OA hybrid. Tiger lily is frost-resistant. Other varieties require mulching the soil with a thick layer of sawdust or spruce paws. And the next layer is a protective cover.

Winter storage conditions

How to preserve lilies at home until spring? First of all, you need to choose a room that will meet all the characteristics:

• Good ventilation - if there is stagnation of air in the room, this will lead to the appearance of mold on the seed and the development of fungal diseases.
• Humidity levels should be low to medium. Excessive humidity will cause premature awakening of the seed or its rotting.
• Dry air is not allowed, otherwise the seed will lose moisture and begin to wrinkle, which will make its further germination impossible.
• The temperature should not be too low so that the onions do not freeze, but not too high, otherwise they will begin to sprout. The optimal temperature at which lilies will be stored well is from 0 °C to +4 °C.

Before sending seed for storage, it must be carefully inspected and damaged parts removed. Children who show obvious signs of illness should not be sent for storage.

Typical mistakes of beginning gardeners

The main errors are related to inappropriate storage conditions:

• Low storage temperatures slow down the formation of flower buds. This can slow down the flowering process or even eliminate it.
• At low humidity, the bulbs quickly become unsuitable for planting because they dry out.
• At high humidity, planting material becomes moldy and may rot.
• If the storage area is too warm, the bulbs will begin to grow prematurely.
• During winter, be sure to check the bulbs. If mold appears, you need to wipe the planting material with a damp cloth and sprinkle the affected areas with charcoal.
• When rot appears, it is removed with a knife, treating the cut areas with a solution of brilliant green. If the bulbs are severely damaged, they are thrown away.

Preparation

When understanding the question of how to store lily bulbs correctly, it is important to understand that they need to be properly prepared:

• all bulbs must be washed off the ground under running water;
• conduct a thorough inspection of the seed, discarding all damaged specimens and those with traces of rot or fungus;
• leave the onions to dry at a temperature of +15 °C to +18 °C.

After the lilies are completely dry, they must be sprinkled with fungicide for disinfection.

Careful preparation is the key to ensuring that the bulbs can last until spring and not lose their properties.

Description

Lily is a beautiful flower.
There are 80 plant species and many hybrids. The flowers are large in size and come in a variety of colors. Some have a strong aroma. According to their shape, flowers are divided into umbrella-shaped and funnel-shaped. Each of them has 6 petals and pronounced stamens. The leaves of the plant are usually straight. Flowers look great in bouquets; they perfectly decorate garden plots and apartments. The planting material that produces the plant is the bulb. It is rounded, large, with a sharp tip. Each bulb has scales and shells. The core includes a bud from which the stem develops.

Lilies are grown from round bulbs. The color depends on the species, it can be white, yellow, brown, dark purple. The leaves are evenly distributed along the stem and in the leaf axils.

Storage Features

There are many ways to preserve bulbs for the winter. Each method has both advantages and disadvantages.

In the ground

Storing lilies in the ground in winter is a simple method, but quite risky. It is suitable only for frost-resistant flower varieties:

• in the fall, a trench is dug in the ground - its depth should be sufficient to completely lower the bulbs into them;
• the walls of the trench are strengthened with boards so that the earth does not crumble;
• it is recommended to place the seed not on the ground, but place it in small boxes;
• the trench must be provided with drainage to drain liquid during rains or melting snow;
• On top of the bulbs are covered with peat or covered with sawdust.

It is recommended to place bags filled with water in the trench next to the bulbs - you can use them to monitor the condition of the lilies. If the water is not frozen, then the bulbs are not cold. In addition, bags of water prevent the contents of the boxes from freezing in the trench.

Shelter

Lilies that overwinter in trenches must be covered. To do this, a plastic film is stretched over them; it is recommended to place cardboard on top of it.

After this, the trench is covered with earth, on which leaves are poured or coniferous branches are placed. Pine needles are preferred because they have a disinfecting effect, and their smell repels rodents.

You can cover the bulbs in the ground with pine branches

Suitable place in the apartment

In an apartment, you can store seed only in the coolest places. This could be a balcony or a refrigerator.

In a refrigerator

To store lilies in a refrigerator, use a wooden box or bag. Peat is poured into the container, then the bulbs are laid out. They can be laid in several layers, separated by a layer of peat.

It is not recommended to keep the bulbs near fruits, since the latter emit ethylene, which prevents the lilies from breathing properly and can cause them to spoil.

Using a cellar or basement

When keeping lilies in the basement, they should be placed in a wooden box and sprinkled with wet sawdust and peat. But storage in a cellar is only possible if the temperature in it in winter does not drop below 0 ° C, and there are no strong temperature fluctuations on thaw days.

It is quite difficult to store on the balcony

On the balcony

In winter, storage on the balcony is possible, but this option is quite risky. Boxes with seed must be placed so that they are not exposed to heat from the floor or wall adjacent to the room.

If the balcony is glazed, on sunny days the temperature on it can rise greatly, which will lead to the awakening of lily tubers.

Overwintering shelter

Oriental hybrids and other flowers should be preserved using the method below. How to preserve lily bulbs until spring in order to do it efficiently? It is necessary to create a trench on the territory of a garden plot, which is snowy in winter, and sunny and dry in spring. High-quality drainage or covering to protect against precipitation will prevent water from stagnating in the trench. The trench must be lined with boards and a roof must be created.

Packed bulbs are placed in bags filled with water. This provides support against atmospheric changes and is considered an excellent temperature indicator. The freezing of water during frost allows you to determine whether the bulbs are freezing. It is necessary to cover the storage with film, since it will prevent the lid from freezing and maintain the temperature inside. A layer of cardboard covered with soil, as well as pine branches, provides warmth.

Other methods

A number of other methods that are often practiced by gardeners can be used to store bulbous material.

In the package

Bulbs can only be kept in a bag if there are plenty of holes in it to ensure ventilation. Sawdust with peat or sand is poured into the bottom of the bag.

In the bag, the bulbs are placed in only 1 layer. It is not necessary to place such a container in a cold place. They are kept on the balcony or underground.

Use of stockings

In the stocking, lilies are placed in several layers. The stocking itself is hung in a cool, dry room where the temperature does not exceed +5 °C.

The advantage of this method is that the material allows you to keep the bulbs dry and provides them with the necessary ventilation

Containers

Lilies that began to germinate in the middle of winter are stored in pots or flowerpots. They are placed in pots with nutritious soil at the bottom and left in a cool place.

As soon as sprouts begin to appear, the container must be placed in a place with abundant but diffused sunlight. Digging up the bulbs for further moving them to the garden bed is done with extreme caution so as not to damage the root system.

In boxes

Holes are made in the boxes for ventilation, and the bulbs are sprinkled with sawdust or peat. Containers are kept in cool rooms where the temperature is stable.

In paper bags

Lilies are placed in paper bags, or simply wrapped in paper. This material allows you to retain the necessary moisture inside the seed. Paper bags are placed in boxes and stored in a cool place where there is no access to sunlight.

In peat bags

The bulbs are planted in peat pots filled with nutritious soil and left in a dark, cool place. Planting in peat containers is advantageous in that the lilies are then planted in the ground directly in peat pots.

After planting, there is no need to water the bulbs in a peat container.

Peat gradually decomposes and serves as an excellent fertilizer.

Step-by-step instruction

The following step-by-step instructions for digging up lily bulbs are provided:

1. prepare the area (free from leaves, small debris using a light rake); in order not to confuse the area with lilies that remain overwintering in the open ground, after flowering you need to mark it with a sign with a mark;
2. cut dried lily stems at the root using garden shears;
3. dig out the bulb with a pitchfork, carefully remove lumps of soil from it;
4. cut the roots to 5–7 centimeters, inspect the bulb for rotten and dried areas, remove them with a sharp knife;
5. immerse the dug up specimens in a disinfecting solution (fungicide, potassium permanganate) for 10 minutes;
6. remove the bulbs from the solution, dry thoroughly on wire racks in a ventilated area inaccessible to sunlight (shed, woodshed);
7. after drying, break off the baby bulbs from the mother bulb and place them in a container with sand;
8. then (based on the intended purpose), the divided bulb with the children is either planted back into the soil or sent for winter storage.

Resuscitation of lily bulbs

If storage conditions are violated, lily bulbs can deteriorate - lose moisture or become soft. There are a number of ways to resuscitate seed:

• The lily has dried out due to high temperature - wrap the bulbs with a piece of gauze soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate (0.5%). In a few days they can be planted.
• The onion has become soft - leave it in the growth stimulator solution for 1 day.
• The appearance of rotten areas - areas of damage are removed, the living area underneath is treated with pharmaceutical green.

If the onion is frozen, it can only be restored if hard spots are felt on it.

The frozen parts are cleaned off, the bulb is placed in a growth stimulator for a day, and then sent back for storage in dry peat.

Boarding time

The right time for planting is after the plants have flowered. It starts at the end of summer and lasts until mid-autumn. If the bulbs were purchased in early spring, planting can be done after the soil has thawed and dried. Late spring planting can damage young shoots. Once the lily bulbs have sprouted, they can be planted.

Spring planting is excellent for late-blooming varieties. These include Rio Negro, White Haven, Rialto, Marco Polo. Large bulbs should be planted at a depth of 25 cm, and small ones - at a depth of 3 times the bulb.

If the soil is heavy, there should be sand at the bottom. To protect the bulbs from voles, wire mesh is laid along the inner walls of the pit. The roots of the bulbs are straightened. They should not be twisted or bent upward. The planting area is stirred with a peg and sprinkled with earth. The hole should be watered with settled water and covered with bark mulch. To protect young shoots, the bulbs should be covered with bottles with the bottoms cut out.

How to store tulips in winter

When to dig up bulbs

Tulip bulbs are dug up when the top two leaves of the flower have turned yellow and the top of the stem can easily be wrapped around your finger. After being removed from the soil, the bulbs are dried at a temperature of 25-30 ºC and air humidity of about 50% for a week or ten days, then they are cleaned of soil, old scales and roots and divided into varieties: first grade - bulbs with a diameter of at least 4 cm, the second - with a diameter of 3 to 4 cm, the third - from 2 to 3 cm. Then the bulbs are laid out in boxes according to varieties in one layer and stored for a month at a temperature of 20-25 ºC with an air humidity of 70-80%, after which the temperature is reduced to 15 -18 ºC, and after two weeks it is reduced to 12 ºC, and air humidity to 60-70%.

• How to speed up seed germination - make a heated container for seedlings with your own hands!

How long should tulip bulbs be stored in such conditions? Typically, tulip bulbs are stored until planted in the ground before winter.

Agricultural techniques

Growing lilies is a complex process that includes various agricultural techniques. Each of them has a specific meaning. When growing lilies, you should also take into account the varieties, because each has its own characteristics. There are many varieties of crops that can withstand a harsh winter, while others will disappear in the soil even with slight frosts. Therefore, not all lilies can be dug up.

Many lilies are characterized as frost-resistant crops. But you need to find out whether the plant being grown is a hybrid.

It is imperative to remove tubular, oriental, Asian and American varieties from the ground for winter storage.

If the lily is classified as a hybrid of LA lilies, then they should be removed from the ground for the winter annually, regardless of climatic conditions. A feature of this variety is the rapid formation of children; if they are not removed, they will take away all the nutrients from the parent plant.

The following plant varieties should not be dug up for the winter:

• Asian hybrid;
• matragon;
• Daurian lily;
• Pennsylvania hybrid;
• OA lily hybrid.

You can leave the tiger lily for the winter; it tolerates winter well. For reliability, the soil should be mulched using sawdust and spruce paws. Additionally, spruce paws are laid as cover.

Some varieties drip for wintering. But any flowers, regardless of frost resistance, should be dug up periodically to remove excess children, as well as replant them in a new place.

Different varieties of hybrids have their own replanting times:

• Asian hybrids and hybrid varieties of the LA class (Longiflorum-Asiatic) should be dug up from August 15 to 20;
• American-type hybrids and OT (Oriental-Tubular) class plants are not dug up every year, but this should be done from August 25 to September 1;
• oriental hybrids are removed from the ground only for replanting and periodic removal of babies from September 1 to 5.

It is allowed to dig up flowers only after the stems have dried.

The issue of bulb preservation is complex and does not have a clear answer. Whether to dig up or leave plants in the ground over the winter depends on many factors. First of all, it depends on the plant variety itself, as well as the weather conditions of the area.

But sometimes replanting and digging should be done in order to preserve the decorative nature of the flowers, and also to avoid overgrowth and weak plants. This can happen if the parent bulb is abundantly covered with children. They not only thicken the plantings and the flowers become much smaller, but also lead to insufficient supply of nutrients to the parent plant.

To preserve lilies for the winter that are planned to be left in their old place, you will need to organize a reliable shelter. There are many options.

1. In autumn (late September - early October), after cutting off old stems, mulching is carried out using leaves or peat. Nothing else is needed, since a thick layer of snow is the best blanket.
2. To prevent the bulbous sprouts from germinating too early and suffering from late frosts, you can cover the beds with lilies with a layer of fallen leaves after the ground has frozen.
3. In the northwestern territories, the best shelter after slight freezing of the soil is a 10-15 cm layer of spruce branches or dry leaves.