Storing lily bulbs at home until spring planting: rules

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.

How to most economically store lilies in a nursery

Regardless of the size of the nursery and/or wholesale warehouse of bulbs, the issue of saving is never superfluous. Cooling a large mass of bulbs always requires significant energy consumption. Here are some of our working ways to reduce costs:

When equipping a refrigeration chamber, thermal insulation of the walls is of great importance
Spotted in Holland. From January to March, huge savings come from the combination of air conditioning and fresh air ventilation. Ducts supply cold outside air under the ceiling, and a temperature sensor is placed under a stack of pallets. But, even if you don’t have a sensor that turns the ventilation on and off, even turning it on manually will help.
If the nursery has its own territory, then the construction of a buried bunker will pay for itself in the first season. In our nursery there was one - one hundred cubic meters. The temperature from December to February remained at 0-3C naturally; cooling with a split system was required only from the second half of March. You can imagine the scale of the savings.

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.

What to do if a lily bulb starts to grow in the refrigerator

The same principle applies here as with germinating potato tubers, namely: expose them to the light. In this case, the sprouts turn green in the light, but stop lengthening uncontrollably. If this is not a home refrigerator, but a refrigerated display case in a store, then it makes sense not to turn off the lighting at all. What to do if the bulb has already sprouted is a separate question. But if you have time with light, then there is a chance to survive until the landing with virtually no losses.

If the lily begins to grow in the refrigerator, put it in the light

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.

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 consider the varieties, because each has its own characteristics. There are many varieties of crops that can withstand a harsh winter, while others will disappear into the soil and a light frost. Therefore, not all lilies can be excavated.

Do all lilies need to be dug up?

Many lilies are characterized as frost-resistant crops. But you need to find out whether the cultivated plant 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 Los Angeles lilies, then they should be removed from the ground annually for the winter, regardless of climatic conditions. A feature of this variety is the rapid formation of children; if they are not removed, they will remove all nutrients from the mother plant.

Do not dig up the following plant varieties 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, soil mulching should be done with sawdust and spruce legs. In addition, spruce legs are laid as shelter.

When and how to dig up lilies for the winter

Some varieties drip for the winter. But any flowers, regardless of frost resistance, must be dug up periodically to remove excess flowers and also be replanted in a new place.

Different varieties of hybrids have their own replanting dates:

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

How to ensure the safety of lilies

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

But sometimes it is necessary to replant and dig up in order to preserve the decorative nature of the flowers, and also not to get weak thickets and plants on the lip. This can happen if the parent bulb is abundantly covered with children. Not only do they thicken the plantings and the flowers become much smaller, but they also lead to an insufficient supply of nutrients to the mother plant.

Ways to cover for the winter

To preserve lilies for the winter, which should be left in their old place, it will be necessary to organize a reliable shelter. There are many options.

In autumn (late September - early October), after trimming old stems, mulch with leaves or peat. Nothing else is needed, a thick layer of snow is the best blanket.
To prevent the bulbous shoots from germinating too early and suffering from late frosts, after the soil freezes, you can cover the lily beds with a layer of fallen leaves.
In the northwestern territories, the best shelter after some freezing of the soil is a 10-15 cm layer of spruce branches or dry leaves.

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.

Step-by-step instruction

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

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;
cut dried lily stems at the root using garden shears;
dig out the bulb with a pitchfork, carefully remove lumps of soil from it;
cut the roots to 5–7 centimeters, inspect the bulb for rotten and dried areas, remove them with a sharp knife;
immerse the dug up specimens in a disinfecting solution (fungicide, potassium permanganate) for 10 minutes;
remove the bulbs from the solution, dry thoroughly on wire racks in a ventilated area inaccessible to sunlight (shed, woodshed);
after drying, break off the baby bulbs from the mother bulb and place them in a container with sand;
then (based on the intended purpose), the divided bulb with the children is either planted back into the soil or sent for winter storage.

What planting material to buy

Lily bulbs appear on sale from the last days of January until May. And also from the end of August to September. The “fresh” they are, the more likely it is that the germination of the bulbs will be timely and the flowering of the plants will be vigorous.

If the purchase of lilies occurs in the autumn, preference should be given to products from a domestic manufacturer. And from February to March you can already purchase imported products.
At the time of purchase, you should evaluate the appearance and structure of each bulb. There should be no damage or signs of disease. They should feel elastic to the touch, without soft areas.
It is very important that the planting material does not emit a moldy smell when opening the package.
Another indicator of the quality of lily bulbs is the presence of living roots. If the bulbs are purchased in the spring, the presence of a small sprout is considered normal.
When the bulbs are clearly overdried or too soft, have no roots or, on the contrary, have sprouted very actively, it is not advisable to buy them. The lilies were most likely stored in violation of the rules, after which they will not be able to please with lush, bright flowering.

It is very important to carefully examine the bottom of the bulbs. They should be dry and dense, without signs of fungal infection.