How to propagate lilies: ways and advice

Even before our era, lilies became a symbol of purity of thoughts and closeness to God among the Greeks, wealth and success - from the ancient Romans, royal power - from the French. Every prosperous merchant, clerk or patrician in Ancient Rome, near the house, these flowers grew, letting others know about the wealth of his owner.

Thanks to the French, lilies were cultivated, cultivated everywhere, and used to decorate the house, as well as clothes and hairstyles. Already in those days people knew how to propagate lilies.

Reproduction by bulbots

In our time, almost every summer resident on the plot has a flower bed with lilies, and it is understandable why. These beautiful flowers have a pleasant aroma, beautiful large buds, they are unpretentious in the care, long blossom, and even a florist-novice can figure out how to multiply the lilies.

Unlike other flowers, lilies offer their owners a choice of several ways to multiply. The most common and simple is the reproduction of stem bulbs and "babies".

To understand how to multiply lilies with bulbots, it is necessary to determine which particular varieties they grow. Bulbules are formed in the axils of leaves in such lilies as tiger, sargent, sulfuric and bulbous.

Bulbs on stems are formed during the "ripening" bud in early June, during the summer they form, ripen and crumble in late August. The process of multiplication by bulbs assumes the following actions:

• The prepared boxes are filled with sand or garden soil mixed with sand, slightly moistened.
• The assembled bulbs "stick" into the ground for 3-5 cm of depth at a distance of up to 10 cm from each other.
• For the winter, boxes with planting material are put in a dark cool place, where the temperature does not fall below 0 degrees.
• In spring, the bulblets are brought to light and planted in the open ground, where for a year or two of these will produce real bulbs that can be transplanted to a permanent bed.

Such varieties of lilies, as bulbous, long-flowered, saffron and Taiwanese, can artificially cause the formation of stem bulb. To do this, you can bend and sprinkle the stem with earth or cut it almost to the ground and put it in water, after which after 1.5-2 months bulbs form in the axils of its leaves.

Reproduction by "children"

One of the options for how to multiply the lilies, can be planting bulbous children. This method is carried out once in 3-4 years, when it is time to transplant the flowers to a new location.

During this period, several "babies" are formed on the mother bulb, which are easily separated if they are ripe for transplantation. It's easy to check by running your fingers over them. If bulb-babies do not separate when touched, then it's too early to use them.

If you do not know how to propagate lilies in autumn, remember: there is no better way than "babies" and bulbots. The daughter bulbs should be placed in boxes before the spring, and once the heat is established, transplant them into the open ground.

Reproduction by scales

In addition to bulbs and bulbs, there is another popular method, how to propagate lilies - scales. This is a kind of "petals" at the base of the bulb, which you can gently tear off from it, without digging the plant itself. It is enough to expose the bulb and "remove" a few scales from it.

This process of lily reproduction takes 2-3 years, but the resulting bulbs will be strong, healthy and will yield a high "yield". Step-by-step actions of reproduction of a lily with scales are as follows:

• Separate from the mother bulb you can not more than a third of the scales, and it is better if they are near its bottom.
• A mixture of garden soil with sand (3: 1) is poured into the container and small pits are prepared.
• In the holes, place the planting material at a depth of 2/3 of the height of the scales and cover with a substrate.
• Prepared containers are covered with a film or transparent glass to form a greenhouse effect, spray the soil as it dries.
• In a warm place in 2-3 months, when roots and "babies" grow on scales, they are transplanted into separate pots.
• Until the next spring, the scales develop in their new containers at a temperature of + 5-10 degrees, and with the onset of heat, the "babies" are separated and transplanted into temporary beds for "ripening".

Thus, after 2-3 years, a full-blown bulb is obtained. This type of reproduction gives the largest coefficient, since up to 4 new bulbs are formed from one flake. This means that the removed scales from one mother bulb can bring from 15 to 150 new bulbs.

Reproduction by cuttings

There are varieties (regalia, tiger, white), in which the development of bulbs is slow, so there is no better way how to propagate lilies by cuttings.

For this you need:

• Prepare a container with peat crumb with humus and sand.
• Cut the leaves with a "heel" or simply separate it from the base of the bulb.
• Insert the planting material under a slope into the prepared soil and cover with a film.
• Immediately after planting, water or carefully spray sprouts.

A month later in the axils of the leaf bulbs are formed, and the stem will grow roots. Bulbs can be separated after their ripening and planted separately to grow. Boxes with sprouts should be kept warm, and if the planting material is planted immediately in the open ground, then for the winter it must be carefully covered and insulated.

Such an easy method can master even beginning gardeners, wondering whether it is possible to propagate lilies by cuttings.

Bulb division multiplication

This method is used by more experienced growers, since it requires attention and skills, namely:

• To be able to carefully dig out the root, without damaging either it or the stem;
• Shake off the ground and cut off the stems with a pruner 15-20 cm above the horse system;
• Very carefully separate the bulbs from the "nest" and cut off the old roots to their base, and the young and strong to shorten by 15-20 cm;
• Check the bulbs for damage and rot.

At this type of reproduction, all work should be carried out either on a cloudy day or in the shade. Selected healthy bulbs should be covered with moistened gauze before planting, and then planted immediately on a prepared constant flowerbed.

Reproduction by seeds

Among the lilies there are rapidly growing varieties (Daurian, long-leaved, luxurious, golden, drooping, and others), in which seed capsules are formed, so the question is not how to multiply lilies of this kind. They are propagated by seeds.

• For this, they are sown in boxes with earth and put in a greenhouse or room for germination.
• As soon as the first shoots appear, the air temperature should be lowered to +15 degrees.
• With the appearance of the first sheet, the temperature is raised to +20 degrees.
• After the first leaf is fully formed, the lily is transplanted into boxes up to 10 cm deep, and with the establishment of heat (in April), these boxes are buried in open ground.

To bulb develop faster, it is better to immediately find a shaded place and bury boxes with seedlings there.

Selection of planting material

To first plant a lily on the site, it is better to go to specialized stores and buy healthy bulbs.

At purchase it is necessary to check up their roots, донца and flakes for presence of damages and decay. If the rootlets dried, they can be safely removed, and the bulbs themselves planted in moistened soil. New roots will appear quickly.