Lilies have faded, what next?

Lilies - perennial garden plants, having surprisingly beautiful in form and color flowers. Care for lilies in general does not cause trouble: bulbs are easy to plant, do not need to thin out and spray regularly. It is necessary only to periodically water flowers, loosen soil and sometimes feed fertilizers. But in the period after flowering, plants need to be treated especially carefully. What to do next to the gardeners, after the lilies have faded?

How to trim lilies after flowering?

Preparing the lily for the winter begins with the removal of dried flowers. This is done so that the plant does not consume energy to ripen the seeds. Even after the flowers have faded, and the plant does not look so decorative, it is better to refrain from cutting the stems. Even the withering stems and leaves do not stop supplying the bulb with nutrients. Pruning of lilies after flowering is carried out only at the very end of the season and is carried out in such a way that one-year roots, located almost at the ground level, are preserved. Annual roots provide the flower bulb with additional nutrition.

In order to hide the unattractive appearance of the faded lilies on the flowerbed, the easiest way is to make a disguise - to plant in front a tall grass or annual flowers covering the wilted plants.

Addition of lilies after flowering

Lilies after flowering necessarily feed potassium-phosphorus fertilizers. Experts do not recommend the use of fertilizing the flower with mineral fertilizers, because after they have been repeatedly introduced, the lilies become more painful, which makes them difficult to tolerate wintering, are more likely to be exposed to infections, and bloom poorly next year.

It is also possible to feed lilies with some organic matter, except fresh compost and manure . The latter can cause a burn of the bulb or provoke dangerous fungal and infectious diseases. It is best at the end of flowering to make special solutions, the basis for which is sold in specialized stores. Thanks to this extra nutrition, the bulb ripens better, and flower buds are laid. It is also recommended to increase the watering of the plant so that the bulbs accumulate the necessary supply of nutrients throughout the winter and grow stronger.

Transplanting lilies after flowering

Not all gardeners know the optimal timing, when the lilies after flowering dig. Experts recommend doing this not earlier than 3 to 4 weeks after the end of flowering. If you make a transplant earlier, then the plant or with difficulty gets accustomed, or can completely die.

In order to transplant the flowers, it is necessary to separate the dead parts of the plant, then give the bulb to dry in the shade and treat it with a disinfectant, for example, a pink solution of potassium permanganate or charcoal. The finished planting material is planted in dug flower beds.

Storing lily bulbs

But to leave for the winter in the earth can only some varieties of lilies. Frost-resistant, for example, Asian hybrids, well tolerate even quite severe winters. Tubular lilies should be excavated, poured with a mixture of sawdust, peat and sand, and, placing in a container, store in a cellar or unheated basement until spring. It is possible to arrange storage of bulbs on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator in a package with a substrate of sawdust, sand and peat.

Shelter bulb shelter for the winter

It is recommended to cover the eastern varieties of garden lilies in the cold period with a layer of peat or leaves from the trees. The best insulation for bulbs that winter in the ground is a layer of snow. In the spring, shelter from the compost is removed as the weather conditions change.