For several centuries, incredibly beautiful and easy-to-care garden lilies are the object of love for flower growers. In addition to the aesthetic appearance, these flowers are able to relieve muscle and toothache, help fight skin problems and even the psyche. However, not every lover knows how to properly reproduce lilies, so let us dwell on this issue in more detail.
Methods of reproduction of lilies
So, there are two ways of reproducing lilies: sexual and asexual. These flowers can be grown with the help of seeds, but it should be noted that the reproduction of lilies by seeds is a difficult and troublesome business and requires special conditions. This method is usually used by breeders in breeding new (including hybrid) varieties. But amateur growers are more comfortable using vegetative methods.
How to grow the garden lilies vegetatively? There are four ways.
- The first is the reproduction of lilies by bulbs. Of course, this is the most accessible and easy method, but there is a significant disadvantage, which is a low multiplication factor, it has. In the third to fourth year of life, the root system of the plant forms several bulbs. They must be carefully excavated, divided, and then placed separately in the ground. To divide the roots of a lily is best in autumn, but division is possible in the spring. But note, the height of the lily should not be more than ten centimeters, otherwise the bulbs will not survive. If the bulb is large, then in the planting year the plant can please with flowering. Waiting for the flowering of lilies, grown from small bulbs, is not until next year.
- The second method is the reproduction of lilies by bulb-babies. If the mother bulb is planted deep in the ground, then the children will be more. Removing the flower buds of the mother plant, you can increase the reproduction rate.
- The third method is the multiplication of lilies with bulbs that form in the sinuses of plant hybrids. If the mother plant is young, abundantly blooming, grows in conditions of high humidity, then the efficiency of vegetation is quite high. Collecting bulbs from the lily after flowering , they can immediately be planted in pots. In a year they will be ready for growth on the open ground.
- It is possible to multiply lilies and scales, each of which at the base forms bulbs. This method is considered the most effective for flower growers, as one ripe bulb can give life to 150 new plants! In addition, reproduction by scales is possible year-round. To do this, separate large and healthy flakes from the bulb, flush them, stand in the fungicide solution, dry and let ripen in a dark package for 6 weeks at a temperature of 22 degrees, and then another month at a temperature of 18 degrees. During this time, the scales will develop bulbs and will be ready for planting in the ground. If the ground has not yet warmed up, you can store flakes in the refrigerator. In two years the lily, grown from scales, will begin to blossom.
Alternative breeding options
Some varieties of lilies allow reproduction by leaves and cuttings. During budding from the stem, it is necessary to separate the leaves with the bases and immediately plant them in the pot, leaving a half of the leaf plate above the surface. The capacity is covered with a film, so that the bulbs are formed faster. In spring, young plants can be transferred to the ground.
Cuttings during the digging in the spring are carefully separated, placed in a greenhouse . After 5-6 weeks you will see formed bulbs. If you land them in the ground in June-July, then in two years your lilies will bloom.