What season is suitable for growing lilies?

After the beginning of autumn every year, lilies start to be available on the market. The name "lily" has multiple meanings. In summer, it is a fragrant and elegant ornamental flower. In autumn, it is a common medicinal and edible delicacy on the table. So what season is suitable for growing lilies? Let’s take a look below.

1. What season is suitable for planting lilies?

The most suitable temperature for lily growth is 15 to 25 degrees, so it can be planted when the temperature is above 15 degrees. Generally speaking, spring and autumn are both suitable. If planted in pots, it would be better to plant in spring. Because after planting in autumn, winter will soon come. If the indoor temperature is too cold in winter, it will not be conducive to the growth of lilies. In spring, all things come back to life. After the lilies sprout, the temperature is suitable for growth and they will soon bloom.

2. Planting technology of edible lily

1. Seed selection

There are many varieties of edible lilies, such as fragrant lily, golden needle lily, sour lily, stone lily, etc. Their shapes, colors, fragrances, and tastes are all different. You can choose according to your preferences. Generally speaking, fragrant lilies have the strongest fragrance, day lilies have the largest bulbs, sour lilies have the crispest bulbs, and stone lilies have the sweetest bulbs. The bulbs of edible lilies should be disease-free and insect-free, plump and firm, with complete scales, obvious buds, and moderate size, generally 3-5 cm in diameter.

2. Site selection

Edible lilies like to grow in fertile, loose, well-drained, slightly acidic soil environments, and are not tolerant to waterlogging and salinity. Therefore, when planting edible lilies, you should choose a plot with high terrain, deep soil, and plenty of sunlight. It is best to choose a plot that has been planted with crops such as legumes and grasses before. Avoid continuous planting or crop rotation with crops of the same family such as onions and garlic to prevent the occurrence of diseases and pests. Before planting, the soil should be deeply plowed and loosened, and an appropriate amount of organic fertilizer or compound fertilizer should be applied as base fertilizer. At the same time, attention should be paid to adjusting the pH value of the soil. If the soil is too alkaline, it can be improved with sulfur powder or humic acid.

3. Planting seeds

The sowing time for edible lilies is generally in spring and autumn. Depending on the climatic conditions in different regions, it can be done in March-April or August-October. The bulbs must be disinfected before sowing. They can be soaked in 800 times dilution of carbendazim or thiophanate-methyl for 20-30 minutes, then drained and set aside. When sowing, insert the bulbs vertically into the soil with the buds facing up and the base facing down, at a depth of about 10 cm, with a row spacing of 25 cm and a plant spacing of 15 cm. Then cover them with soil lightly, compact them, and water them thoroughly. After sowing, cover the seeds with straw or other materials to keep them moist and warm and prevent them from drying out and freezing.

4. Management

The management of edible lilies mainly includes watering, fertilizing, weeding, tillage, disease and insect control, etc. Watering should be appropriate to keep the soil moist and avoid waterlogging. Generally, water in time during droughts. Increase watering during flower bud differentiation and flowering periods. After flowering, gradually reduce watering to facilitate the maturation of bulbs. Fertilization should be timely. Generally, nitrogen fertilizer should be applied once after the lilies emerge to promote the growth of stems and leaves. Phosphorus and potassium fertilizers should be applied once during the flower bud differentiation period and flowering period to increase the size and quality of the bulbs. When fertilizing, care should be taken to avoid fertilizer contact with the bulbs to prevent burns. Weeding should be done in a timely manner. Generally, the first weeding should be done after the lilies emerge, and then every 10-15 days. At the same time, the soil should be loosened to maintain soil aeration and moisture uniformity. Pay attention to disease and pest control. Common diseases and pests of lilies include cotton rot, blight, viral disease, leaf blight, black stem disease, aphids, beetles , mites, etc. They must be discovered in time and appropriate measures should be taken, such as spraying fungicides such as carbendazim, thiophanate, and mancozeb, or spraying insecticides such as imidacloprid, omethoate, and cypermethrin to prevent the spread and harm of diseases and pests.

5. Harvest

The harvest time for edible lilies is generally 10-15 days after flowering, which is the peak growth period of the bulbs. At this time, the sugar content of the bulbs is the highest and the taste is the best. When harvesting, choose a sunny day, use a shovel or fork to dig out the bulbs with the roots, cut off the above-ground part, wash them clean, dry them, and then grade and sort them. Keep the large bulbs as seed bulbs, and the small bulbs can be eaten or stored. When storing edible lilies, care must be taken to prevent them from drying out and mildew. They should generally be wrapped in moist gauze or straw and placed in a cool, ventilated place. The temperature should be controlled at 5-10 degrees Celsius and the humidity at 75-85%. Check them regularly and remove spoiled bulbs in time. This way, they can be preserved for 3-6 months.

That’s it