GARDENING : Lots of Pampering Stems Wilting Effect of Aging on Lilies
No matter what date Easter falls on--and it varies from year to year--pots of fragrant Easter lilies are always on sale before the holiday.
In the techniques used by growers to make that happen are clues for keeping the lilies flourishing while in bloom and after the flowering is over.
Growers use bulb-forcing to time the crop so the white, trumpet-shaped flowers appear for Easter, whether it be early (in March), late or in between (April 3 this year).
The process starts about 17 weeks before a salable plant is shipped to retailers and includes controlled lighting, fertilizing and watering. After pre-cooling and potting, bulbs take about 120 days to flower.
Growers expect temperatures higher than 60 degrees to hasten flowering and lower ones to delay it. An inside joke says pots sometimes are worn thin on the bottom by being moved from one temperature to another.
By the time the lily reaches your home, it has been well pampered, and for good reason. Most growers consider the Easter lily (Lilium longiflorum) their most profitable potted plant. And for best results, you need to continue the pampering.
In flower, they like bright, indirect light with daytime temperatures of about 70 degrees, although a little direct sun won’t hurt. Remove faded blooms as they develop. Don’t fertilize.
Make sure the drainage hole is not obstructed. Fill with water once or twice and let drain. To avoid root rot, water only when the surface is dry to the touch.
Night temperatures around 40 to 45 degrees are ideal for prolonging blooms. If your climate permits, try a sheltered outdoor location at night.
Each flower lasts about a week. Remove faded flowers and stems as they develop.
The plant is not likely to again be satisfactory indoors. But it should flourish outdoors for years, except in severe winter climates. However, the flowering won’t be around Easter but, rather, at the natural cycle a few months later.
To build up the bulb for outdoors once indoor flowering is over, set the pot in the sun, fertilize lightly with a time-release product such as Osmocote and keep the plant moist. Do not remove any green foliage. It eventually dies back but, in the meantime, manufactures nutrients for another season.
In-ground planting of the bulbs is best. They also can be transferred to an outdoor container slightly larger than the original pot and grown successfully in partial-shade conditions.
If time or weather dictate, place the original pot in an outdoor bed and cover with soil for later handling.
They won’t survive in soggy soil so make sure any outdoor location has good drainage. If there is a slight slope, so much the better. Work a liberal amount of organic matter into the top 12 inches of soil and add a handful of superphosphate (0-20-0 formulation). Plant a little deeper than they were growing in the pot.
The first year, don’t be surprised by some fall flowers as the bulb recycles to nature.
After about three years, the clumps become too large. Dig and divide in fall or spring. Replant the same as you did originally.
If you have other lilies, don’t plant a potted Easter lily near them. Forced ones sometimes carry a virus.
Indoor forcing of new bulbs is possible on a windowsill, but most people find it difficult. Ace or Nellie White are good choices. Plant in a six-inch pot, with the tip just below the soil level. Keep cool and dark until a shoot shows.
Then move the pot to a shady windowsill and, as the shoot begins to lengthen, to one getting full sun. Temperatures are best held around 70. Fertilize lightly every two weeks at this point. Allow about 130 days from planting to first flower.
