The majority of the plants are young plants. The main large plants have only started to come through in the last few days. I thought the main bulbs had died so I did nothing but now I have to know what to. Can I seperate them now and not kill them for the year? Should I wait and seperate after the flowers die off? Wait until the greenery dies off and seperate and transplant in the fall? Can I simply take the whole thing and transplant them into a larger container so they can grow and have a better chance to survive and then seperate and trasnplant in the fall after foliage dies off? Or can I simply transplant them to a larger container and not seperate them leaving them to mother nature to cull them out? How much fertilizer should I feed these monsters regardless of what I do with them? I imagine they are root bound and intertwined beyond anything I have seen before. I don't want to damage them so bad that they die and I lose my main bulbs also.
What I would do might not be what most would do but I think the bulbs are more forgiving than some give them credit for. Have another pot or a bed in the ground ready for them. I would take a long handled iced tea spoon or a table knife and gently work it under the bulbs of the plants around the edge of the pot. Lift them up and transplant them. They will continue to grow, might not bloom this year but since they are the babies of the other bulbs they might not bloom this year anyway. Once you have made some space in the pots you can gently move the others so there is more space. Then leave them until after the leaves die off and transplant where ever you want them. Feeding should be done in spring and again in fall. You can put a teaspoon of Bone Meal when you first plant them. Feeding bulbs already in the ground you can sprinkle a bit on the ground around the plants and water it then and regularly to dissolve the bone meal properly. I use Bone Meal because it is an excellent source of the phosphorus that plants need to help them grow strong roots, produce blooms and multiply every year.
All you need to do is soak the pot generously in water and slide the whole clump out and plant as desired. They should easily untangle if you want to thin them out and spread around your garden. Be gentle, and they should be just fine. Babies that age will probably not bloom this year.
Well I tried to dig around them and it aint happening without major damage. If I transplant them I will have to dump the whole thing and do all of them. Is still an option I guess but I don't want to ruin a good thing and they seem to be happy. I can add some bone meal to the top and fertilize them later on so the bulbs are good and strong. I may decide to simply place the whole thing in a larger container and let them grow that way without killing the roots. Does this sound like a viable option? A good compost mixed soil with bone meal and time release fertlizer and let them go about their thing until fall and then do it right?
Great job Fish! You've certainly kept them happy in their pots. :-D Moving them up a pot size sounds like a great option. With them expanding that rapidly by the fall when they die back you will have so many more any damage will not be noticed. Remember that even the scales can make new plants.
I have no clue what a scale is. I have read about it for separating bulbs but I don't remember seeing them on any of my bubls in real life. I guess I need to pay more attention. I saw tons of plantlets on the stems of the tall lilies but yet to see the scales on the bulbs.
Google was good and I found this site with photos of progation of lilies http://www.mikesbackyardgarden.org/lilyprop.html. I have one lily that every time I move it the scales break off and leave some to restart in the area I am moving it from. Seems some varieties are more prone to scaling than others from my observations. From what you said I am guessing yours produce lots of bulblets to multiply. You never told us the color of your lilies?
I have about 9 or 10 kinds of lilies, & have never fertilized any of them. They grow like crazy, and reproduce all over. They love to be crowded like that, and even when I do divide them up and move them, they still thrive in both places. My little golden oro lily [or whatever it is called, I got it at Walmart] did not bloom last summer, but it has two babies this year. I will give it something just to help it out though. My other lilies do not seem to need anything more than occasional dividing and water if we hit a dry patch. ( photo / image / picture from AAnightowl's Garden ) These are some of my Tiger lilies that came from a friend's garden a long time ago. ( photo / image / picture from AAnightowl's Garden ) These are my "banana lilies" because I do not know their scientific name and they are the color of a nice yellow banana. ( photo / image / picture from AAnightowl's Garden ) Again, I am not sure of the proper name for these, so I call them "lemon lilies" because they are the paler yellow of a lemon. These also came from a friend's old garden. My other lily pictures are too big for the format here.
AAnightowl you should post some of your beauties in the Member's Gallery to show to everyone. I really love your light yellow
I will, I just have not gotten there yet. These are from other seasons so far as they have not yet bloomed this year. I moved a few of the pale yellow ones this spring, and forgot where I planted them. I will be surprised when they bloom.
