Five methods of cultivating lily bulbs

Lily needs several years of cultivation after sowing to obtain commercial bulbs. Generally, asexual propagation or seed propagation is used to obtain seed balls, and then seed balls are planted into the field. Here are five ways to grow seed balls.

1. Bulblet cultivation method. Suitable for varieties that produce bulbils, such as lily varieties. Mature bulbils are harvested in summer. From late September to early October, one bulbils are sown every 4~6 cm in a sowing ditch with row spacing of 12~15 cm wide and 4 cm deep, and the soil is 3 cm thick. Overwintering with grass and film before freezing. In the spring of the following year, weeding, film removal, intertillage and weeding, topdressing and watering are carried out when seedlings emerge. In autumn, after the aboveground part withers, small bulbs are dug, sown according to row spacing of 30 cm and plant spacing of 9~12 cm, covered with soil thickness of 6 cm, and cultivated for another year according to the above method. In autumn, seed bulbs of standard size can be harvested, and the rest of the bulbs continue to be cultivated.

2. Bulblet cultivation method. Varieties suitable for producing bulblets, such as Tianxiang lily varieties. In autumn, the edible big bulbs are dug up, the small bulbs in the soil are collected, and the seeds are sown according to the bulblet cultivation method. Sowing distance should be slightly larger than the bulbils. After one year of cultivation, most of the bulblets can reach the standard of seed bulb.

3. Scale cuttage cultivation method. In autumn or spring, select well-developed scales from fully mature bulbs, cut them open from the base with a sharp knife, soak them in 500 times benzene bacteria solution for 30 minutes to sterilize them, take them out and dry them, and insert them into sandy loam seedbeds. Base downward, soil depth up to 1/2~2/3 of scale, blade spacing 4~5 cm. Shading after insertion, watering to maintain soil water holding capacity of 75%, but not too wet, to prevent scale decay. 15~20 days after insertion, 1~2 embryos grow out of the incision at the lower end of the scale and take root and grow leaves. At this time, topdressing and watering should be applied. In autumn, small bulbs of corn grain size can be formed. After digging, they can be sown and cultivated for one year according to the pearl bud cultivation method, and then they can reach the seed bulb standard.

4. Core cultivation method. Suitable for single bulb varieties. When lily is harvested in autumn, the lily with disease, weakness and abnormal color is eliminated, the well-developed lily is selected, the outer scales of the bulb are stripped for marketing or processing, and the remaining lily core and disk with thumb thickness are used as seed balls, and the lily core and disk can be cultivated in the seedbed for one year to reach the seed ball standard.

5. Seed cultivation method. Apply to flowering and bearing seeds and produce varieties, such as lily, Shandan. Mature seeds are harvested in autumn and sown immediately in seedbeds. Seedbed soil: 4 parts of middle vegetable soil plus 4 parts of fully decomposed compost plus 2 parts of fine sand mixed evenly, spread on the seedbed, 10 cm thick. Seed sowing covered with fine soil 3 cm thick, covered with straw film. Seeds germinate in winter and emerge early and grow quickly in the following spring. Do not delay sowing until the following spring, otherwise the germination rate will be low. After emergence, remove the film and grass and thin the seedlings. In the future, tilling, weeding and topdressing frequently. Autumn bulbs are still small and need to be cultivated continuously before they can be used as seed bulbs.