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Care for easter lilies indoors


Plant Care Tips For Potted Easter Lilies

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The Easter Lily (Lilium longiflorum) is a midseason bloomer with pure white trumpet-shaped blossoms that are widely grown for pot production or cut flowers. The popularity of the Easter Lily soars during the early spring when Easter is celebrated. However, the natural blooming period for this beloved flower is from early to mid-summer, typically during the months of June and July. Potted Easter Lilies can be grown indoors until temperatures are warmer, when they can be plant outside.

Light Requirements

Potted Easter Lilies grown indoors will need bright, indirect natural daylight; direct, bright sunlight can cause burning issues. Potted Easter lilies (Lilium longiflorum) can be planted in the garden after all danger of frost; this should be done after the flowers have withered away. Plant Easter Lilies in a sunny location; make sure the bed is well drained, organically rich and mulched. Easter lilies like to have their roots shaded; mulch will help shade the roots.

Water Requirements

Potted Easter Lilies (Lilium longiflorum) often arrive with a decorative foil wrapper, paper, plastic or mesh sleeves. Remove the wrapper as soon as possible. The packaging around an Easter Lily can cause the lily to become water logged. Indoors the potted Easter Lilies require a medium moisture level and must not be allowed to stand in water for any length of time. Once the Easter Lily is planted in the garden it should be watered freely during the active growth period and kept towards the moist side during the winter.

Fertilizer Requirements

Although Easter Lilies (Lilium longiflorum) are among the more alkaline tolerant lilies, they are best in slightly acidic to neutral soil (6.5 to 7.0). Potted Easter Lilies that are blooming will not need to be fertilized. Easter Lilies in the garden will need a balanced fertilizer as the new shoots emerge in the spring. During the growing season the Easter Lilies do best with a slow release fertilizer applied once or twice.

Pests and Diseases

Easter Lilies (Lilium longiflorum) are susceptible to a small number of insects, viruses, fungal diseases, and some small animals. Common insects are red lily beetles, slugs, snails and aphids. Insects like aphids can spread viruses, however, many of the new lily varieties are tolerant or immune to these viruses. Gray mold is the most common fungal disease and is most problematic during a wet, cool spring or summer. Root rot is another issue that plagues Easter Lilies that are not in well drain soil or pots with drainage holes. Birds may peck holes in the buds while rabbits, groundhogs, and deer may eat the entire plant.

Temperature

Potted Easter Lilies prefer a cool temperature around 65degrees Fahrenheit during the day and slightly cooler at night. Exposure to wide temperature changes is detrimental to the Easter Lily. They do not like drafts from doors or exposure to excessive heat or dry air; keep away from air ducts. In the garden Easter Lilies can live in Zones 7 to 9. Temperatures in these zone range from a maximum cold of 0 degrees Fahrenheit to multiple days over 86 degrees Fahrenheit.

Propagation and Potting

Easter lily (Lilium longiflorum) seeds should be sown in a cold container as soon as ripe. Easter lilies seeds may also be germinated under lights indoors at 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit during the spring. For vegetative propagation remove scales, offsets, or bulblets as the foliage dies down in the summer. These can be stored for later planting or immediately planted in new areas.

Buy potted Easter Lilies from a local florist!

Easter Lily Care Guide | Martha Stewart

Your spring tablescape just got prettier.

White Easter Lily Flowers with a Neutral Background

Credit: Crystal Bolin Photography / Getty Images

Around Spring and Easter, flower shops and grocery stores are filled with potted Easter lilies (Lilium longiflorum). The beautiful white flower has a rich history within Christianity as a symbol of purity, innocence, and rebirth. And since it blooms in the spring to coincide with the holiday, the flowers are most often associated with the resurrection of Christ.

Whether you pick them up for symbolic reasons or for the big gorgeous blooms, we have the care instructions you need to keep your lilies going strong. To help you through the process, we spoke to industry experts including Warren Summers, the former president of the North American Lily Society, and Dimitri Gatanas from New York City's Urban Garden Center. Rest assured, "The Easter lily is a pretty easy plant to care for," says Gatanas.

What Is an Easter Lily?

"The Easter lily has long, white, trumpet-shaped flowers, and a sweet fragrance, reminiscent of a delicate perfume," says Warren. Though the Easter lily is native to the southern islands of Japan, the bulbs are grown in farms on the West Coast of the United States. "Easter lilies are forced to bloom around Easter to capture the commercial market of selling them in pots," Warren says. "Churches are adorned with them on Easter to enhance the meaning of the rising of Christ. The process of forcing the Easter lily to bloom at the right time every year is an elaborate one involving pre-cooling time of the bulbs, planting them at a precise date, and controlling the exact greenhouse conditions."

How to Choose Easter Lilies

"Select a lily that is not fully in bloom, but displays a variety of buds and blooms to keep a succession of pretty flowers coming," says Summers. To maximize the indoor shelf life of the flowers, he says to look for healthy green foliage, a straight stem, and plenty of well-formed buds, symmetrically arranged with only one or two flowers open. And, of course, like with all other plants, make sure there are no bugs or signs of distress on the foliage.

How to Care for Potted Easter Lilies

If you're buying a plant, find a spot inside your home that gets bright, indirect sunlight. Make sure the area isn't too cold, as Easter lilies thrive in mild, not-too-hot-not-too-cold temperatures around 60 to 65 degrees. You should also be wary of how much water you give your plant. "To determine when you need to water, test the soil with your finger," says Gastanas. "If the soil feels dry, it is a good time to water the lily." Next, remove drying or dead flowers as they appear, and remove the yellow anthers from the center to keep the flower fresh longer, and to keep your clothes and tablecloths stain-free. That pollen can get everywhere! Since it's growing from a bulb, the plant will die back at some point. This is where you have to decide if you want to be done with it, or try to grow it back again. Another very important tip: As pretty as they are, you might want to think hard about bringing an Easter lily home if you have cats, as they are poisonous to felines.

How to Get Your Easter Lily to Re-Bloom

To get your Easter lily to re-bloom indoors, Gatanas recommends cleaning the bulb off, ideally in January, covering it with a slightly damp paper towel, placing it in a resealable bag or plastic wrap and leaving it in the fridge for at least two months. After this period, you can plant it in a pot about one to two inches deep. Care for it like you would if it were fully grown, mimicking the process above.

Planting an Easter Lily Outdoors

"A good time to plant the bulb or the plant you were keeping indoors is in the spring after the last frost," says Gatanas. "Find a location where there is mostly full sunlight." If it is a bulb, plant it about two inches deep. If it is a potted plant, it should be deep enough so that the top of the soil is the same as it was in the pot. Fertilize with standard bulb fertilizer or blood meal and add mulch. Warning: When planting a potted plant, don't let the mulch touch the stem—this can cause the stem to rot prematurely. "Any new growth or yellowing growth should be cut back in the fall—it's good for the bulb to not have any growth until the spring, otherwise, the cold may kill the bulb," says Gatanas. If all goes well, expect a new plant to grow the following spring, but don't expect flowers until about the second year.

Care and planting of Easter lilies

Contents

Easter lilies ( Lilium longiflorum ) are traditional symbols of hope and purity during the Easter holidays. Bought as potted plants, they make welcome gifts and eye-catching holiday decorations. Plants only last a few weeks indoors, but planting Easter lilies outdoors after the flowers have withered will allow you to continue enjoying the plant long after the holiday season. Let's learn more about planting and caring for Easter lilies outdoors. nine0005

How to plant an Easter lily after flowering

Proper care of Easter lilies when you grow them indoors will ensure a strong, vigorous plant that will make the transition to the garden much easier. Place the plant near a bright window, away from direct sunlight. Easter lilies grow best in cool temperatures of 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit (18 to 24 degrees Celsius). Water the plant often enough to keep the soil slightly moist, and use a liquid houseplant fertilizer every two weeks. When each flower has withered, cut off the stem of the flower at the base. nine0005

Once all the flowers have faded, it's time to repot the Easter lilies outdoors. Plants do well in any soil except heavy clay. Replace soils that drain slowly with plenty of compost or peat moss. Choose a location with full or morning sun and afternoon shade. When choosing where to plant your Easter lilies outdoors, keep in mind that an Easter lily plant can grow up to 1 meter tall or slightly more.

Dig a planting hole wide enough for the roots to spread and deep enough so that after the plant is in place you can fill the bulb with 8 cm of soil. Place the plant in the hole and cover the roots and bulb with soil. Press down with your hands to squeeze out air pockets, then water slowly and deeply. If the soil settles and leaves a hollow around the plant, add more soil. Arrange the Easter lilies at a distance of 31-46 cm from each other.

Here are some Easter lily care and planting tips to get you off to a good start with your plants:

Can Easter lilies be planted in containers?

If you live in a USDA plant hardiness zone below 7, growing Easter lilies in containers will make it easier to move them through the winter. Container growing is also a good option for gardeners with heavy clay or poorly drained soil.

Take the plant indoors when the leaves turn yellow at the end of the season. Store it in a dimly lit, frost-free area.

How to care for potted lilies at home? nine0001

Many types of lilies can be grown at home. These include the royal lily, golden, dwarf, Asian and oriental groups, long-flowered and beautiful, as well as hippeastrum and amaryllis.

Bright, graceful flowers will help create an atmosphere of an ongoing holiday in your home.

Content:

  • Planting and caring for potted lilies
  • Caring for a room lily during active growth and flowering nine0008
  • Watering
  • Care after flowering
  • Transfer
  • Why doesn't the house lily bloom?
  • Conclusion

Planting and caring for domestic lilies in a pot

One bulb is enough to get a pot with a diameter of 16-18 cm , several lilies can be planted in a large container at once. If you place the bulb in a wide pot, instead of flowering, it will begin to actively explore the space, releasing many daughter bulbs. In addition, the pot must be tall. nine0005

Before planting, the bulbs should be kept in the refrigerator for at least 16-19 days at a temperature of 3-6°C.

Then they are treated with potassium permanganate for about 1.5-2 hours, keeping in a medium pink solution. And at the last stage, the bulbs are immersed in a solution of growth stimulants, for example, Zircon, Succinic acid, Epin with the addition of trace elements.

At the same time prepare a good soil. It should be fertile and loose, you can buy ready-made for lilies or mix garden soil with compost, sand and humus. nine0005

For each liter of soil add 40-60 g of mineral fertilizers.

They contain magnesium, iron, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. If desired, the soil is disinfected by thoroughly spilling fungicidal solutions and boiling water.

Drainage of pebbles is laid out on the bottom of the tank, a layer of soil about 8-10 cm is filled up, bulbs are placed on it and covered with an earthen layer of about 17-19 cm. before additional roots appear. nine0005

Place the house lily pot in a cool, shady room until sprouts form. Then the container is rearranged to the light, providing a constant supply of clean cool air.

Caring for a room lily during active growth and flowering

How to care for potted lilies at home? Properly planted in a pot, the lily begins to develop intensively. At this time, she needs to provide good nutrition and access to moisture.

Top dressing is carried out regularly with an interval of 7-9 days with complexes of microelements. They can be alternated with organic fertilizers.

Before flowering, young plants are sprayed twice a month with cool water, diluting growth stimulants in it. This procedure facilitates the laying of flower buds and subsequent flowering.

It is very important to regularly loosen the soil in the container so that the air supply to the roots is continuous. You can loosen the top layer with a thickness of about 4-6 cm, not deeper, so as not to damage the root system. nine0005

When the stems are 9-12 cm tall, the house lily can be taken outside or on the balcony. But first it must be tempered, accustomed gradually. It is recommended to start from 25-35 minutes of , increasing the time spent by half an hour every day. If the night temperature drops below 12 °, you should not leave the flower outside, so as not to extend the budding period.

The development of leaves and flowers will be accelerated if the above-ground parts are regularly sprayed with soft water from a spray bottle. This can be done every day, removing the plant in the shade. Otherwise, you can get leaf burns under the influence of the aggressive rays of the sun. Water should not fall on the opened inflorescences and buds, as it greatly reduces their lifespan. nine0005

If there are many flowers, a support must be installed to support the stems.

Watering

Almost all types of lilies require a fairly large amount of moisture when grown at home.

When the soil clod dries up, growth slows down, plants begin to wither. Therefore, it is necessary to water abundantly and often - with an interval of no more than 3-4 days.

Only soft water is used - boiled and cooled or settled. You can also apply rain or melt. Watering with hard water forms a whitish coating on the surface of the earth in a pot that does not allow air to pass through. In addition, salts are deposited on the roots of plants. nine0005

Post-flowering care

In nature and when grown outdoors, the ground parts of lilies gradually turn yellow and dry out, while the bulbs go dormant. Houseplants do the same. To bloom next year, they must rest. Our task is to provide complete rest for several months .

In domestic lilies, the inflorescences first dry up and fall off, then the stems begin to turn yellow. You don't need to cut them! At this stage, the moisture supply to the plant is reduced, increasing the interval between waterings to 6-8 days, and spraying is stopped. Thus, the transition of all useful substances accumulated by the ground part into the bulb is activated. This is where the foundation for next season's growth is laid. nine0005

After waiting for the stems with leaves to dry naturally, stop watering altogether.

What to do next with a lily in a pot that has faded?

The bulbs should be dug up and placed in a plastic bag filled with slightly damp sawdust or moss.

The bag is removed to a cold place where the temperature is kept within 3-6°. It can be a basement, a cellar or a refrigerator.

Transplantation

How to transplant potted lilies? Transplantation should be done every year with a complete replacement of the soil. The earth during the flowering period of the lily has time to deplete and lose most of the nutrients, so you can not wait for the full development of the bulb and high-quality flowering. nine0005

The most important thing is the correct preparation of the bulbs for the dormant period and subsequent transplantation. After the death of the ground parts, the bulbs are dug up and washed, clearing the soil. Small onions - children immediately select and plant in seedling boxes. They will actively grow all winter, gaining strength.

Large bulbs are inspected, rot spots are cut out, treating the sections with crushed charcoal (charcoal or activated). If the stem has not yet fallen off, it must be cut off, leaving a stump 4-6 cm long . Bulbs are disinfected by immersing in a solution of fungicides or potassium permanganate for 25-40 minutes. Then dry on paper or soft material and clean in the cold.

At the end of February - March, the bulbs are taken out of the bag and planted in a pot with soil.

Why doesn't the house lily bloom?

There may be several reasons, and all of them relate to maintenance and care errors. The plant does not receive enough nutrients, and it simply does not have enough strength to form buds. nine0047
Lily suffers from a lack of moisture in the soil and air. The reasons are the lack of fresh air and light when the flower is placed in a poorly ventilated room away from a window.

The bulb is planted in a too wide pot. She is busy developing the territory, intensively building up children.

Incorrect keeping in winter without a pronounced rest period - in warmth or in the light. This is especially true for hippeastrum.

Why do room lily leaves turn yellow? nine0005

This problem is the most common, because the yellowing of the leaf blades of the lily indicates improper care for it. What can color change indicate?

1. Autumn has come and the yellowing process is absolutely normal.

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