When is the best time to plant edible lilies?

Edible lilies are generally the bulbs of lily bulbs, which are rich in starch , protein and multiple vitamins. They can be eaten or used as medicine. So when is the best time to plant edible lilies? Let’s learn more about it below.

When is the best time to plant edible lilies?

There are two times to plant edible lilies . One is in spring, from March to April, and they will bloom in early summer. Second, the planting time is in late autumn and early winter, that is, from October to February of the following year. The best time to plant edible lilies is in autumn, because although they cannot emerge before winter, the bulbs take root well in the soil, and they will emerge early in the spring of the following year, with good growth potential and high yield.

How to grow edible lilies

1. Site selection and land preparation

Lilies grow best in fertile, well-drained sandy loam. Therefore, when choosing a planting site, you should choose a high and cool terrain with a deep and loose soil. The previous crop is preferably beans, melons or vegetables . Apply 3000-4000 kg of organic fertilizer per acre, prepare the land carefully, make high ridges and wide planting, and make a slight bulge in the middle of the ridge to facilitate drainage after rain.

2. Bulb selection

Choose bulbs with only one bulb bud, no disease or insect damage, white color, no mildew spots, no damage to the bulb, and tightly held scales without splitting. The large size of the single bulb is 3.3 to 5 cm in diameter and weighs 100 to 125 grams, and the small size weighs 25 to 30 grams for planting.

3. Reasonable density planting

The row spacing is 40 cm × 30 cm. Before planting, dig planting trenches according to the row spacing, and the depth of the trenches is 12-15 cm. Hoe the bottom soil of the ditch, then plant the bulbs according to the spacing between plants, with the bulb tips facing upwards, fill fine soil around the bulbs to secure them, and cover them with grass after planting to prevent frost and conserve moisture in winter.

4. Intertillage and weeding

After lilies are planted, inter-cultivation and weeding should be done 1 to 2 times before the New Year; after the beginning of spring, inter-cultivation and weeding should be done 3 to 4 times; inter-cultivation should be shallow rather than deep.

5. Water and fertilizer management

Lilies are afraid of both waterlogging and drought. Poor drainage makes it easy for the plants to develop rot. In the summer when the temperature is high and there is little rain, water should be irrigated in time to keep the soil moist. Dryness is not allowed. One week after germination, dig shallow trenches next to the plants and apply 1,000 kg of decomposed manure per mu. During the summer when the plants are growing vigorously, dig a shallow trench on one side of the plants and apply the second fertilizer, with 1,000 kg of decomposed manure applied per mu.

6. Plant adjustment

When seedlings emerge in spring, keep the strong stems and remove the rest to prevent the bulbs from splitting. From late May to early June, remove flower buds and bulbils to reduce nutrient consumption and help bulb expansion. In order to promote the expansion of the bulb and prevent excessive flowering and stem and leaf growth, when flower buds appear, immediately use scissors to cut off the top 1 to 2 young leaves to inhibit the growth of the above-ground part.

That’s it