Splitting Hybrid Lilies - 09/29/16 10:21 PM
Around 5 years ago, we started planting hardy lilies around the pond. Although we tried several varieties, we ultimately wound up with only 2 that survived both the prolonged droughts, and the more recent almost flood like pond conditions. What flourished were a pink,and white lily variety.
So instead of buying more, I split what I knew would do well here.
These are the pink hardy lilies. Very dense, and slow growing. I split some 5 gallon buckets for transplants because the wider base made them more stable on slopes. It also made it easy to slide them down the slope as our water level dropped.
This is one of the donated tubers after it had been dug up from an existing plant, and cleaning started. I will tell you that you can pick and rise each tuber 10 times, and you may still find some sort of hitchhiking plant. So, clean them well.
I made sure each transplant had actively growing offshoots, so I could just drive by and see how they were doing. Once the new leaves popped up (they're almost burgundy), I knew the transplants were actively growing.
I added time release planting mix to the bottom third of the bucket, seated the tuber, covered that with our pond clay, and covered all that with river rock to keep the plants or buckets from floating. Ultimately 9 out of the 11 I put in buckets survived, and have been moved around the pond.
I did have one bucket with a hole in the side, and after a month, it was spreading through the hole, and into the pond bottom. What I like about this, is that with multiple holes, the transplant could spread from the bottom of the bucket, and self-replant the new growth. Next year, I'll just take a sharpshooter and cut the newly rooted tubers off at the outside of the bucket, and move the bucket to another location. That way, I can treat the bucket as a donor, and repeat the whole transplant process as little as possible.
I've posted this picture before, but this is an existing pink lily, brush pile combo. Perfect cover for both forage and predators alike. We always catch something here.
Hope all this helps.
So instead of buying more, I split what I knew would do well here.
These are the pink hardy lilies. Very dense, and slow growing. I split some 5 gallon buckets for transplants because the wider base made them more stable on slopes. It also made it easy to slide them down the slope as our water level dropped.
This is one of the donated tubers after it had been dug up from an existing plant, and cleaning started. I will tell you that you can pick and rise each tuber 10 times, and you may still find some sort of hitchhiking plant. So, clean them well.
I made sure each transplant had actively growing offshoots, so I could just drive by and see how they were doing. Once the new leaves popped up (they're almost burgundy), I knew the transplants were actively growing.
I added time release planting mix to the bottom third of the bucket, seated the tuber, covered that with our pond clay, and covered all that with river rock to keep the plants or buckets from floating. Ultimately 9 out of the 11 I put in buckets survived, and have been moved around the pond.
I did have one bucket with a hole in the side, and after a month, it was spreading through the hole, and into the pond bottom. What I like about this, is that with multiple holes, the transplant could spread from the bottom of the bucket, and self-replant the new growth. Next year, I'll just take a sharpshooter and cut the newly rooted tubers off at the outside of the bucket, and move the bucket to another location. That way, I can treat the bucket as a donor, and repeat the whole transplant process as little as possible.
I've posted this picture before, but this is an existing pink lily, brush pile combo. Perfect cover for both forage and predators alike. We always catch something here.
Hope all this helps.
