How to store lilies in winter at home?

Florists know a lot of ways of winter storage of bulbs of lilies. But all of them must meet certain storage conditions even at home and strictly withstand them. This applies primarily to the temperature regime: excess heat will provoke premature growth of the plant, and its lack can lead to the death of bulbs.

Preparing for storage

The first frosts are a signal to dig out bulbs of lilies in order to store them in the winter. When starting this operation, remove the dried leaves at a height of about 7 cm from the ground. Further, it is necessary to dig a hole wider, so as not to damage the bulb and not to touch the roots with a shovel, and carefully remove it. After cleansing from the ground, rinse it in cool water and put it on the drip tray, spreading the onions so that they do not fit tightly together. You can fill in the gaps between them with dry moss or vermiculite. Do not forget to carefully inspect the bulbs and discard the affected by rot or disease. If you place the pallet in a cool dark place( shed or garage), they will dry for a few days. In a heated room there is a possibility of mold.

Are the bulbs dry? Now it's nice to sprinkle them with fungicidal powder, put them in paper bags( another option - tightly wrap each newspaper in several layers), lay with absorbent material( moss, for example.) Then load it into a cardboard box with vent holes. And you can send to the store: on the balcony, in the basement, in the garage.

Ways of storage

• If you are going to store the bulbs in a plastic bag, which is also practiced, first prepare the bag, making it a small ventilation holes. The bottom of the bag is covered with peat for about 10 cm, then the lily bulbs are laid, the layers of which are separated from each other, too, with peat 12-13 cm thick. We tightly tie the bag and put it in a suitable container or storage box in winter.
• Store bulbs at home sometimes recommend in planting peat pots, which are in a suitable container - a box, a cardboard box - and transferred to the storage. Of course, this is a very convenient way, as in the same pots they are planted in the spring in the open ground. For a couple of weeks before planting, they can be brought to light and start watering.
• It happens that the bulbs have thrown out the shoots ahead of time, if the storage conditions were not met. If the soil is planted early, it will be necessary to plant sprouted lilies in pots and put them in a cool and sufficiently lit area.

Available storage

But still the decisive factor is where to store the planting material. The main condition is maintaining a stable temperature regime. Of course, you can adjust the usual home refrigerator so as to maintain a constant temperature( 0 to +3 degrees) throughout the winter. However, the bulbs are unlikely to receive sufficient ventilation in this case. In addition, ethylene, stored in the refrigerator vegetables and fruits, will not create a very favorable atmosphere for lilies. It will be necessary to keep an eye on their condition and, perhaps, until spring, the bulb stock can be reduced.

Not everyone can boast of having a storehouse in the cellar or in the cellar, where it is easier to observe the required regime and achieve the necessary air movement and low humidity. But even here control is needed in the event of a sharp drop in the outside temperature. Closing and opening as necessary ventilation holes, you can maintain a constant temperature.

Tip

During the winter, check the condition of the bulbs in one to two months. The emerging mold is removed with a soft soft cloth, sprinkle the affected areas with coal powder. Decayed places must be cut with a knife with a disinfected solution treated with a blade, cut - processed with greenery. You can bathe them in a solution of potassium permanganate or in fungicidal liquid "Maxim".And, of course, the affected bulbs should be kept separate from the remaining planting material. If the bulbs begin to dry out, wrap them in wet paper or moisten the filler in which they are stored( peat, moss).

Leave the plants in the

soil. Many connoisseurs believe that it is possible to store lilies in winter directly in the soil, where they grew. It will be good enough, at least 10-15 cm, of the snow cover, and in case of a snowless winter - shelter with the help of peat, spruce lapnik, coniferous or leaf litter. Preferably coniferous, as it will not become a haven of pests, which in spring will begin to feed on bulbs. Shelter is removed in the spring, when the soil begins to thaw, and it needs to be done before the shoots appear. Of course, this can only be done with frost-resistant varieties of lilies. Another subtlety: if the East Hybrids and OT-hybrids winter in the ground, they should go under the snow in dry ground. Therefore, in the first week of September, bulbs are covered with polyethylene and remove it only when the soil freezes and snow begins to fall. Then the lilies are covered by known methods.

Construct a "house" for bulbs

Eastern hybrids or other new hybrid varieties should be stored in a different way, although they can also be used outdoors. It is necessary to excavate a small trench, deliberately choosing for it a place on its site: the most snow-covered in winter and the driest in spring. It is important that melt water does not stagnate at the bottom of the trench, so it's best to try to ensure good drainage and protection from moisture from above. Walls of a trench strengthen boards, prepare a cover. Put together with the pre-packaged bulbs bags of water - they will stabilize the temperature differences and, moreover, serve as indicators: if the water in them turned into ice, then the bulbs also freeze. And so that the lid can be removed in the winter, place a plastic film under it so that it does not freeze. It is necessary and thermal insulation - let it be at least layers of cardboard, sprinkled with peat. Cover the lid with lapnika or litter - now you can tell yourself that you have prepared your bulbs for a spring awakening.

On how you stored the planting material, the growth and flowering of plants will depend. Create them optimal conditions, and they will reward your work.

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