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danny2693

Stargazer and Tiger Lily Bulb Care

Danny2693
10 years ago

I purchased 5 Tiger Lily bulbs online but, when they bloomed they ended up being Stargazer Lilies.
After they die/dry up what should I do with them? Do I refrigerate them because of my zone or just leave them in the pots I have them in during the winter?

Also, what is the difference between spring planted bulbs and fall planted bulbs?

I want to purchase Tiger Lilies again and hope that these will actually bloom into Tiger Lilies but, if I buy them in the fall do I plant them right away or refrigerate them with my spring bulbs during the winter.

Comments (2)

  • vetivert8
    10 years ago

    Plant lilies right away. They are too juicy to leave out of the ground and they have a very short dormancy period.

    If any scales fall off, and they are healthy, plant them, too, because they are likely to sprout and grow on to form new big 'bulbs'.

    Professional growers do chill their lily bulbs - and they have a process for bringing them up to active growth again so they can catch a particular market for the blooms.

    Usually there is no need to chill the bulbs, though. Just make sure they are planted at the correct depth and don't dehydrate over summer.

    If they do dry out then you are better off buying in new stock because it can take years to never for a bulb to recover.

    If you are continuing to grow in pots remember to change the potting mix in January-February and keep them in at least a 2 gallon container (to provide the depth, moistness, and balance for the tall stems).

    Feed with houseplant food (foliar feed until the buds start to form - then stop so your leaves don't have white marks on them) every week at the recommended rate. Tomato food can be good because it has useful potash and nitrogen but a balanced feed should be fine.

    Remember to stake them when you plant the bulbs so you don't cause damage to roots or bulbs.

    Some bulbs put out 'normal' roots under the bulb - then create another set for feeding just under the surface where the stem comes out. You might want to lightly mulch that area with compost and worm castings for extra food and moisture to these roots.

    If you know your summer sun can be brutal - provide some light shade with shade cloth, or under an arbour, or even under a dappled-light tree. And keep the lilies reliably moist at all times. They do appreciate plenty of sunlight, though.

    For me, spring planted bulbs are those which expect summer rainfall (think Gladiolus). Autumn planted are those which expect winter wet and summer dry such as Narcissus and Tulipa.

  • Danny2693
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks for the information it is very helpful.
    I decided to leave my lilies in their pots.

    The ones I bought at my local gardening store never grew except for one which ended up dying before the bud was able to bloom.
    The ones that I bought online grew fine and gave me five flowers on one stem so I let the foliage turn brown but, I started to notice that new leaves were coming up.

    When I was cutting the brown foliage down on each of my stems I took one of the bulbs out of the ground because the stem was tough to cut off and I accidentally broke a scale from the bulb will it be okay or is it dead already.

    Also, the bulb had a lot of roots on top of it so I decided to rip them off so is that going to affect the bulb in any way.

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