Growing And Varieties Of Lilies From The Oriental Hybrids Group

From a warm climate - to St. Petersburg

The overwhelming majority of lily varieties of the oriental hybrids group are obtained in countries with warm climates: in the USA, New Zealand, Australia. The fact is that due to the long growing season and late flowering periods, the areas of their cultivation in the open field are limited, and a strong susceptibility to viral diseases forces them to provide them with a high agricultural background.

But in the eighties of the last century, a wonderful person, breeder Alexei Ivanovich Vasilenko, began to work with this group of lilies in the North-West region, or rather, near Leningrad. He was a topographer by profession and, thanks to this, surveyed the whole country. He was also in Kamchatka. And wherever he found himself, he found interesting wild-growing species, brought them with him and worked with them. So he knew the agricultural technology of growing lilies firsthand.

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These lilies grow well on light, humus-rich soil with a slightly acidic reaction, moreover, covered with some kind of ground cover from overheating of the soil. Therefore, organic matter and lime are applied at least a year before planting. The bulbs are planted in September on the beds, applying 50 g of full fertilizer per m2. Lily bulbs do not have integumentary scales, like, say, daffodils, tulips and other bulbs - they cannot be transplanted.

These lilies have a negative attitude towards excess moisture in the soil, therefore, Aleksey Ivanovich recommends applying fine gravel or expanded clay under the bulbs, not sand, since lilies perish mainly from rotting of the bottom of the bulbs. Since we often have in August, during the flowering of these wonderful lilies, the summer is cold and rainy, he advised installing frames with a film over the plantings, but so that there was a space of at least 50 cm under it for airing the plants. Then the lilies will be less damaged by viral diseases.

When planting, he recommends deepening the bulbs a little, then in the summer they will feel better, in the fall there will be a higher temperature, as a result of which the roots grow longer, and the soil at the depth of the roots freezes longer and less.

The breeder also recommends mulching the plantings, and for the first year it is imperative to insulate them additionally with spruce branches or other insulating material. In addition, he advises not to let the plants bloom in the first year by removing the buds. And in subsequent years, alternate this operation by year: cut off some lilies, and remove the buds from others, and then do the opposite. Then the plants will develop better, be less exposed to diseases and pests, they give a good cut.

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The first feeding of lilies is carried out at the beginning of the growing season with organic (mullein solution 1:10) or complete fertilization - 40-50 g per 10 l of water. When applying dry fertilizers, they are embedded in the soil to a depth of 5-7 cm, and then the soil is shed. The next 2-3 feeding is carried out in 2-3 weeks, depending on the weather, namely, on days when it is warm. The composition of the dressings is the same.

The latter - phosphorus-potassium fertilization or ash (100-150 g / m2) is carried out no later than mid-August so that the plants are better prepared for wintering. It is generally useful to add ash several times during the season. This promotes the growth of the flower, enhances the color intensity, increases resistance to fungal diseases. In autumn, dried flower shoots with fallen leaves must be removed in the flower garden and burned.

In the future, spruce branches are pounced on the plantings or other measures are taken to delay the snow, since these lilies are more thermophilic than Asian hybrids. Alexei Ivanovich Vasilenko bred such wonderful varieties as: Olympiada-80, Severyanka, Marina, Tamara, Mayak and others. Members of our society "Decorative Floriculture" have a request to those who have these varieties, as well as the varieties of Ippolit Leopoldovich Zalivsky: Lilia Zalivsky, Sestroretskaya, Severnaya Palmyra - to share with us, since these varieties are valuable and necessary for further breeding work.