Lilies sprouting in package

I work at a nursery and I rescued about 20 packages of sprouted lilies. Some of them are sprouted 6 inches or so and bent and crooked. How can I plant them so I can salvage them? They are all twisted and wont be sticking upright. I thought about putting them in a tray of moist peat for a couple of days to see if they would straighten up before putting them in pots. What do you think?

I've had the same experience. Go ahead and plant them as you would normally, with the base to the bottom. They will right themselves. This works with lots of bulbs. I've had gladioluses that were 8 inches tall and growing sideways. They righted themselves.

This is a good subject and time to insert the curved lily stem tendency. Many bulbs that are already planted grow in a curved fashion from the top of the bulb.
I always use a fork when digging lilies because the bulb is rarely straight below where the stem breaks the earth.
I have lost many bulbs by sliceing the bulb in half.

Just plant them quickly, even if it is in a container. They want nothing more right now than a little soil, good drainage and a lot of sunlight. They'll do you proud.

I agree with Cathy.

I know what you mean about the bulb being far from the plant. I move stuff around a lot and little pieces break off that a year or so later grows a lily. And I wonder where the heck it came from. And sometimes if I move the dirt around a lot, the growth has to move sideways and up to hit the light and air. So there is a 3-6" stem sideways and up from the bulb. And yup, I have cut them up by accident.

its hard to be a gardener

lol. No, it's the best thing there is. With the good and bad, it is the best.

Maybe it's some of each - hard at time but the work is always worth it. Non-gardeners could never appreciate how delighted we are to see one tiny lily sprout emerge from the ground. I'm sure they'd think, "No big deal", while we jump for joy.

Only a person who works with clay can know how therapeutic it is tohave your hands in soil. (Gloves and all.)

Winter is hard on us all and I really have a hard time with the dark and cold up here. I feel much as my plants do when it is getting warmer, and I start to see dirt, then little green pips, then plants, then flowers. Just like waking up and stretching up to the sun. silly I guess but it's how I feel each spring.

We all feel that way. Its just wonderful.

And GE, kudos. I haven't lost a lily since I started using the fork technique.Took me years to figure it out. I used to avoid dividing my lilies. Incredible how they take off after you do, and then they can be shared with friends.

Victor clued me into that fork idea. I never made a conceous choice as to what I used to dig with.
Now that my hands are arthritic I see the usefulness of various tools. Its a fork for me when digging lilies.

Plantmum ~ I have 'salvaged' many lilies over the years and have found the best way is to pot them temporarily. Those stems produced in their packaging are fairly moist so you need to maintain that until they can harden off. If planted in the garden too soon, they usually dry up and do nothing.

Pot your bulbs, place a chopstick or pencil in the soil and make a loose tent with a baggie. Remove the baggie for an hour or two each day, increasing the time as the leaves green up. If you see condensation on the plastic, remove right away and allow to dry. Replace plastic but increase the air allowed to the pot. Gradually harden them off until they can be planted outdoors. This whole process should take about a couple weeks.

The bent parts probably won't straighten up and may need support but the longer you can keep those green leafy stems on will make them that much better for next year.

Oh ~ with all those pots you're going to have, it might be easier to use plastic from the dry cleaners draped over a dowl or old curtain rod. ;)

This message was edited Apr 14, 2011 1:05 PM

Moby, you are really clever. i like the idea of the drycleaner bags. Can cover multiple pots. Thanks

amazing Moby

Thanks everyone! Sorry I didn't get back sooner. Tomorrow is my day off and I will get those bulbs planted up!