Have lily seeds, now what?

Somebody tell me do they need a chill period, do they need light to germinate, how long would it be before I get blooms, is it worth it?

MaryE - here's a good link....

http://www.bulbsociety.com/GALLERY_OF_THE_WORLDS_BULBS/GRAPHICS/Lilium/Growinglilium.html

Thank you. It looks challenging, I'm not sure I have the patience for it.

Hi Mary,

How high up are you? Why not just throw them into a protected place in your garden (protected from too much sun next summer,,) and grow a lily grass. When they are large enough -probably about a year after you planted them - then line them out to see what you have when they bloom.

Just an idea.

Zone 5b. Well, another idea is to start them in a pot in the house. You can sow them really thickly. Let them grow on and if they start dying back, put the pot in a ziplock baggie and put in fridge for 6 or so weeks. Then bring them out into the warmth again.

Inanda

Inanda

Thanks inanda, I put them in zip lock bags with damp peat moss last week (Nov 15) and put them on the top of my referigerator to germinate. No sprouts so far but I think it's a bit soon to be seeing anything. The elevation here is 3300 ft, we are between 2 mountain ridges, snow any day now. If it doesn't work there is always next year.

Thats great. they'll work. I put my baggies in a box if I have lots or on a plate so the actual baggie doesn't get shifted and maybe hurt those tiny rootlets that will be showing in a few months. What kind of lily seed have you?
Inanda

I think Asiatic, one plant is yellow and the other red. I don't have names for them but they are really pretty. When I was cutting them down for winter I noticed seeds so decided to try to grow them just for fun.Thanks for the tip on putting them on something to protect the baby roots when I look at them. If they happened to cross polinate I wonder what I would get? Stripes?

That is what is so much fun with lily seeds. You may get totaly different blooms from the same cross. It depends what their background genes are. What fun you will have when they start blooming.
Inanda

They're sprouting! Well, at least a few of the red ones are. So far I don't see anything in the yellow bag. Have to get them put into a flower pot now. Oh what fun!

Congrats, Mary!! You'll have to post pics of your babies.

Hi MARY,

hOW ARE YOUR SEEDS ??
iNANDA AKA gINNY

They're growing! I carefully picked out what I could see about 2 weeks ago and planted them together, now more seeds in the bag have sprouted. There were 2 batches of seeds, these all came from one and the other has done nothing. I thought you would like to see.

lookit those little babies all over the place!

That looks just great. Now you can start fertilizing them. half strength about every two weeks.

IOnanda

This is fun! I wonder what they will be when they bloom since the only other lily within about 30 ft is a yellow one. They bloomed at the same time. Any ideas?

You will just have to wait and see. Siblings can bloom quite differently. If you want, you can leave them in their pot all summer. Just cut the bottom off it (for drainage) and bury the pot so the edge doesnt show , If you have bunnies around I would put a wire cage over them so they are not eaten.

Inanda

Bunnies love lilies, and are therefore evil.

They are getting their second leaves now which look quite differnet from the first leaves. I'll post a picture soon. Still no sign of life from the other batch but that's life. Next year I will save more seeds from my other plants.

Morning Mary,

That will be the first true leaf. Exciting, isn't it. Mid Feb, you can cut them back and put in fridge to vernalize them . If you don't want to do that, just keep them growing till you set them out, outside. Your choice. If you do decide to put in Fridge, they may bloom next year. Mine usually do.
Inanda

Here are those babies as of today.

What a great thread! Tell us about "vermalizing" them, please, Inanda.
Terrie