March 11, 2009

How to plant Liliums

We got a cute set from my mother - a pot, potting tablets, and 3 Lilium bulbs. So when I found some spare time today I decided it was time for them to be planted.

This was my first time working with tablets, so that was learning experience. I have to say it looked a bit creepy - the way the soil grew from a smashed tablet to actual soil filling up half of the pot in a matter of seconds.

This is the tablet.


Place tablet in the pot.


Add 200ml water - 6.8oz.


And pour it in the pot...


In about 10-20 seconds, the little itsy-bitsy tablet turns into soil that is enough to fill half of that pot!

The rest, I am afraid, I wasn't able to photograph, but it is really easy and quick to do. The important thing to remember is that because these bulbs will be grown inside and because of the fact these will be somewhat forced, the bulbs need to be potted shallow, with the nose of the bulb slightly sticking out.

Some people, when planting the bulbs earlier in the year, put them in a pot and place the pot itself in a cool, dark place, while continuing to water it (but not too much, or the bulbs will rot). Once foliage appears, they place the pot in a warm place, preferably in full sun. This helps bulbs "think" that the snow is gone and it is time for them to grow.

If you're planting bulbs in the garden, they need to be put in the soil in Fall. Make sure to place them deeper in the ground - about twice the length of the bulb itself, and cover nicely.

And so, here is the final product! My bulbs happened to already have foliage growing while they were still in the bag!

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