How and When to Transplant Lily Bulbs
True lilies grow from bulbs, which are overdeveloped roots that store nutrients for next season’s blooms. Transplanting lily bulbs should be easy if you understand the lily’s pattern of growth, bloom and regeneration. The problem is that lily bulbs never really go dormant. They gather food all summer and early fall, develop root structure all fall and winter and begin growing as soon as they sense the sun warming the ground in spring. However, following a few guidelines will improve your chances of success.
Prepare planting holes about a foot deep and wide, 8 inches to a foot apart before you start to dig up your lilies if possible. Make holes a few inches deeper for oriental bulbs, which tend to be larger. Line each of the holes with a cushion of compost and peat moss.
- True lilies grow from bulbs, which are overdeveloped roots that store nutrients for next season’s blooms.
- Transplanting lily bulbs should be easy if you understand the lily’s pattern of growth, bloom and regeneration.
Dig lily bulbs in late fall after all the foliage has died down. Dig a circle around the plant about 8 inches out from the main stem. Dig carefully—bulbs may have grown tissue in any direction from the stem.
Pry the bulb mass up from underneath gently with a garden fork, disturbing as few roots as possible. Gently rinse clumps of dirt off so you can see how many bulbs you have. Cut the stem off at the neck of the parent bulb and set it aside on a piece of newspaper.
Twist adult bulbs apart and dust the necks and any breaks with a plant fungicide powder, sold in garden centers. Inspect the bulbs for signs of rot or damage from rodents and discard damaged bulbs. Do not let lily bulbs dry out; if you must delay planting, wrap them in muslin or cheesecloth and keep them in a cool, moist place like a refrigerator vegetable crisper.
- Dig lily bulbs in late fall after all the foliage has died down.
- Twist adult bulbs apart and dust the necks and any breaks with a plant fungicide powder, sold in garden centers.
Place each lily bulb, roots down and neck up in a hole with its roots spread. Back fill with garden soil amended with compost and humus while holding the bulb 4 to 6 inches deep, depending on the size of the bulb. Water well and mulch with about an inch of well-rotted compost and leaves for winter protection.
Tip
Lilies can be transplanted in spring but you run the risk of damaging growing shoots, sacrificing a season’s bloom.
Wait to fertilize transplanted lilies until spring and again after flowering, when they can use the food. Some people add a handful of slow-release bulb food to the planting hole when setting lilies but the bulbs won’t use it until spring and it may drain through the topsoil by that time.
Pull bulblets from lily stems and plant them in flats of sterile potting mix and keep moist and cool. By spring, you can plant them in the garden. They should take two to three years to bloom.
Warning
Mice and voles love lily bulbs as a winter meal. Keep bulblets in cold frames to protect them and limit winter mulch to an inch so rodents can’t use it for shelter while they excavate for bulbs.
Dig bulbs up very carefully. Lily bulbs grow “contractile” roots that actually pull them deeper into the soil as they mature. You'll find bulbs that you dig up to transplant sitting deeper than you planted them.
Always wear gloves while using fertilizers and chemicals and wash hands thoroughly afterward.
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Tips
- Lilies can be transplanted in spring but you run the risk of damaging growing shoots, sacrificing a season's bloom.
- Wait to fertilize transplanted lilies until spring and again after flowering, when they can use the food. Some people add a handful of slow-release bulb food to the planting hole when setting lilies but the bulbs won't use it until spring and it may drain through the topsoil by that time.
- Pull bulblets from lily stems and plant them in flats of sterile potting mix and keep moist and cool. By spring, you can plant them in the garden. They should take two to three years to bloom.
Warnings
- Mice and voles love lily bulbs as a winter meal. Keep bulblets in cold frames to protect them and limit winter mulch to an inch so rodents can't use it for shelter while they excavate for bulbs.
- Dig bulbs up very carefully. Lily bulbs grow "contractile" roots that actually pull them deeper into the soil as they mature. You'll find bulbs that you dig up to transplant sitting deeper than you planted them.
- Always wear gloves while using fertilizers and chemicals and wash hands thoroughly afterward.
Writer Bio
An avid perennial gardener and old house owner, Laura Reynolds has had careers in teaching and juvenile justice. A retired municipal judgem Reynolds holds a degree in communications from Northern Illinois University. Her six children and stepchildren served as subjects of editorials during her tenure as a local newspaper editor.
