Asiatic Lily Help!

MrsDeeGarden

Hello all,

I planted this Asiatic Lilly last year. It had lovely blooms and then of course died down in autumn. It's now come back but with lots more new growth and foliage than it had last year. I think I only had about 2 stems on it last year .

Should I leave it alone?
Thanks

debs64

Looks really healthy well done. I would maybe give it a feed, I use tomato food liquid, and look out for lily beetles! 

MrsDeeGarden

Oh thank you @debs64  , you're very kind!
Whilst it was in bloom, I also used tomato feed. What a fab food! I did make sure it got some water after it died down and I think I fed it. I have since fed it this spring with some slow release fertiliser. Shall I still feed it with tomato feed again before it flowers?

Oh dear! I didn't know there were such things as lily beetles. I will be on the lookout. Thank you so very much.

Jellyfire

Lily beetles are hard to miss, bright red, and they really will decimate them. They are the only insect in the garden that I try to control, everything else seems to get predated by one thing or another and find a balance, but I presume as an invasive species they dont have any predators here.

Best option I think is just to try and catch them and quickly despatch them. Be careful when you try and get them though, hold your hand underneath before you try and grab one as their defence is to quickly fall to the ground upside down and are then nigh on impossible to see in the soil. Scrape off any eggs they have laid too.

I check for them every day if I can, they seem to be getting more abundant every year 

MrsDeeGarden

@Jellyfire that is very helpful, thank you so much. I will look out for them as I am very proud of myself with this particular plant and would be sad to see it decimated. I only started gardening last year and I am loving it.

Thank you once again!

Lyn

That’s going to make a gorgeous show this year. 

MrsDeeGarden

@Lyn Yay....picture me dancing in a crazy way. Thank you!

Fairygirl

No need to feed just now MrsDG. All the food is already there in the bulb 
They're looking exactly as they should, so watch for beetles as already said, and when they finish flowering, that's a good time to give them a liquid feed of seaweed or tomato food, or similar, as the foliage dies back. That helps the bulb build up for future years.

It's also good to replace some of the soil/compost each year - before they come back into growth is best. They'll get too bulky for the pot they're in soon, so you will need to repot into a bigger one, or plant out, depending on your preferences. 

MrsDeeGarden

Thank you @Fairygirl
When it comes to changing a bit of the soil, do I just dig out as much as I can and then replace? I did top up with some compost early in the season.

Oh dear! Maybe I will plant out once it dies back this autumn?

Fairygirl

Yes - just scrape out an inch or so if you can. The compost you've already put in will beenfit them for a while so don't worry. It's really when plants are staying long term in the same pot that you need to refresh regularly as the medium gets depleted by the bulbs and roots 
You can plant out and let them build up into one big clump, or you can separate the bulbs and plant up in a couple of pots, or in places round the garden where you want them.
I did that with some of mine last year, and I have another load in a pot which will get planted in various places this year. The bulbs themselves will create little offshoot 'bulblets', and you can either leave them attached, or remove them. You can also grow them on somewhere separately to build up your stock if you wish.

MrsDeeGarden

Oh fantastic! Little babies. Thank you so very much @Fairygirl
I think once the show is over this year, I'll dig out and plant in the ground especially now you've given me ideas of dividing up....oh lots to think about. Someplace not in full or direct sunlight as they have been in semi shade in that pot.