Lilium scale bulbils

[Graham Catlow]

For the first time I collected a set of scales from Lilium ‘Landini’ in October. I sliced them and ended up with 24 portions.
Many portions developed small bulbils quite quickly but others didn’t. As suggested on the internet I placed the container in the fridge as a dormancy period. However, on looking today the bulbils have continued to increase with all 24 sections having additions in various stages.
What do I do now?

Do I put it back in the fridge for another month or so, or do I put them somewhere warmer now and allow them to grow on in the same container, or pot them on.

Your expert opinions will be welcome.

Photos added to help your suggestions.

[jshields]

I've never done this with Lilium, so I hope someone who has propagated Lilium this way will respond.  I did work with Lycoris and Haemanthus, using bulb chips rather than simply scales.  The Lycoris require a sizable bit of basal plate attached to the scale to produce a bulblet.  Some Haementhus produce bulblets from simple scale sections without apparent basal plate tissue attached.  Leave the bulblets attached to their mother scale as long as the scale is alive.  Leave in the original medium unless there is fungal or bacterial infection. 

When bulblets start to make a green shoot or a root, you can pot up or line out.  I lined out the Lycoris, since they are hardy, and potted up the Haemanthus, since they are tender.

Jim

[Martin Baxendale]

I would continue to keep them cool. Any leaf growth at this time of year is likely to be thin and spindly due to the low light levels. Also the cold period may not have been long enough to induce leaf growth. You can keep them in the fridge and pot later or pot them up now and put them in a cold place (unheated frame or greenhouse etc). A little freezing shouldn't hurt but ideally keep them from freezing hard but keep cold. I'd wait until the end of January or Feb before actively trying to encourage leaf growth with higher temps.

[Tony Willis]

Graham

when I collected some martagon lily scales in late summer I read in Fox's Lilys that they should be treated like seeds of that species and given a cold period so I put them in the fridge for their cold period. I expected to move them to the airing cupboard in late autumn in order for the bulbils to form over winter and give them a head start in spring. To my surprise the bulbils formed in four weeks and I have then potted them on and they are in the cold greenhouse dormant.  I recently received a bulb order and because they needed planting I took some scales and put them in the airing cupboard. Now a month later I have bulbils and I am leaving them in there for a few more weeks. About the same time Martin sent me scales and these have also produced the bulbils and are staying in the warmth for another few weeks.

My experience seems to be that if you leave them or pot them up does not make a lot of difference and I would leave them in the fridge for a few more weeks as it will save looking after them in a warmer environment.

[Graham Catlow]

Jim, Martin, and Tony - many thanks for your responses.
The bulbil with the leaf was the one that made me wonder what to do, which I why I asked the question. I shall leave them in the fridge for now to continue their dormancy and, as you suggest Tony, it is the easiest place to look after them for now.
Graham

[Paul T]

Graham,

I'd be doing something with that one with the leaf growth.  It's using energy to produce that leaf, which I assume would deplete any bulbil that will be produced if the leaf is not allowed to photosynthesise?  I'd take it out and pot it on alone, perhaps growing it under lights or protected to try to give it as much growth time as possible.  I've only had limited experience with scaling though, so please do not regard this as expert advice. 

[Graham Catlow]

Hi Paul,
My apologies for not replying sooner. I think I will take your advice and pot that one on and see what happens. I could lose it either way anyway.

[gote]

One should try to get the new plants groing in their natural life cycle. Leaf emerging in the spring and going dormant in the fall. For many lilies this means scaling in October, keeping the newly formed bulbs very cool  during the winter and to start them in the spring. The precise regime may vary depending upon what lily we are dealing with. If the ancestry is martagon, Fox has the right answer. If the ancestry is a higly hybridized cultivar it will probably respond best to the regime described in Lily Year book 1970 page 51   6 weeks at 23°C - 4 weeks at 7°C - 12 weeks at 5°C. In my climate this means scaling mid-October and getting started in April when the light is back.
Göte

 

[Martin Baxendale]

Luckily for me, high light levels return here a little earlier than April