Lily bulbs

I am sure there was a recent thread on this, but I cannot find it. My apologies if there is some repetition. I am a newbie to Lily bulbs, having only bought some earlier this year. So any advice is very welcome.



I have just dug up some Stargazer bulbs as I was dyeing to see what had happened. The above photo shows the result, five small bulblets (one is partly hidden) growing on the stem above the mother bulb.

What should I do now? Are the bulblets big enough to be detached and potted up seperately, and how long would they take to flower. Or should I repot the group as a whole? Although I was very gentle, one mother bulb has broken into two parts. Is this a normal split with both parts being viable, or has it been damaged. Also some outer segments have dropped off other bulbs. Is this normal and are these viable (they don't look it).

 

Pot the bulbils (the ones on the stem) up in standard compost and keep just moist and frost free over winter. They will grow on in spring. they take about 2 to 3 years to reach flowering size. The split bulb will grow into two new plants treated the same way, but may not flower next year. The 'scales', that is the small pieces from the outside of the bulb will gow into new bulbs as long as they have a tiny bit of the base of the old bulb (the plate, the bit where the roots come from).
Just for fun, take some vermiculite or perlite, matters little, soak and squeeze dry (that is when no water drips out of a handful). Put it and scales in a plastic bag, seal and shake up so the scales are covered in material. Put somewhere warm and dark (?airing cupboard) and leave for a month to six weeks. Look. If the scales were viable then you may find they have begun to grow roots and formed a micro bulb at the base. Pot these up in stanadard compost and grpw on. these take about 3 to 5 years to reach flowering size.

 

Palustris - thats brilliant thank you. All the answers. I will have a go with the scales in a plastic bag. I like trying new things. Incidently, where do you buy perlite or vermiculite, without paying a ridiculous price for a tiny quantity. I have always used sharp sand to mix with compost, as you can buy it relatively cheaply - by the ton if you want.

 

We buy our Perlite at LBS in Cottontree near Nelson in Lancs, or Taylors Organics in Crewe. Try your local Agricultural merchants for 80 litre bags, lasts a long time but much cheaper.

 

Thanks Palustris - thats the sort of sized bag that I would like. I will have a look around.

 

Try this site on e-bay Peter the more you get the cheaper it is.
http://stores.ebay.co.uk/All-Seasons-Gardener