Knowing how to transplant tiger lilies is essential if you want to grow these beautiful plants. As tuber-bearing plants, tiger lilies need regular transplanting.
You can easily transplant the beautiful flowers so long as you stay careful. Learn how to transplant your lilies the right way by reading this article.
JUMP TO TOPIC
- How to Transplant Tiger Lilies
- 1. Gather All That You Need
- 2. Choose the Best Time
- 3. Consider the Temperature Requirements
- 4. Consider the Light Requirements
- 5. Prepare the New Growing Medium for the Plants
- 6. Prepare Your Lilies for Transplanting
- 7. Dig Out Your Lilies
- 8. Separate the Bulbs
- 9. Plant the Lilies
- 10. Water the Lilies
- 11. Fertilize the Lilies
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
How to Transplant Tiger Lilies
To transplant tiger lilies, wait until their period of dormancy and then prepare their new location. Ensure that the new location is ideal for your lilies and then dig out the lilies. Before you transplant the lilies, separate their bulbs to propagate them. After planting them, water and fertilize them.
1. Gather All That You Need
To transplant a tiger lily from one place to another successfully, you need a few items. Try to gather the following items:
- Shovel: you will use this to dig the plants out of the soil. You will also use it to prepare the new spot for the plants.
- Knife: just in case you see the need to prune your plants, you can use shears or a knife.
- Water: for watering your plants. Also to prepare the new spot.
- Mulch: to keep the roots of your lilies well-hydrated.
- Disinfectant: to keep your lilies, especially their roots, free from microbes. Also, to disinfect your tools.
- Burlap: you will use this material to protect the roots of your lilies just in case you aren’t planting them immediately.
After gathering all that you need, move on to the next steps.
2. Choose the Best Time
The best time to transplant lilies is just before the start of their growing season. This means that early spring is the best time, as lilies resume growing in spring. Transplant your lilies when you notice that the soil, especially at the new spot, has started warming up.
Except you can insulate the soil or keep your plants warm, don’t transplant them too soon (weeks before the soil starts warming up) so that you don’t kill them. To be certain that your lilies are safe, wait until the soil reaches their optimal temperature (to be discussed later).
When you decide the best week or day to move your lilies, you also have to select the best time of the day. Lilies and most plants will thank you if you can transplant them early in the morning or late in the evening.
3. Consider the Temperature Requirements
The optimal temperature to grow lilies is 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit. If the ambient (or soil) temperature is significantly below or above the preferred temperature, you have to wait. Also, if your new location is not suitable for the lilies because of temperature, consider growing another type of lily in that location, as temperature is a very important factor to consider.
To prevent your plants from getting shocked after transplanting, one major way is to ensure that the new and oil spots for the plants are in the same temperature range. Another method, especially for indoor-grown and potted lily seedlings, is to expose the plants in the new spot a few hours per day for a week before finally transplanting them to the new spot.
4. Consider the Light Requirements
The light requirement of your lilies is also worth considering. Lilies need six hours of daily light. If you are transplanting them from pots indoors, ensure that their new location has just the right amount of light for them. However, if you are moving them from one outdoor location to another, ensure that the new location has similar or the same light exposure as the former one.
Mimicking the former location will help prevent the lilies from getting shocked due to transplanting. Another way to prevent shock as well as help your plants adapt quickly is to plant them just the way they were in the previous spot. This means that their north-facing parts should continue facing north in the new spot. By doing so, your lilies will not get stressed, as there is no light difference.
5. Prepare the New Growing Medium for the Plants
It is time to consider all the other lily growth requirements and ensure that the new spot for your lilies is ideal for them. If you want to grow the lilies in pots, ensure that the pots have drainage holes so that excess water can drain off. Also, a pot made of terracotta is good for the plants, as it helps prevent too many temperature fluctuations. Consider placing the pot on a saucer.
Note that the growth media for potted lilies is different from the one for lilies growing in the ground. Potted lilies need a potting mix or any lightweight and well-aerated substrate. Do not use regular soil for your potted plants.
When you get your soil or potting mix and pot ready for your lilies, dig the holes before you bring the plants. Also, ensure that the new spot is moist and fertilized enough for the plants.
6. Prepare Your Lilies for Transplanting
Before you dig out the lilies, you have to prepare them first. To do so, water them deeply so that they will be well-moisturized. If you transplant dry lilies, you will decrease their chance of surviving after transplanting them. Water them for at most 12 hours before transplanting them.
Also, use your tag or a plant-safe marker to tag the north-facing parts of the limits. You can simply clip a leaf or any part. This will help you to easily plant the lilies in the right direction.
If your lilies have brown leaves, cut them off as well. You don’t need them anymore, so you don’t have to transplant the lilies with them.
7. Dig Out Your Lilies
It is time for some digging. While digging out your lilies with your shovels, please be extra careful. If the soil is too dry or hard to dig, water the plants to soften the soil. Using your shovel or any hand-held tool with you, carefully remove the bulbs of your lilies from the ground. Note that the deeper and wider you dig, the more likely you will harm your plants.
After digging out your lilies, move on to the next step immediately. However, if you want to keep the plants for a while before proceeding to separate their bulbs, keep them in a cool place and cover their bulbs with a burlap.
8. Separate the Bulbs
Nothing stops you from translating your lilies just the way they are. However, if you want more lilies, this is the best time to propagate the ones that you have. To propagate your lilies, you only need to divide the tiger lily bulbs using a sterilized knife or any tool of your choice. Ensure that the separated bulbs have eyes or black spots. These are the spots where new stems will grow.
Before moving on to the next step, wait until the fresh cuts in your lily bulbs get dry and harden a bit. Planting the bulbs when their cuts are still fresh can expose them to harmful microbes that can kill them.
9. Plant the Lilies
Take your lilies to their new location and plant them. Ensure that the hole that you previously dug is wide and deep enough to cover the entire root (bulb) system of the lilies. If the hole isn’t big enough, make it bigger before you plant the lilies. When filling it with soil, gently add the soil so that there won’t be any air pockets.
Cover the lilies so that their entire root system will no longer be visible (above the soil surface). After that, you can mulch them so that their roots will grow in stable soil. Mulching also helps to prevent weeds and some pests from disturbing your lilies.
10. Water the Lilies
To help your plants grow without problems, water them just after transplanting them. Also, water them regularly. You can mist water on the flowers and leaves if you like. However, only do so in the morning hours so that the excess water droplets can evaporate off the plant when the sun comes out.
Remember to grow your lilies in well-drained soil so that if you overwater them, you will not kill them. Also, don’t wait until the soil gets completely dry before you water your lilies again, as it can make them grow very slowly or even become too weak.
11. Fertilize the Lilies
Just in case there aren’t enough nutrients for your tiger lilies in the soil, fertilize the plants regularly. Fertilize your lilies, especially those growing in a potting mix substrate, as such substrates do not hold a lot of nutrients like regular soil. Ensure that you fertilize the plants at least two times monthly.
You can use any type of fertilizer for the plants. However, ensure that your organic fertilizer, especially manure, is well-rotted so that it does not burn the roots of your plants.
Frequently Asked Questions
– When Is the Best Season to Transplant Tiger Lilies?
The best season to transplant tiger lilies is their dormant season and this usually occurs in the fall and winter months. When the plants enter their season of dormancy, they will be least affected by transplanting stress, so they have higher chances of surviving when you transplant them by then.
– Can You Transplant Tiger Lilies When Blooming?
You can transplant tiger lilies when they bloom and whenever you like. However, the lily flowers will fall off and the plants will lose their bloom when you transplant them in their blooming season. The stress of transplanting might be too much. Wait until their dormant season before transplanting them.
– What Are Common Mistakes When Transplanting Tiger Lilies?
Some common mistakes when transplanting tiger lilies are not using sterilized tools, not protecting yourself by wearing boots and hand gloves, not watering the plants before you transplant them, not preparing the new location before the arrival of the plant, and destroying the bulbs while dividing them.
– How Can You Prepare the New Place for Your Lilies?
You can prepare the new place for your lilies by digging a hole before the lilies arrive, clearing out weeds and debris around the hole, amending the soil so it becomes aerated, well-drained, water-retaining, and nutritious for your lilies, and keeping it in the right growing conditions for lilies.
Conclusion
Surely, transplanting lilies will be easier for you now more than ever, right? Here are some points to remember from this article:
- Divide the lily bulbs into two or more parts before transplanting the lilies to their new locations.
- Transplant your lily ‘stargazer’ early in the morning or late in the evening so that they don’t get shocked.
- The dormant season is the best season to transplant your lilies.
- Ensure that you use clean and sterilized tools for your lilies so that you don’t get them sick.
- After planting the lilies, water and mulch them so that they can grow successfully.
You are ready to go transplant tiger lily plants. Please ensure you stick to the care tips and precautions in this article.