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Lily bulbs not sprouting

last year

I planted lily bulbs 3 weeks ago and they still have not sprouted. I water them every few days when the soil is dry since it's florida. I dug 2 of the bulbs up to look at them and make sure they are not rotted. They look normal but no growing seems to have been done. I have planted dahlias from bulbs and they sprouted in 2 weeks. I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong or if they just are not going to grow.

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Comments (4)

Jeb zone 5
last year
last modified: last year
Lily bulbs are not Dahlia tubers and they grow very differently and at different rates. What kind of lilies are they? Lots of plants get called "lilies" are they true lilies as in the genus lilium?? If they are, they might not live more than a year or two in Florida, it is too hot, too tropical for them to return year after year. Most of the true lilies need a cold winter to go dormant and return with reliability in the spring.

Stop digging around - new lily shoots are very tender and if they are cut or knocked off the bulb they won't bloom until the following year. When you do water the bulbs, water them THOROUGHLY and DEEPLY, soaking the area. You should be doing this once a week if you have no rain - something tells me if you have to water every couple of days you aren't giving them enough of a soaking with each watering. Especially in sandy soil.

Patience is a virtue! Relax, don't worry, it might take a few more weeks before you see any growth above the ground.
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
last year
last modified: last year
Newly planted bulbs take some time to develop a good root system and you will see little growth until they do. Just leave them be and let them do their thing. btw, I can't imagined watering every few days is necessary at this time of year. It is rarely even necessary when the bulbs are full grown and in a hot, dry climate. And can be an issue if your soil is heavy or not particularly fast draining,

Dahlias are quite different. They produce tubers, not bulbs, which are a form of root and they are generally sold with 'eyes' or growing nodes already in place so growth is fast. Not really reasonable to compare the two.
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Collier Witt
Original Author
last year
Thank you for the reply, they were just labeled as oriental mix of lilies.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
last year
shouldnt the lily have been panted last fall with the tulips and dahlia??

and for most of us .... dahlia is dug up and stored for winter. and then planted when soil temps probably exceed 60 degrees ...

in EVERY POST.. tell us where you are.. big city name.. in this example.. it would have mattered ...

in my MI.. it been 80 some days.. but nights still are slipping into the 40s.. that means.. soil temps.. AT BULB DEPTH.. are not a consistent warmth.. to trigger growth in all things.. its getting close.. but still not there..

finally.. NEVER DIG UP plant.. to see how they are doing.. one GIANT thing is gardening.. is patience .. lol . odds are you will retard growth or kill plants.. digging them up for no reason.. and any good you will do..

on the other hand.s. you learned something.. but i suspect you have placed them a week or so back from bloom time..

ken

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