Expert: Long Island Gardener - 4/24/2008

Question
QUESTION: I read on the internet that you can divided them if they haven't bloomed yet. Mine are about 6-8" tall right now and I dug up the little ones and replanted them. Will they bloom this year? Thanks.

ANSWER: It takes around 3 years for bulblets (found in Lily leaf axils and other areas) of Tiger Lilies to reach blooming size.  You can read details about Lily propagation here:

www.lilies.org/propagation.html

Not difficult, and you can save a bundle.  Just takes a little practice.  Keep me posted and tell me how it goes -- along with the depth you planted them in and the kind of Soil you get.  I need to know these things.  Thanks very much for writing.





---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: The soil we have is okay. We live in Chicago and I've had to amend our soil with sand for drainage over the last 7 years we've been in our house. The plants I transplanted were little shoots coming up off of the main tiger lily but about 8" away from the main plant. I have them planted along our fence and "sloped" the soil for them. These plants were given to me and they are beautiful! I also mulch our leaves and use it. I'm not an expert gardener... still learning. I appreciate your advice!

Answer
Leaf Mulch turns quickly to super-rich Leaf Mould -- Bravo! There's nothing like it to build up your Soil.

Which brings us to the matter of your 'okay' Soil.

Drainage, as you know, will determine success or failure in most garden plants.  Bad drainage takes mere seconds to become a cesspool for anaerobic bacteria -- the kind that breeds pathogens.  And you know what that means... Rotting roots, systemic attacks of Bad Fungi and Bad Bacteria, sudden death.  Roots immersed too long in water use up ALL the free Oxygen in the H2O, and drown.  Drainage is everything.

However, you may -- or not -- be under the impression that Sand can solve this.  True, Sand can solve this in Soil with high amounts of Organic Matter (and that would include Leaf Mould).  False, however, that Sand will do anything good for Soil that is very high in Clay.

Are you with me?

Are we on the same page here?

Because I am saying that if you have Soil that is very dense, compacted, high Clay, low Organic Matter, your Soil will turn into CONCRETE if you add Sand.  Yes - CONCRETE.  As in CEMENT.

Colorado State University Extension soil experts issue this warning: 'Don't add Sand to Clay Soil.'

Why?

'This creates a Soil structure similar to concrete.'

Read it for yourself:

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/Garden/07235.html

Alternately, you can drive over to my house on Long Island, and I'll show you how I naively did this very thing to my own heavy Clay Soil when I bought the house and shrugged off the warnings of all my highly educated and eminently qualified friends.

Or we can read a little more from the people in Colorado who also explain: 'There are two broad categories of soil amendments: Organic and Inorganic.  Organic amendments come from something that is or was alive.  Inorganic amendments, on the other hand, are either mined or man-made.  Organic amendments include Sphagnum Peat, wood chips, Grass clippings, straw, Compost, Manure, biosolids, Sawdust and wood ash. Inorganic amendments include vermiculite, perlite, tire chunks, pea gravel and Sand.'

And this is important because...

'Organic amendments increase Soil Organic matter content and offer many benefits.  Organic matter improves Soil aeration, water infiltration, and both water- and nutrient-holding capacity.  Many Organic amendments contain plant nutrients and act as Organic fertilizers.  Organic Matter also is an important energy source for Bacteria, Fungi and Earthworms that live in the Soil.'

Much better for lightening Clay Soil, they say, is Organic Matter.  Not Sand.  Because 'with Clay Soils, the goal is to improve Soil aggregation, increase porosity and permeability, and improve aeration and drainage.'  Sand is a solid particle.  There may be plenty of air around the particles, but that's nothing compared with 'fibrous amendments like peat, wood chips, tree bark or straw,' they say.

Cornell University experts take the words right out of Colorado Experts' mouths on this subject: 'be especially cautious in adding a clayey topsoil to Sand, since the result can resemble Concrete!'

Just want to make sure you know this, dear.

Lilies are especially sensitive about drainage, as you know (does not sound to me like you are anything NEAR being a 'Beginner').  So it is ssmart of you to focus on this.  Just make sure you have a well drained highly oxygenated Soil structure for them to grow in.  Earthworms are very good at ensuring you have all the right stuff down there.

Additional followups welcome, and thank you for writing,

L.I.G.