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Help with giant tree lilies needed please

NikozNikoz Posts: 20
in Problem solving
Hi,I have lots of giant tree lilies in pots,5 bulbs in a pot,in the past they have sprouted 5 large shoots per pot and grown into large plants.however this year they have started to sprout loads of little shoots,with no sign of the large shoots.anyone know what's wrong with them?will the big shoots grow later or are they ruined?pics for reference.thanks

Posts

  • M33R4M33R4 Posts: 291
    Sorry Nikoz, sadly not in my knowledge base, but hopefully another member will shed some wisdom on your quandary.
    I wish I could garden all year round!
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    mine did the same, but the "proper" spikes appeared later.
    Devon.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    If they've been in the pots for a while, they possibly need dividing, the same as most lilies. They'll be producing more offshoots/bulbs, so they may be quite congested  :)

    It could be worth taking a look - even if you just do one pot to see what it's like. 
    All lilies need a bit of help if they're permanently potted, and the bigger the bulbs, and the smaller the pot, the more attention they need, as the nutrients get depleted more quickly. Feeding a couple of times after they're finished always helps, while they die back.  :)
    If you're in a colder, wetter area - they could also have been affected by the awkward winter weather, and some bulbs may have succumbed. Always more vulnerable to freezing in containers after being wet.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • NikozNikoz Posts: 20
    Great,thanks for those suggestions,will take a look.
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited April 2023
    Lily bulbs often form little side bulbils.  I have noticed that the growths from these are often sooner to the surface.  Eventuall you will have a lot more plants of flowering size.

    I assume you will be topping up the   pots as hte lilies grow.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • NikozNikoz Posts: 20
    Yes,will wait for all the little sprouts get taller so as not to bury them
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    You need to look at how full the pots are though @Nikoz.
    It's more likely that, over time,  none of them will be productive if they're all left there with the original ones.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • NikozNikoz Posts: 20
    By how full,you mean how many bulbs ?
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Sorry- just saw your post @Nikoz.  :)
    Yes - if the pots is jammed full of bulbs - of any size, there isn't much room for the soil/compost. When they're dying back, they get their nutrition for building up the bulbs from the dying foliage, but they also need some room and some growing medium to sustain them and prevent them drying out.  In the ground, they can naturally access that nutrition/moisture, but in a pot - they're dependent on you for all of that. The little bulbils produced can also spread and grow more easily in the ground.
    It's worth taking a look at the contents of the pots - or just one, to see what they're like  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • NikozNikoz Posts: 20
    Ok will do.thanks!
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