How to Propagate Tiger Lilies? Tiger lilies or Lilium Tigrinum propagate themselves in Three Different ways. They can propagate from seeds, Bulbils, and Bulbs. The Bulbs or bulblets are the newborn bulbs that form next to the parent bulbs. The Bulbils are the nodes like structure that form between leaves and the stem. Seeds on the other hand form after successful pollination of Tiger lilies. Generally, seeds are very rare to form especially with new hybrid varieties of Tiger lilies.
Tiger lilies can grow all over the united states from Hardiness zone 3 to 9. A mature Tiliger Lili plant can grow up to 4 feet with several 3 to 5-inch long leaf blades. These plants can bloom from late spring throughout summer especially in mild zones. Each Tiger Lili bulb will develop single flower stock in the spring season that bears 1 or more beautiful flowers. These flowers stocks take 2 to 4 weeks to develop and bloom. Therefore, it requires extra nutrition and water during this phase.
Growing Tiger lilies in a container or garden are pretty easy. Either you can use a commercial potting mix or plain garden soil mixed with compost. Tiger lilies can grow in any soil type with minimal nutrient value. Continue reading for more details.
Check out my previous post: Flower Bulb Division: When and How to Divide Plant Bulbs
Tiger Lilli Info
- Common Name: Tiger lilies
- Botanical name: Lilium tigrinum
- Plant Size: 3 to 4 feet
- Hardiness Zones: USDA hardiness zone 3 to 9
- Bloom time: Late Spring
- Propagation mode: Seeds, Bulbs, Bulbils
- Identification: Dark orange, black Spots on light color flower petals.
- Use: Ornamental Plant
Product Requirement
- Tiger Lili bulbs or Live plants.
- Organic Compost
- Container or Planter
- Bone meal fertilizer
- Fungicide (* optional)
How to Propagate Tiger Lilies?
We can propagate Tiger lilies in three different ways. The first is Tiger Lili bulb propagation. Tiger bulbs or bulblets are easily available in garden stores throughout the year. so you can buy the bulbs and grow them anytime you want. Although the best time to grow or propagate Tiger Lili is Fall or Autumn season. This time can vary from Late August to November from one zone to another.
Another method of propagating Tiger Lili is with Bulbils. Bulbils are nodes between the leaves and the bulbs. You can easily pluck them out with your finger and plant directly. Although bulbils are generally not used to grow Tiger Lili due to their slow growth rate. Bulbils may take several years before blooming while plants grow from bulbs can bloom in the following season.
You can also grow Tiger Lili from seeds. It is possible but only a few of those bulbs develop seeds after successful fertilization. Generally, professional growers don’t rely on seeds to grow Tiger lilies. These seeds can take several weeks to germinate and a couple of years to mature. Even if it grows, the quality of the bloom will not match the quality of the parent Tiger Lili plant.
Also read: Can You Grow Tulips From Seed?
How to Propagate Tiger Lili from bulbs?
- You can buy new Tiger Lili bulbs or simply divide the previous one.
- Divide Tiger Lili bulbs or bulblets at the end of summer. Wait for the plant to die and then dig out the bulbs.
- Remove dirt and separate big mature bulbs from smaller ones.
- Prepare soil mix with 40% garden soil, 40% compost, 10% sand, and 10% bone meal fertilizer for Tiger Lili bulbs.
- Place the bulbs with the crown facing upwards. Cover the Tiger Lili bulb with 4 inches of soft light soil mix.
- Water the bulbs abundantly and leave them to develop roots and shoots during winter.
- New leaves will appear early in the spring.
- The Tiger lily plant starts blooming in late spring and continues to bloom for the next couple of weeks.
- Meanwhile, you can feed the plant with a mixed water-soluble balanced fertilizer. It will help to get bigger blooms.
- Usually, Tiger Lili plants grown from healthy bulbs are not prone to serious disease or pest attacks. Still, you should spray neem oil spray twice per week to keep the plants healthy. Also, apply a pinch of fungicide to each Tiger Lili bulb before plantation.
How to Propagate Tiger Lili from bulbils?
- Collect Bulbils from the old mature Tiger Lili plant. Pinch out the Bulbils and propagate them to a new location.
- Place the bulbils in soft well-drained soil at a 1-inch depth.
- Water the soil and wait for it to sprout. The bulbils may take 3 to 5 weeks to sprout at ideal conditions.
- At first, only a couple of new leave will emerge and again die back during winter. Don’t worry the bulbils will stay alive in the soil throughout winter.
- New leaves will again sprout in the next spring and the plant continues to grow. Meanwhile, the Tiger Lili plant will develop a mature bulb.
- The plant will bloom after a couple of years. You have to wait for the plant to grow and mature before blooming.
- It will take additional care like protection from pest attacks and harsh weather conditions.
- Keep fertilizing the soil to maintain proper growth in the plant.
Check out: How to Grow Tulips in a Greenhouse?
How to Propagate Tiger Lili from Seeds?
- Check out mature Tiger Lili seed pods and wait for them to dry before collecting the seeds.
- Collect the seeds and dry them in full sun for a couple of days.
- Mix the seeds with a little bit of contact fungicide. The fungicide will keep the seeds safe from fungal diseases.
- Place the seeds in soft well-drained soil mix or light coco peat. Moisten the mixture before seeding.
- Sprinkle the seeds on the top of the soil mix. Put 1/5 inch of the same soil mix on the top for protection.
- These seeds will take 4 to 6 weeks to germinate. Sometimes it can take a couple of months to germinate Tiger lily seeds. The rate of germination is low as compared to other flowering plants.
- Maintain proper moisture and nutrient level until the plant matures. Water regularly and fertilize the soil with a balanced fertilizer.
- Tiger Lili plants grown from seeds can take 3 or more years to bloom. Though the plant will bloom the bloom quality will differ from the parent plant.
- These plants will require proper care throughout their growth period.
Final Words
Tiger Lili propagates from Bulbs, Bulbils, and seeds. Each method has some advantage and disadvantage over other. I would personally suggest using tiger Lili bulbs or bulblets to propagate the plants. It is an easier and more convenient method than others.
Tige Lili flowers are beautiful. They will add a unique view to your garden. Therefore, try one of these methods of propagation of Tiger Lili and get the best blooms. And yes, please share your experience with us.
