Planting overwintered tropical lily tubers

[Mosfun]

I just opened my plastic bags of overwintered tropical lily tubers. Three have teeny tiny shoots, I tried to plant them in their growing container (nice glass jar) but I can't anchor them down, or need a suggestion as to how to anchor them. For now they are floating. I can find guides on planting established tubers with roots and growing tips, but nothing about the tiny tubers. Can anyone offer suggestions? Thanks! Maureen

 

[brokensword]

use some UNSCENTED clay cat litter. For floaters, I usually either put a rock on one end (where the eyes are not starting up) or wrap a string around a flat stone to the bottom of the tuber. Once you have roots, they will anchor the tuber down. If the tubers are that small, you could try using the cat litter and some toothpicks/popcicle sticks set crosswise over top the tuber.

 

[j.w]

@Mosfun
You can place them in a pot w/the tuber not too deep in the medium and then cover parts of the tuber w/a rock or rocks or gravel, heavy enough to keep it down. Or you could tie a piece of string to the tuber and tie the end to a rock, bury the rock in the pot to hold it down. The string will rot eventually so as not to strangle the tuber. The lily roots will eventually grab into the soil and stay put. I like to use 100% clay kitty litter w/o any additives, like perfume or chemicals as my medium for the potted lilies.

 

[j.w]

Man @brokensword you beat me to it. Our brains must have been entangled,lol!

 

[brokensword]

Man @brokensword you beat me to it. Our brains must have been entangled,lol!

@j.w no doubt by strings attached to rocks!

 

[mrsclem]

If I'm not mistaken, tropical do not have the tubers like the hardy lilies. The string and rock idea should still work, just be careful not to damage the new shoots.

 

[Mosfun]

Thanks!!! I added about an inch of plain kitty litter (my go to pond medium), then I was able to seat them, I'm sure someone will float up, but I am hopeful. Thank you, it's a small oval glass container 8x10 ish, and fits on my sunny window perfectly. I do have a heater I can put under it though. I saw the one tiny bit float up, darn it, I hope it sends up another little bit. It's Antares. I netted 4 tubers from the plant.
Yes the tubers are similar to small spring bulbs, as compared to my hardy lilies. I will update my progress, here's looking toward warm weather! SE Pennsylvania here.

 

[addy1]

Welcome1 I gave up on tropicals, they are beautiful, but my hardies are beautiful also, a lot less work!

 

[Mosfun]

I loved the nightbloomer, I have lovely natives, but working as a nurse, I left and returned home from work, and the lilies were done. The night bloomers were still open in the morning, somewhat, but beautiful in the evening. Now I'm retired, so I'll give these tubers a go, but I am able to enjoy the natives much more now.

 

[Mosfun]

UPDATE! The tubers have all sent up leaves, and shoots for roots. I planted them in an oval heavy glass candle container (froze to get the wax out, and washed repeatedly). Cat litter base, tried to keep them anchored, the one that floated, sank the next day. I have a little heating pad, beneath the jar, which sits on my sunny windowsill (south). I have a thermometer in it, 85 degrees, I turn it off on sunny days, and on for the cool/cold nights.
Two days ago, I added more water to raise the height of the water line, and dropped in drops of african violet food (liquid). I found my tabs of pond fertilizer, but this is just a little container. When I move them to bigger I will mix the fertilizer with the sand. Scoping out bigger containers, lol. This container has a lid, so it's containing the moisture. Some algae. Thanks for your help!!!

 

[addy1]

Yeah!

 

[Mosfun]

UPDATE! I am ready for someone to put a pillow on my face...(fav saying between sister and myself)...I added "grow light wands" and a little heating pad, and voila, I have leaves and roots. So, I reached up where I had stored the tubers, and daggumit, didn't I find another perfectly arranged box of ANTARES tubers! The ones I've been coddling are the red flare that have sent up growth; they were total non performers in the pond over the summer, a few small leaves and then dormant. I wrapped up those tubers anyway. The Antares, were stored in a beautiful little box in their baggies like their cousins...however no green on them, but no rot. The grow points were pointy, so everyone got set up in an aquarium, on a bed of kitty litter, plain, with lily food mixed in with that, I added my thermometer, slowly added water, about 3-4 inches, and repositioned grow light things, and the heating pad is beneath the aquarium. Not sure that will provide enough heat, but we'll see. So that is my saga. I suspect I'll be ordering an actual plant from Tricker, lol. You don't know unless you try. I ordered one for my sister as her Christmas gift, so that will be arriving for her pond. I was so joyful, lol, then flummoxed when I felt that second box, and saw it was the Antares tubers. I'll post updates to my insane attempt to grow these lilies. Enjoy the beautiful Spring.

 

[addy1]

Maybe they will do better this year! Don't give up on them!

 

[Mosfun]

Ok Update! The red flare is growing like crazy, the Antares two tubers have teeny buds on them. Lights are on 12 hrs. Now I have algae!!!! Any suggestions to treatment? I don't want to kill the new lily plants! Ei-yi-yi! Help! I will do a water change tomorrow. Should I set the lights to 9 hours? The plants are loving the 12 hours, so is the algae.

 

[addy1]

Ignore the algae is what I would do, the lilies will grow right through it. Keep the water a bit fresh by doing some changes.