7/20/2012 - By Matthew Shultz

First let’s take a look at Easter Lilies... ya know, those lilies with the massive white flowers that are sold in droves for the Christian holiday of Easter. It is estimated that between 8-10 million are produced for this holiday alone. Bulbs must go through a vernalization or cooling period of about 6 weeks, which at most growing locations started back in October. Now it is 6 weeks later, and growers are starting to pull bulbs out of the coolers. Here are some things to be on the lookout for while on site over the next 16 weeks.

These bulbs are native to southern Japan where the soils are very rocky and alkaline in nature; keep this in mind when making soil recommendations to growers. Soils should drain quickly and have good aeration properties but also should be dense enough to be capable of keeping this tall crop upright in its pot (additions of calcinated clay can help with this). Irrigation should be routine however, especially during the budding stage, because prolonged dry periods and drought stress can lead to bud blast.

Most growers recommend a soil pH between 6.5-7.0. Lilies can tolerate heavy fertility regimes, but soil salts should not be allowed to creep above 2.0 EC. Supplemental calcium applications can be beneficial to this crop. Soil applications of dolomitic lime will help to maintain soil pH, while the occasional foliar application of chelated calcium, like MaxLine Calcium 32-64oz/100 gals will help to prevent leaf scorch in Easter lilies. Always run nutritional samples before making applications such as these!

Fluoride is notorious for being detrimental to Easter lily crops, so keep it out of your fertilizer blends! Avoid superphosphates as they commonly contain traces of fluoride. Perlite should be avoided in soil mixes because it too usually has some fluoride concentrations. Most growers will both incorporate a CRF package and run soluble feed every 10-14 days. Harrell’s 20-10-20 is a good candidate for this application. Some growers also prefer to routinely drench with a high quality phos. acid product - Harrell's TitlePhyte is recommended.

Easter falls on April 8th this year, so probably about the 2nd - 3rd  week in March growers will start thinking about applying PGRs if their crops need to slow down, especially if we have a warm spring. It’s a good idea to get growers thinking about this now so they have them when they need them. Products such as A-Rest, Abide, Concise, Topflor, and Sumagic work well on lilies.

Lilies are prone to attacks from aphids, fungus gnats and bulb mites, most growers apply systemic insecticides to provide extended aphid control. Drenches with Citation or Adept work well against fungus gnats, many growers are starting to switch to using beneficial nematodes against these larvae however. And as for the bulb mite... good old Duraguard will knock this one out of the park, literally.

Rhizoctonia, pythium and fusarium are the three major diseases to be concerned with when growing lilies. Hurricane, Medallion, Etridazolet, Pageant, and a phos acid like TitlePhyte are all good to have in rotation. Biologicals such as Harrell’s HuMax, Plantshield, Cease, and Mycotrol will help prevent these diseases from becoming established.

All in all lilies aren’t too tough to grow. Stay ahead of them and encourage growers to have an open and proactive mind, and Easter will be here before you know it!
References consulted:

• http://www.ag.auburn.edu/hort/landscape/Elily.htm
• http://gmpro.texterity.com/greenhousemanagement/201110/?folio=79#pg79