Can Lilies Be Split & Replanted?

Division Time

• Lilies require division when the plants become crowded and begin growing poorly. If your lilies are more than three years old and producing weak stems and few flowers, they may benefit from division. The best time for dividing is in fall, after the plants have finished flowering and the leaves begin to yellow naturally. You can also divide in early spring, although this may weaken the bulbs and reduce flowering in the first year after dividing. Mark bulb locations in fall so that you can find them in spring if you choose spring division.

Digging

• Proper digging avoids damaging the delicate lily bulbs. Loosening the soil around each clump of bulbs with a garden fork allows you to lift them out of the soil without the danger of piercing the bulbs with a trowel blade. Once lifted, examine the bulbs. Lilies may produce small bulblets along their lower stem, which you can snap off for replanting. The main bulb also develops scales. Snap off the three or four larger outer scales to divide, but leave the smaller inner scales intact to fuel the main bulb after replanting.

Soil Preparation

• Immediate replanting ensures the bulbs' health, because lilies can't survive for long periods out of the soil. Lilies thrive in well-draining but moist soil in areas that receive six to eight hours of full sun daily. Working a 2-inch layer of compost into the site before planting improves soil quality. Although lilies can grow in rich soil without fertilization, the addition of a 5-10-10 fertilizer at the rate of 1 cup per 25 square feet of garden provides additional nutrients that can aid good growth.

Replanting

• Planting depth depends on the size of the bulb. Larger bulbs and scales require planting at a depth of about 4 to 6 inches from the tip of the bulb. The smaller bulblets require planting at a 2- to 4-inch depth. Spacing appropriately ensures the lilies have room to spread so that they won't require frequent future dividing. Most lilies perform well when spaced 8 to 12 inches apart within clusters of three to five bulbs. Space these clusters about 36 inches apart. Water thoroughly after replanting so that the soil settles around the bulbs.