How to Plant Lilies With Long Shoots

Once lily bulbs sprout shoots, they need to be planted as soon as possible. You may not get flowers this season, but the foliage will feed the bulbs for next season, so allow them to grow, and care for them, as if it were flowering. Since they have long shoots, the planting process will be a little different than what is required for bulbs. You will be planting them as transplants, rather than bulbs. Make sure they get lots of sunshine in the morning and keep the soil moist.

Rototiller or gardening fork
Peat moss
Compost
Trowel

Instructions

- 1
  Choose the planting spot. Make it the spot that dries out first after a heavy rain. Well-drained soil helps lilies avoid botrytis, a fungal disease.
- 2
  Til the soil in the planting bed to a depth of 10 inches. Crush the soil until it is fine and powdery.
- 3
  Add a 2-inch layer of peat moss and 3 inches of compost to the soil and blend it into the top 8 inches.
- 4
  Use the gardening trowel to dig the planting hole deep enough so that the long shoots extend above the soil but the bulb is covered by at least 2 inches of soil.
- 5
  Throw a handful of bone meal into the bottom of the hole, place the bulb on top of the bonemeal and pack the soil around it.
- 6
  Water the lily bulb until the top 8 inches of soil is moist.

How to Care for Hyacinths, Tulips & Daffodils

How to Plant a Single Flowering Freesia

Bulbs