How to Get a Trout Lily to Bloom

Pot your trout lily in a clay planter, covered with 2 to 3 inches of soil. Water your plant only when necessary, but do not allow it to become completely dry. Only give them enough water to moisten the soil.

Bring your lily indoors once it has gone dormant for the summer. Cooler temperatures and reduced light will trick the plant into thinking the seasons have changed.

Control the amount of daylight hours you give your trout lily. Slowly reduce the number of hours of light the plant receives by 15 minutes per week. Once you reach eight hours of light per day, hold it there for two weeks then begin increasing the light at the same rate. When the lily is receiving 12 hours of light again, keep the light constant.

Monitor the temperature in the room where you keep your lily. The warm temperatures of summer signal the trout lily to go dormant. It will only revitalize with cooler autumn temperatures and decreased light. A sudden change will not work, it must occur gradually. Decrease the temperature slowly, stopping between 60 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit. During the two weeks of minimal light, move your pot to a space in the refrigerator overnight and take it out in the morning. This simulates winter for the plant and tells it to produce another bloom as the temperature warms again.

Feed your trout lily a bloom booster fertilizer after the artificial winter to encourage new growth. Trout lilies prefer rich, acidic soils and need phosphates in the soil to bloom.