Rain lily - how much to trim?

irma_stpete_10a

9 years ago

Cut it all the way down or just enough to harvest the seed pod?

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Comments (9)

tomncath
9 years ago
I just harvest the top of the seed pods but I don't think it really matters, the stalks will wilt away. For me it is just easier to cut short pod stalks to make sure the seed pods are dropping into whatever I'm collecting them in.

Tom
Carol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL)
9 years ago
I have always done the same as Tom - just cut off the pod at the top. If the stalk is firm, you can often bend the stalk and snap the pod off.

Carol in Jacksonville
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Hello! I know this post is very old but if someone can reply please do. I live in northern India and rain lilies grow here like crazy. I have rain lilies in many colors as well, but only the yellow one (Zephyranthes citrina) sets seed, why is that so? Anyways, I planted those seeds and they germinated with 3-4 days, its been a year but still the leaves remain thin and the mature, broader leaves and blooms are no where to be seen, can someone help me out? what am I doing wrong in this case? Also if other varieties cannot set seed, can I cross pollinate my pink and white rain lilies with the yellow ones to get some hybrids?
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Tom asked "Have you floated rain lily seeds? Probably not necessary since they germinate so easily.... BTW, I've noted that the green throat turns to a similar light pink just like the flowers. Do yours stay green?" Tom, it took a few days of observation to be able to answer your question. I've been watching and I haven't seen the throat of any of my rain lilies turn to light pink. The throat seems to stay green for the duration of the bloom. I haven't floated rain lily seeds. I plant them directly into the ground. As fast as I can harvest a ripe seed pod I take it to somewhere else in the yard that I would like rain lilies, open the pod, very lightly cover by brushing a little soil over the top and lightly water. The only rain lilies I have actually planted into containers instead of the ground are the ones from you, Keiki and Cora - and I did it just so I could monitor them, know where they end up being planted and observe for variations. I know you didn't ask, but I don't like the float method for amaryllis seeds, either - not down here in Florida where we have plenty of heat. (I understand the folks up north using that method.) I plant them directly into seed starter cell-packs. The float method, for me, is just an extra step, an opportunity to damage tender/fragile roots and a chance to lose some. I'm very happy with the direct to soil method. Have any of the seeds germinated for you? Or did you plant them directly in the ground where it is a bit hard to keep track? Post some photos of the yellow and white ones when they come around! Carol
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Not quite sure why the rain is such a concern unless it was massive amounts of it. Lilies need rain. How deep did you plant the bulbs in the soil and in the pots. What type of soil do you have? As I know nothing of your zone, I may not be the best to answer your question, but orientals, which stargazers are, love a slightly acidic soil and thrive on the west coast where they receive ample amounts of moisture. Flora
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Can I trim rain lilies?
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Comments (2)
I would not trim those blades mine also lay down but not flat and they only bloom when they feel like it mostly after a rain or a change in air pressure. I don't think trimming will make them stand up and they probably need those blades to draw energy to bloom.
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irma_stpete_10a
Original Author
9 years ago
Got it! So, it's the leaves, not the stem, that are good to keep for photosynthesis, and applies to even small-leafed plants: "If the homeowner mows off the foliage early, the plant can no longer manufacture nutrient reserves for next year. This results in a small, weak bulb which will gradually decline and die out." (I hadn't even noticed it had leaves, so taken I was with the pink lilies.)
irma_stpete_10a
Original Author
9 years ago
Maybe I'm still not clear on the stem - keep vs. cut. I've read that rain lilies may bloom 3 or 4 times a season. Do you think they do? Or is it that they are in a clump of bulbs and each bulb only blooms once? If the same bulb re-blooms, maybe keeping or cutting the stem matters.

I let my Gloriosa Lilies's stems and leaves continue growing after the 1 bloom it is said to have per (year) has bloomed. Seems to work there, as each year new stems appear from apparently proliferated bulbs.
tomncath
9 years ago
Got it! So, it's the leaves, not the stem, that are good to keep for photosynthesis....

Apparently so, at least for these, just shot this picture tonight, bulbs courtesy of Kara a few years back. I'll shoot a follow up just before the seed pods are ready to open, and a week after taking the pods.

Tom
tomncath
9 years ago
Maybe I'm still not clear on the stem - keep vs. cut. I've read that rain lilies may bloom 3 or 4 times a season. Do you think they do? Or is it that they are in a clump of bulbs and each bulb only blooms once? If the same bulb re-blooms, maybe keeping or cutting the stem matters.

Gee, I really don't know. I can tell you they do rebloom all summer long after heavy rains. My guess is that they are putting out new stalks but I'll have to be paying close attention to see if that is the case.

Tom
sun_worshiper
9 years ago
Not sure if it is the same for all rain lily varieties, but I recently got a primulina bulb, and as I only have one, I'm certain that it re-blooms multiple times per season. So far that one bulb has put up 3 blooms! I am happily sowing the seed to make a little patch of them. I just snap the seed pod off the stem, leaving most of the stem to fade away naturally.

Tom, that rain lily is awesome! It looks kind of like one I got in a trade that I don't have a positive id for. Do you know what kind yours is? Here's mine:

Mine doesn't seem to set seed though, despite me trying to hand pollinate with a paintbrush. Would love to be able to propagate mine, any tips on how to get reluctant ones to set seed? The issue with mine seems to be that there is very little pollen. When I run a brush across it, very few pollen granules come off.
tomncath
9 years ago
Tom, that rain lily is awesome! It looks kind of like one I got in a trade that I don't have a positive id for. Do you know what kind yours is?....

As far as I know it is a NOID, came from Kara up near Inverness.

...Would love to be able to propagate mine, any tips on how to get reluctant ones to set seed?....

I have no idea, these bulbs seeded the first year and the seeds I started in containers 2-3 years ago from them flowered this year and are also throwing off seed pods. If you would like some of these I can give you divisions from the bulbs in the ground, I currently have about six clumps like the ones in the picture above and have given away a dozen 25-bulb clumps so far. I also have three clumps in ceramic pots grown from the seeds as stated above, and have given away probably 500 seeds.

Tom
sun_worshiper
9 years ago
That's so generous Tom. Thank you - I would love some seeds or bulbs! I will send you an email.

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Rain lily - how much to trim?

Comments (9)

tomncath

Carol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL)

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Rain lily - how much to trim?

Comments (9)

tomncath

Carol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL)

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