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Problem With Oriental Lily

9 years ago

Hey everyone! I'm pretty new to growing stuff so I hope I don't get on your nerves in the coming days with questions I may have. The first problem I am having is I noticed this morning that there is yellow stuff growing around the bottom of my lilies. I live in an apartment and I can't plant stuff out in the yard so I have to keep everything in containers. I got this lily a couple of days before Father's Day and it was doing really good. The smell is awesome! I've been watering it about every other day until the water starts to drain out of the bottom. It doesn't take very much water at all. But I can't help thinking that I am still watering it too often. Here in Indiana the heat is beginning to really set in however. I always touch the soil before watering to see if it's dry or not. Could it be getting too much sunlight. It doesn't really start getting hit with the sun until about 1:00 in the afternoon. So that gives it plenty of sun for about 7 hours a day (when it's sunny). I am attaching a picture and I am hoping someone can tell me what might be going on here. Thanks!

This post was edited by HoosierPagan on Tue, Jun 17, 14 at 11:24

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Comments (8)

Matt Conner
Original Author
9 years ago
One more pic of the flower itself
duluthinbloomz4
9 years ago
My sense is over watering... what with an every other day watering routine since shortly before Fathers Day (June 15th). Though I've never attempted lilies indoors - the bulb itself is able to take care of much of its own needs.

Was it in full bloom when you got it? Lily blooms each last only so many days from bud opening to bloom - maybe 5 to 7 days, so they could simply be blooming out.

As for the yellow stuff, some type of mold forming on the mulch surface?

Need a lily expert to chime in here. But in the meantime, cut back on the watering routine.
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In many areas Oriental lilies benefit from some afternoon shade. IF it is really hot and sunny in that spot then they may need extra water. Lilies yellowing/browing up from the bottom is often lack of water. I seriously doubt the cat has anything to do with it. Poop generally fertilizes rather than damages.
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Welcome. I think you are referring to the buds about to bloom, the bulb is the part that is buried in the soil.. Over watering could cause the buds to wither or catching a cold draft could also do it. Cutting off the browned blooms and buds was good, even better was that you did not cut off leaves. I know some parts of Canada are zone 5, I don't know what your zone is. If you are zone 5 you may be able to get your oriental lily to rebloom next year by planting it outside when danger of frost is past. Generally most orientals don't bloom until July or August and in zone 4 or colder they often don't have enough time left after blooming for the leaves to replenish the bulb before a hard frost. In that case the bulbs of many orientals tend to dwindle away after 2 or 3 years. Having been forced your lily will yellow and then brown before other lilies growing and blooming in their normal cycle would. For now give it as much sun as possible, don't let it dry out completely but don't keep it soggy either. HOpe this answered some questions.
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Hmmmmmmmmmmm, well I am baffled then....lol...I dont think I have a drainage problem there. No clay at all, rich black soil that everything in that bed grows great in. Its so weird they come up looking great and fully bud up. Then when it starts to get hot out they start to get yellow stripes in their leaves and all the buds fall off before blooming. Followed by the entire plant burning out. It just makes no sense to me?? Could there be something else wrong in the soil?? Do Oriental Lilies ever get any kind of diseases that the soil could be locally contaminated by?? Maybe the first one I planted there was sick from the grower and gets to the new ones I plant there by the following year?
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Mine look a mess, put them on the east side, they had already sprouted in the packaging. One developed little roots on the sprout, and another one is sprouting little leaves that look like weeds on the stalk that is lying on the mulch. I'm leaving them alone and see if they do better next year. Got them in late. No sign of any buds, haven't grown longer in weeks, are still about 1', but the ones that have taken off look healthy with lush foliage. I think a couple are dead.
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Matt Conner
Original Author
9 years ago
Hi! Thanks for replying. I really do appreciate it. When I first got it the flowers were great looking and the smell was great. We got it at Lowes and as soon as we walked into their garden department I was overcome by the smell of it. When we first brought it home for a couple of days after, the smell was still strong. But now with whatever is going on with it the smell isn't really strong at all. I wonder if it could be getting too much sunlight? Thanks again for the reply
duluthinbloomz4
9 years ago
You're welcome. Your 7 hrs. of sun is good. If they don't get enough sun, the Oriental lilies will reach for it. As for fragrance, I suspect that might dissipate as the blooms age.

I fully understand that you have to deal with the conditions and space that you have, but lilies really are an outdoor plant or on a balcony in a large well draining container. The information on the internet is largely for lilies planted in the ground.
Matt Conner
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks again for the help. I am also going to transplant it into another bigger pot. I don't think it will hurt to do that. I am assuming there's three different flowers in this pot because there's three stems. Hopefully transplanting will do some good also. The pot it is in right now is the one it came in and it's pretty small. So hopefully a larger one will do some good also. I a attaching one last picture to show the pot it is in as well. Thanks again for your help and suggestions
Matt Conner
Original Author
9 years ago
I woke up this morning to find all but two of the flowers on my lily were gone. I think I am going to take this back to Lowes. I have never had such bad luck lol
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
9 years ago
Open lily flowers do not last long and even a shorter period of time if in a hot sunny location. A week is about it and am thinking we are about there, no?

I'm not at all sure there is anything wrong with your lily. It is behaving rather naturally for a potted plant at this time of the season and under these weather conditions. You can of course replant in to a larger container although no pressing need to do so until next spring. Or you can plant directly into the garden. I might space out the bulbs a bit further if that was the plan.
buyorsell888
9 years ago
There is nothing wrong with it. It is just done blooming. Not bad luck. Exactly what happens to potted lilies. They bloom longer outside in the ground but still not longer than a couple weeks.

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