Hi, Please help me identify this plant. When I bought it the flowers were still closed, now they're starting to open up :) Thanks!
Thanks lorax :) What happens to it once the flowers fall off? Does the rest of the plant die? Or do the green leaves remain and bloom again in the next season?
Many people will discard these once they stop blooming. However, you can keep the green leaves growing on for a while. Eventually, that foliage will tire, start to yellow, then brown and the stalk will wither. The bulb is going dormant. You might want to add some bone meal to help the bulb get stronger while it is still green in the foliage. Then reduce the watering until next spring when it may sprout and just might bloom again. Blooming again the first year is kinda iffy, though.
You are in the UAE, so unless you have a very cool place indoors to keep this after the green parts die, it is unlikely to come back. Lillies need a cool rest in the winter to rejuvinate and grow and bloom again. It is blooming now, which means it was forced to bloom out of season, and again, the chances of it living long are slim.
Thank you thanrose and kevind. I noticed the bottom leaves are yellowing, does it need direct sunlight? or would bone meal help that? The soil has some slow-release fertilizer btw. Would 20-23 deg C be considered a "very cool place" to keep it in winter? That would probably be our usual indoor temperature.
That's still too warm for lilies - you'd need to look at storing the bulb in your refrigerator if you wanted to keep it cool enough. (I can tell you this from the frustrating experience of trying to grow Asiatics at the Equator - doesn't work so hot unless you're willing fill your fridge with plants instead of food.)
It's just one pot, so I think I can keep it in the fridge. How long do I keep it in the fridge though? and how often do I water it, whenever the soil dries up? thanks!
Go careful when trying to smell the flowers! The yellow pollen is really sticky and will stain the end of your nose if you get too close. Difficult to wash off too. The water makes it more sticky!
Re: UPDATE: Flowering plant ID Hello again, I'm back for an update. So I kept the 3 bulbs in the fridge for about 6 months (or maybe a little less), and I took it out about a week ago. Yesterday I noticed little stems growing out of the soil (see attached photos), you'll see 2 in the photos but when I watered them later the third one poked through. It's currently in a dark corner but I should be moving it to a sunnier spot soon. What do I do now? Should I re-pot to give them more space? I had moved them to a smaller pot before putting them in the fridge to save space. Also, I haven't removed the old roots (which are probably dead by now), should I do that too? thanks :)
Good job! I say just leave them the way they are. Looks like they are growing nicely. You say you are going to put it in a sunnier spot - could you put it outside? It's probably pretty dry out there, but if you keep it watered, it should do great!
Won't it be too hot outside? It's still around 42-43 deg C during the day and 37-38 deg C in the night. BTW, would the bulbs have 'multiplied' by now? or does that take a few seasons?
I don't know - it might be too hot. Never thought of that. Is it seriously 43C??!! I'm glad it's you that's there, and not me! Way too hot. Some plants like it, though, but maybe not lilies. They divide as they grow. By the fall, or a few months after they have flowered, you will see baby bulbs on the mother bulb. I wouldn't divide though, until they are a good size. You get a better display if you leave them together. So yes, it does take a few seasons to get divisions.
43 is too hot - it would set them back if not outright kill them. However, you can grow them indoors as a potted plant, just move them to a bright location.
Thanks for your replies kevind and lorax. I shifted it to a sunnier spot and they've got fairly long stems now :-) Kevind, it is seriously 40-something degrees C here during the day - hope you get to try that one day! :p