The African African lily (Agapanthus) is often cultivated in Central Europe as a protected overwintered pot plant. The exact type of plant makes the difference as to whether the African lily is overwintered with or without its leaves.
Do you have to cut off the leaves of the African lily before overwintering?
Should you cut off the leaves of the African lily (Agapanthus) when overwintering? Agapanthus species that lose their leaves in autumn should be defoliated before wintering to prevent rot or mold formation. Evergreen Agapanthus keep their leaves.
Different types of African Lily
Some African lilies overwinter as evergreen and retain most of their leaves even in winter quarters. Others, on the other hand, gradually get yellow leaves in autumn, which then ultimately die. In the case of leaf-retracting African lilies, only the rhizome that is stuck in the ground overwinters and then forms new leaves in spring. You should remove the dying leaves during wintering to prevent rot or mold from forming.
Protect plant he alth
Evergreen Agapanthus also sometimes get yellow leaves, this can have various causes:
- too much or too little moisture
- the Agapanthus was overwintered cooler than 0 degrees Celsius or warmer than 7 degrees Celsius
- the plant was wintered out when there was too much sunlight
Tips & Tricks
In most cases, the reason for yellow leaves of the Agapanthus is due to waterlogging around the rhizome. When repotting, ensure there is a loose plant substrate for drainage (€19.00 on Amazon) and drainage holes in the plant pot.
