If you want to use the seeds to propagate lilies, you can be lucky and win completely new varieties. This is absolutely worthwhile for (hobby) breeders. What should you know about seeds and how to sow them?
How to use lily seeds for propagation?
Lily seeds can be harvested in autumn after the capsule fruits have ripened and used for propagation. Collect the ripe, split fruits, remove the seeds and sow them in moist sowing soil. Germination can be irregular and lengthy.
When are the capsule fruits ripe and the seeds ready to harvest?
After lilies have finished flowering and the flowers have withered on the plant, the capsule fruits form.
Forming seeds takes a lot of energy for lilies. Therefore, you should cut off the dried inflorescence if you are not interested in the seeds. If you want to harvest the seeds for sowing, wait until the fruits are ripe and burst open. Cut the fruits and remove the seeds. As a rule, there are numerous seeds in the capsule fruits.
The ripeness of the capsule fruits reaches its peak in autumn. The upright, up to 7 cm long and elongated-round capsule fruits are brown in color at this time and burst open. They have three chambers inside. There the seeds are lined up close together.
Seed characteristics
The seeds of lilies vary in size depending on the species and variety. They have an average size of 0.5 cm. Furthermore, they are flat, rounded to triangular, narrowly winged and dipped in a light brown color.
Germinating seeds
Lily seeds germinate irregularly. It can take up to 2 years for a seedling to appear. Other seeds germinate after just a few days. Due to this irregularity, it is recommended to sow several seeds at once.
Sowing is done as follows:
- harvest in autumn
- store in the refrigerator or dry
- start sowing between January and February
- Soak seeds in water for 3 days
- sow in seed soil (€6.00 at Amazon) (1 cm deep)
- Keep soil moist
- ideal germination temperature (varies from variety to variety): 15 to 20 °C
- Planting out from May
- Time until the first flowering: 3 to 4 years
Tips & Tricks
If you want to obtain exceptional varieties with different properties than the mother plant, you should cross the pollen of different varieties with each other during the flowering period.
