Lily bulbs not making spring roots

11 years ago

I am hoping someone has some insight to this problem I have with several lilies every year. I can't pin it down to one variety, or one species or one bed over another. I would think the bulb would freeze and rot if it were a hardiness issue. I am in zone 3b. These photos are of one martagon lily which is a prime example. This bulb has been in the garden 3 years. I had 2 martagon bulbs in my bed of 12 do this. Typically, in the spring a shoot emerges from a bulb and stops growing while it is still short, then starts dying. When I dig out the bulb it looks fine with maybe a few brown spots on scales, but there are never any new roots from the basal plate. There are finally some coming on this bulb, but I dug it in early July, so the roots were too late to save the new growth. There never appears to be basal plate rot (or what I would think is rot). They all have good drainage. I am not digging excess organic matter into the bed. I am not getting fertilizer directly on the bulbs. I am mulching some bulbs with pine needles for winter, and no mulch on others. There is no connection. Shouldn't these bulbs be sending out new roots in the fall and keeping them through winter to support spring growth? The beds do not go bone dry in the fall, especially if I have put in new bulbs. I keep having to restart bulbs from scales. This time I am just leaving the bulb in the ground to see if it comes back next year.

Any ideas? I tried recommendations from B&D Lilies to keep organic matter low and winter mulch. This did not help. I have had to resort to overwintering some bulbs potted in soil in the root cellar so I can monitor root growth and replant in the spring when I know they have a good start.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

debbiecz3
11 years ago
Although I don't have any specific recommendations for your problem I do grow a number of Martagons in different beds on my property and I have found them to be a little finicky in nature. Some do well and others not so much. I have had several, esp in their first few years, that just grew a short stock then quit. For the most part they have put on better growth in subsequent years. I do know that they prefer to be planted and then left alone so perhaps digging them up just sets them back again?

Perhaps you could check out your local lily society? I know the one in my region has a lot of information and you can email them questions. Or you could try The Lily Nook in Manitoba as I see you are close by in Minnesota.

I would be interested to hear if you get some answers for your problem; I really enjoy my Martagons and would like to know more about their growth, etc.
wetdogfarm (z3b,MN) thanked debbiecz3
FrozeBudd_z3/4
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Oh, that's frustrating! Most lilies are very hardy, including martagons, so I agree hardiness is not the issue. I'm in zone 3 Canada and have grown many types of lilies and rarely have lost any to the cold, though such can occur with the more tender types when the winter lows really bottom out and we have no snow cover. My only guess would have been an overly rich or very peaty soil, but since this isn't the case, it really leaves me clueless as to your problem :(

"Shouldn't these bulbs be sending out new roots in the fall and keeping them through winter to support spring growth?"

... Bulbs planted in the autumn should produce some new roots at that time and maintain them over the winter and be eager to burst though the ground when the spring warmth arrives. Though, I don't know if established bulbs make many new roots in the fall or not. Most lilies also send out lots of roots from along the new stems that grow and flower each year.

As Debbiecz3 stated, martagons are often slow to establish, though really should be producing more roots than what you're observing. I hope your lily success soon turns around, I've become quite a lily lover myself!
wetdogfarm (z3b,MN) thanked FrozeBudd_z3/4
Related Professionals
Middletown Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Niles Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Tallahassee Landscape Contractors · Sedalia Landscape Contractors · Asheville Landscape Contractors · Twin Falls Landscape Contractors · Terre Haute Home Additions · DeRidder Home Additions · Cambridge Home Additions · Frederick Home Additions · Charlottesville Home Additions · Webster Home Additions · Portsmouth Home Additions · Hudson Home Additions · San Luis Obispo Home Additions
echo4earth
11 years ago
Martagons in particular hate to be bothered. I wonder if there's a shrub or tree nearby putting of something in the soil that they don't like. Rhodies will do that to their neighbors and conifers take everything and then some from the soil around their bases.
echo4earth
11 years ago
Another thought is maybe you've got a nematode infestation in the soil there. UC Davis has a helpful page on bulb nematodes. Just search "UC IPM nematodes" for their integrated pest management page. Good luck!
wetdogfarm (z3b,MN)
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks for all of the helpful comments. By the way, I guess I wasn't quite clear...this isn't just happening to martagons. It happens to all types. I will pay more attention to when I am planting/moving specific bulbs and see if they sulk in the spring.