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Problem Solver Plant Marquee

Plant:

Lily
Image of Lily
Flowering
Depending upon the species, late spring to late summer.
Adaptation
Throughout the United States.
Soil
Well drained soil that''s rich in organic material.
Water
Water regularly and deeply. For container plants, add water until it starts to drain from the bottom of the container.
Planting
When bulbs are available (fall through spring).
Fertilizer
When planting, mix 1 teaspoon of bonemeal into the soil at the bottom of the planting hole. During the growing season, feed with an all-purpose plant food.
Handling
After the plants have bloomed, allow them to die back, then cut them off at ground level.
Light
Full sun to part shade, depending on the variety.
Related problems

Aphids - Lily

Image of Aphids - Lily
Aphids

Leaf Scorch -

Image of Leaf Scorch
Leaf Scorch

Lily Leaf Beetle -

Image of Lily Leaf Beetle
Lily Leaf Beetle

Root and Bulb Rot - Lily

Image of Root and Bulb Rot - Lily
Root and Bulb Rot

Viruses - Lily

Image of Viruses - Lily
Viruses
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Aphids - Lily

Image of Aphids - Lily
Aphids
Description
Leaves may be distorted, curled, and yellowing. Flowers are sometimes malformed. Tiny (1/8 inch) pale green to black insects with soft bodies cluster on the leaves and stems. A sticky, shiny substance may coat the leaves. Ants are often present.
Analysis

Several different species of this common insect feed on lilies. Aphids cause their damage by sucking plant sap; this feeding produces leaf curling, yellowing, and distortion. The aphid is unable to digest fully all the sugar in the plant sap, and it excretes the excess in a fluid called honeydew. The honeydew often drops onto the leaves below. Ants feed on this sticky substance and are often present where there is an aphid infestation. Aphids can also spread viral diseases. In the process of feeding, certain aphids can infect lilies with mosaic virus disease.

Solution

Apply an insecticide labeled for aphids, following label directions. In the fall, clean up plant debris that might harbor aphid eggs.

Close

Leaf Scorch -

Image of Leaf Scorch
Leaf Scorch
Description
Brown semicircular or crescent-shap areas develop along leaf margins. Leaf tips may be brown. Usually the lower leaves are affected first.
Analysis

Leaf scorch is a condition that may develop in lilies when they are growing in acid soil with a pH lower than 6.5. Toxic amounts of aluminum and manganese salts become available and are absorbed by plant roots in acid soils. Leaf scorch is most likely to occur when the plant is not receiving adequate or balanced supplies of nutrients, such as nitrogen and calcium. During the rapid part of the growing season, significant temperature changes can also cause leaf scorch.

Solution

Add ground dolomitic limestone to the soil to decrease its acidity.

Close

Lily Leaf Beetle -

Image of Lily Leaf Beetle
Lily Leaf Beetle
Description
Shiny, bright red 1/2-inch-long insects (adults), or repulsive, slug-like insects (larvae) are eating holes in lily leaves and flower buds. An uncontrolled infestation can defoliate and kill the plants.
Analysis

Lilioceris lilii This beetle is a recent introduction to the United States, having first appeared in Boston in 1992. It has now spread throughout the Northeast, and may eventually spread to much of the country. It favors true lilies (Lilium), but sometimes feeds on fritillary, solomon''s seal, or lily-of-the-valley. It does not attack daylilies. The bright red adults spend the winter in the soil or plant debris, emerging in April. They begin to feed on lilies as soon as they appear in the spring. Females lay eggs in rows on the undersides of lily leaves. The larvae emerge in late April or May and feed for 3 or 4 weeks. The slug-like larvae carry their excrement on their backs, making them repulsive to predators, including gardeners. They pupate in the soil in June to reemerge as adults in early summer, then feed until October. The heaviest damage is done by the larvae. Researchers are searching for predators and parasites to release in this country. If they are successful, this beetle may be reduced to a minor pest.

Solution

A few adults can be handpicked. Drop them into soapy water to kill them. Most people are unwilling to pick the larvae off with bare-hands, so wear gloves. To avoid bringing more beetles into your garden, inspect new lily plants carefully for insects or eggs.

Close

Root and Bulb Rot - Lily

Image of Root and Bulb Rot - Lily
Root and Bulb Rot
Description
Plants are stunted and wilting, and the lower leaves turn yellow. The tips of the lower leaves may be dying and brown, and dead patches may appear along leaf edges. Flower buds may wither and fail to open. The bulbs and roots are rotted.
Analysis

Rot problems are common with lilies. These plant diseases are caused by various fungi (Rhizoctonia, Phytophthora, Pythium, Fusarium, and Cylindrocarpon species). These fungi attack and decay the bulbs and roots, causing stunting, wilting, and eventually death of the foliage and flowers. These bulb and root-rot organisms live in the soil and stored bulbs and are favored by wet soil. Sometimes bulbs in storage are lightly infected, but the fungal decay hasn''t progressed far enough to be easily noticed. When planted, these bulbs may rot so quickly that they do not produce any foliage.

Solution

Remove and destroy badly infected plants. Check all bulbs carefully and discard any that are moldy, rotted, or dry and crumbly. Plant in well-drained soil. Store bulbs in a cool, dry location.

Close

Viruses - Lily

Image of Viruses - Lily
Viruses
Description
Leaves are mottled and streaked light and dark green. The plant may be stunted and dying. The leaves may be spotted with tiny yellow, brown, or gray flecks. These flecks are elongated and run parallel to the leaf veins. Plants with these flecks are stunted and have small, streaked flowers that do not open fully. Their leaves may be twisted or curled and frequently die prematurely, starting from the bottom of the plant.
Analysis

Several viral diseases of lilies cause mottling or flecking of the foliage. Mosaic viruses produce leaf mottling and discoloration. Depending on the species or variety, the symptoms of infection can be mild or severe. Fleck is produced if a plant is simultaneously infected by the symptomless lily virus and the cucumber mosaic virus (which may or may not produce mottling by itself). Leaf flecking is usually accompanied by stunting and poor-quality flowers and foliage. The plant is generally disfigured. Viruses remain in infected bulbs year after year, so successive plantings of diseased bulbs will produce only poor-quality flowers and foliage. All of these viruses are spread by aphids, which pick up the virus while feeding on diseased plants and then, at later feedings, transmit it to healthy plants.

Solution

Remove and destroy infected plants. Control aphids by applying an insecticide labeled for aphids. Plant lilies that are resistant to viral diseases.

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