Lily is an amazingly beautiful flower with a pleasant aroma, which has been revered in many cultures. One of the prerequisites for the lush flowering of these wonderful plants is the correct planting of lilies and care for them.

 The seed method of reproduction requires effort and time. Plants can begin to delight with buds after 2 years. As a result of the seed technique, you get high-quality seedlings that have been grown taking into account all the rules. With due diligence, even a novice gardener can cope with the task.

 It is possible to plant seeds almost immediately after purchase. However, it is recommended to harden before starting work. To do this, the material is sent to the refrigerator for several days, the temperature is maintained from + 2 to + 4 degrees Celsius.

 Before planting, the material is processed in one of the following ways:

 -treatment with 1-2% hydrogen peroxide solution;

 -treatment with 1% bleach solution;

 -treatment with 0.04% zinc sulfate solution.

Pre-soaking for 12-15 hours helps to accelerate germination and prevents the development of bacteria and fungi.

 Do not forget to prepare the soil in advance for planting seeds. The best option is to buy a ready–made land mixture designed specifically for lilies. And you can also cook it yourself. To do this, leaf, turf soil and coarse sand are mixed in the same proportions, and a little charcoal is added.

 First of all, it is necessary to prepare pots or planting boxes for lilies. At the bottom, you need to lay out a drainage layer covered with a layer of crushed charcoal. Drainage should be at least 2 cm thick, because a thin layer will not be able to properly remove excess moisture and provide good air exchange, which can lead to rotting of seeds. 

 The container is filled with prepared soil, after which it is well moistened. After waiting until the earth settles, add another layer and re-moisten. After that, the seeds are evenly distributed on the surface at a distance of 1 – 1.5 cm from each other and gently pressed into a depth of 0.5 cm. A layer of sand is poured on top of no more than 1 cm . After that, the soil is watered again, excess moisture is allowed to drain and the planting is covered with cling film or glass.

 The boxes are placed in a warm and dark room, covered with a thick film or glass. This will create a greenhouse effect, thanks to which the seeds will germinate earlier. In the room where the seedling boxes are stored, the air temperature should be maintained from +20 to +25 degrees Celsius.

 Do not water the soil too much, this can lead to mold formation. Use clean or settled water, adding it only when the top layer of earth dries. Under optimal conditions, the sprouts will be noticeable after 20-30 days. Sometimes the sprouts do not appear in the year when the seeds were sown – such a picture is not uncommon. You should not throw them away, you just have to be patient and wait, and they will surely hatch.

 As soon as young seedlings appear on the surface, the container is moved to the light. The temperature should drop to 15 °C. The minimum light day for sprouts is from 10 to 12 hours. Important! Make sure that direct sunlight does not burn the tender leaves of young plants. The glass or film is not removed immediately. First, the pots are ventilated for 15 minutes a day, then this time is increased, and in 2 weeks they completely stop covering the seedlings. When the second real leaf appears on the lily, the temperature is again returned to 20 ° C. Under such conditions, the boxes are kept until the pick.

 When 3 – 4 leaves develop on plants, you can start picking. This will contribute to the rapid formation of the bulb and thickening of the stem. Seedlings are planted in separate pots or boxes, where they will be placed at a distance of at least 5 cm from each other. During the transplant, lilies need to be dug out carefully, paying attention to the fact that the roots do not break off.

 After picking the first weeks, the soil should not be allowed to dry out, as this will destroy young plants within a day or two. 3 weeks after the transplant, it is worth fertilizing the flowers with a universal fertilizer for the first time, using half the dose indicated on the instructions.

 Before transplanting into the open ground, seedlings need to be tempered: for several days, take pots out of the house and leave them in a place with diffused light or in the shade. The time spent on the street is gradually increasing and is brought to the round-the-clock.

 It is necessary to carefully choose a place for planting, since it is impossible to transplant lilies more often than once every 4 years. The plant tolerates open sunlight or partial shade well, but in a dense shade the flower will not please with a lush bloom.

 The soil should be fertile and sufficiently loose. Before planting, the ground should be dug up and humus, compost or manure should be introduced. Since the plants will grow every year and occupy a large territory, an interval of at least 40 cm should be left between them.

 It is important to ensure regular watering, to which these flowers are very responsive. During budding, they can be supported by fertilizing flowering plants. Periodically it is necessary to loosen the soil, but this should be done carefully, since the young stems are very fragile and easily damaged, and the bulbs grow under the very surface of the earth.

 With strict adherence to the recommendations, growing lilies from seeds will not cause much trouble. Pay them a little attention and they will thank you with a beautiful bloom. Lilies will become a real decoration of your garden.