Craig, and others- tropical lilies question

[matherfish]

Do you pull tropical lily corms in zones 9 and 10 or do you let them stay in the water over winter and just wait for them to sprout plants the next spring?

[Nassuvian]

I'll jump in until Craig gets here.

I live in zone 10 and many of my lilies keep going all year.

Some exceptions include the Australian lilies that tend to go dormant around December or January or sometimes earlier if they're not getting enough light or nutrients. Under ideal conditions they may not go dormant at all but I guess I don't have those conditions in my pond.

If you leave them in the pond after they go dormant the Australians will come back on their own but it won't be until mid summer in my experience. Other lilies come back a bit sooner.

I've found that if I pull them up and clean them off and put them in heated water I can get them to sprout around February or March.

Using supplemental lighting shining on the pond will get them growing after they've sprouted even if the weather is still a bit cool.

I get a much bigger head start on the season that way.

Your mileage may vary.

[PondmaninAL]

I'm not Craig but I left mine in the pond all Winter and let them sprout back on their own. If I knew how bad last Winter was going to be, I would have put them inside.

[Craig]

Mine stay out all winter.  A good percentage of my lilies do not go dormant, so I have no reason to pull them.  But for people in colder zones.....according to my friend who was the farm manager for Strawn's Water Gardens, which is a z8, in a normal winter if they left the tubers out they'd lose 10%, a colder winter and they'd lose up to 25%. I've heard claims of unprotected tubers surviving z7, but it is certainly nothing I'd risk my stock to or recommend to my customers.  Probably more fanciful thinking than anything.<g>  You aren't considering leaving you out are you Frank?

[matherfish]

No  , Craig. I definitely wasn't planning on leaving my corms out.    I have kept some in water in the greenhouse, but I pull almost all of the corms. I was just curious as to how you and others did theirs in the warmer climates. Much easier on you not having to pull the corms out each fall and store them.
Thanks all for the info.

[gander]

I have left quite a few of mine out in the past. Not all have been on purpose. Sometimes I have just too many. Miami Rose. Albert Greenberg, Black Prince and lots of Vivipauras babies have wintered over for me. Oh and Last year I left out by mistake Pink
Flamingo and it wintered over too. This year I am attempting to keep mine at home in a unheated greenhouse with bucket heaters in the stock tanks.

[Craig]

Lol...didn't say they wouldn't survive Gander, but it is a case of 'you pays your money and takes your chances'.

[gander]

Lol...didn't say they wouldn't survive Gander, but it is a case of 'you pays your money and takes your chances'.

Yeah Craig I did not leave most of them out on purpose.  Well the first time I did it I left out maybe 20 or 30 4 inch pots of vivip starts. I was surprised when I walked by a kiddie pool and had leaves floating one day late in the spring. I live in Zone 7.  The next time I left some out by mistake because they got knocked out of their pots and I found them when they started to sprout leaves. last year my father died when it was time to take them to Lawannas and I just did not care very much at the time so she came and took them to her house for me. We just did not get them all. So this year I am building a greenhouse over the stock tanks and  heating the water to see how it goes. I might lose them but if I do I will just start over. I really dont think I  have to worry too much though.

[matherfish]

I am in zone 6 and we have to store the corms. I left some out over winter because I had all of the corms I wanted of the variety. Only one pot sprouted, and it was Miami Rose. It also was a mild winter last year, and the tub the Miami Rose was in was shielded against the cold somewhat.