my new idea for wintering my tropicals lilies - opinions?

[Bartman]

Within the next two weeks I'm going to repot all the tropical lilies that I plan to keep.  Most are outgrowing the pot.  After the repotting they will immediately be going indoors under the MH lamp for the winter.

I am thinking of using a very small container for the repot.  Not the Dixie Cup size that Sean can work wonders with, but still a small pot compared to what they were in.  This is for the winter.

Come spring, I would remove the pot and place the whole root ball into a bigger pot of soil.  My idea is less space to take up in the winter pool, easier to pot up this fall and easier to repot again next spring without disrupting any of the roots.

Thoughts on this process?

Bart

[andrew davis]

If you are bringing in large trimmed plants from outdoors, you are going to be struggling very quick with poor water quality, in a small space that amount of foliage is going to be going off, the plants are likely to die back completely to whatever tuber there may be. Poor water quality is going to rot any new foliage that tries to start...

You will get much better results, bringing only the tubers or small offsets in and floating those. At 70?f they tick over fairly steady doing semi dormant growth under lights, not too sprawly...

Water changes, the moment you see anything going off... a drop of bleach and a rinse, to reduce the chance of fungus spoiling the water now and then

Regards, andy
http://www.members.aol.com/abdavisnc/swglist.html

[Bartman]

Normally I bring them inside, trim off any dead or dying pads and put them in the water.  They grow better indoors than out.  If I reduced them to just a tubar it is a waste of time.  I don't have a long enough growing season to plant them in the spring and expect them to establish themselves before they need to come in again in the fall.  I've had no problems to speak of other than a new lamp to replace last winter.

For Tropicals my growing season is about 2.5 months.  They have to beef up while still indoors if they are to flower outside in the summer. 

So, thanks, but my original question still stands.  Do any of you think this will work keeping in mind the parameters I've layed out for the conditions?

Bart

[Joyce]

Yes, it would work Bart.
I think it's a darned good idea!

Did you read how I overwintered mine one year?
I chopped all the foliage and roots off and freefloated them in my 50 gallon aquarium.
(which is set up with two 50 gallon power jets, undergravel filter, and 2 external 50 gallon filters)
Lots of water circulation and only 5 small to medium fish in the tank.
The aquarium is in my basement, and unheated. So it hovers around 65-70*.

Each and every lily survived.

[Bartman]

Honestly, Joyce, I believe the whole floating idea nice and easy to boot.  I just don't think it would work for me as I've outlined above.  How long is your growing season anyway?  When can you put a tropical lily outside and when would you take it in?  I'm thinking 4 months or more?

Here, I start increasing heat in the indoor pond in about April and add some fertilizer.  By the end of June the plants have beefed up pretty nice and can go outside usually with buds or blooms.  They hit the pond running so to speak.  This year even with tons of light and heat the water never did warm up very much and all the tropical lilies suffered outside.  I'm sure they will be happy to be indoors again with steady heat and light.

I'm already planning my re-potting and moving indoors by the 16th of this month.  That's not long outside.  I wish I could get about 4 months out of the deal.  I probably could if I could come up with an effective heating system that wouldn't cost me an arm and a leg.

For now, if I can reduce the repotting work this fall and transplant into the bigger pots in the spring again I just feel it would help the plants for crowding and help me to spread out the job of replanting and storage space.   It's about the plants as much as it's about the work for me during a busy time of year.

Even if I tried the float until about Christmas I'm then faced with repotting in the middle of winter so they can start growing by the end of June.  I'm not sure if I want to deal with repotting when it is -30 outside even if I am doing it indoors!

Bart

[Johns]

Actually, all the ideas proffered above will work, better with some varieties and not with others.  Best bet for me is still the greenhouse.  If you try anything new, be sure to try more than one method for each variety, as this will increase your chances of success.

[Craig]

Hi Bart,

I frequently start lilies in small pots and then bump them up.  Do about all my Vics that way.  When I'm setting up the larger pot, I put a one of the small pots in and pack around it.  That way, the proper size cavity is ready and waiting and I slip the plant out of the old and into the new and get about zero transplant shock.

Personally, I think it is important to use a small pot that will allow the roots to escape...and of course, I never have the overwinter thing to concern myself with.

But I see no reason your plan won't work.

Craig

[karen J]

I frequently start lilies in small pots and then bump them up.  Do about all my Vics that way.  When I'm setting up the larger pot, I put a one of the small pots in and pack around it.  That way, the proper size cavity is ready and waiting and I slip the plant out of the old and into the new and get about zero transplant shock.

What a fabulous idea!

Bart, I'd like to get a setup like yours for the winter. Don't think my hubby would allow a "liner" anything in his house, but I do have a 100 gal stock tank.
I'm thinking about using small pots as well. Actually, all my tropicals now are in 1 quart pots so it wouldn't be a stretch leaving them all as is.

How do you like the MH lamp? Worth it? Happy?

[Bartman]

I think when all was said and done the 400w lamp set up probably cost $300-400 Canadian, but it's been about 5 years and I don't really recall exactly.  The lamp lasted me 4 years and was $89.00 to replace.  Actually very easy on power consumption.  Haven't even noticed an increase in running it about 16 hours a day from mid September through to June.

Worth it?  That's a tough one.  Had I not fell in love with tropical lilies I'd have saved the money and the space for other things.  It did create some work in terms of keeping the indoor tank clean all winter and you still need to trim pads on a weekly basis.  I could have done without that work!

I honestly don't think I would do it again for a few lilies.  Everything blooms and looks good indoors, but then I get summers where the plants aren't happy and do very little.  Not as nice enjoying them in a basement with a lamp 10 inches above them.  If I could have got consitant results each summer it would have been worth it.  Mostly it seems to be an uphill struggle keeping them in my climate.  The first year was no problems at all, but not since.  It's like we had a major climate change in a three year time frame!

Bart

Bart

[louis]

hi bart,
your idea is a good one. it should work with no problems at all.

darn the cold weather. i am going to move in with either tammie or craig.

lets see, if i move in with tammie, i will have to muck the stalls. hmmmm 

if i move in with craig, i will have to build ponds until florida has no more inland, it will be all ponds.

hmmm. 

i wonder who is the better cook.   

lou

[Vickie]

I store my tubers. But the lilies that  do not tuber I cut back the roots and leaves and put in a smaller pot and put in aquariums. I do not have any fancy lights.  Just shop lights and aquarium lights. Even though I only have these lights they still survive and go out in the ponds the middle of June. It works for me.

[karen J]

Wow, Bart, that is pretty pricey. My setup (past & present) is a lot like Vickie's.

Some things live, some things die; but what I really want is a bloom in January.

[tammie]

Louis! I'm the better cook!  I think...  And I wouldn't make you muck stalls, I promise, that's Bart's job! 
Bart, I know what I do is of no importance since I don't have the over wintering problem either, but all of my lilies are started in 5" squat pots.
Tammie

[Bartman]

Actuallly Tammie, that does help.  I was thinking of something around that size or so for the pot.  I'll feel more comfortable with that size now.

Why is it always my job to shovel shit? 

Bart

[karen J]

Actually, I can muck a stall AND cook - but never at the same time.

[Ky Kim]

Bart,

Thanks for posting this and all that have responded.  This helps me, and probably many others on the board for this winter. 

Kim

[tammie]

So, Karen, when does your plane come in?  I'll pick you up from the airport!  I could use some help here right now... daughter's horse has been sick for a couple of days, vet can't figure out what's wrong.  Big show today and tomorrow (lunch time I get a break).  Thank goodness it's the last show of the year, except for the junior show in Oct.  And you can cook!  So I won't have to ask the age old question, every night - "what should I make for dinner?"
Sorry - I didn't mean to hijack Bart's thread...
Hey Bart - I always want to have 2 muckers on the ranch!  You're no. 1, Karen can be no. 2!  You have to shovel the sh*t cuz you need to get over your phobia of horses!  It's therapeutic!
Tammi

[Bonnie]

Bart,

Thanks for posting this and all that have responded.  This helps me, and probably many others on the board for this winter. 

Kim

Ditto and Bump... anyone else have anything to add?

I'm trying to decide if I'm going to overwinter mine indoors or try to find someone that has a warm spot for them.

[charlotteda]

I had success with overwintering just a few last year in my 30 G aquarium under regular lights , aquarium heater, no filtration .  No a perfect set up but the only one available to me.  I took small offsets from the lilies and put them in small pots.  I have not have good luck with the larger pieces of lily... I guess I just dont have the room etc.