The following is some good information on Easter lily production for the coming season from the University of Maryland.
I know that it is hard to get interested about Easter lilies in November, but it is the time to plan out your planting schedule if you are going to supply Easter lilies in 2009. If done right Easter lily can be one of the most profitable major holiday crops produced. Lilies are grown close together and have a space density of 2 – 3 plants per ft2 of growing area. If you can get $5 to $6 a plant then this is $10 - $18 per ft2 of growing area. The cost of heating is the big factor for this winter and will probably reduce the number of Easter lilies grown this year. Many growers may hesitate - will the Easter market be grand this spring and support your price?
The magic date to keep in mind is April 12, 2009 which is the date for Easter. Your target to have plants ready for customers is the week before Easter. Why does Easter keep moving around each year? Good question. Easter is the first Sunday following a full moon, on or after the vernal equinox (March 21).
Cultivars Grown For Easter lily production: the two standards for Easter have been ‘Ace’ and ‘Nellie White’. Most growers are producing the larger-flowered ‘Nellie White’ and there is less and less ‘Ace’ on the market which tends to develop leaf tip burn more than ‘Nellie White’.
Bulb Size: In general, the larger the bulb size, the greater the number of flowers and leaves will be produced. Larger bulbs also tend to force faster than smaller bulbs.
Precooling: Cold treatment (vernalization) is necessary under moist conditions. Basically if you do not give the lily a cold treatment then it would continue to produce leaves and not initiate flowers. The cold treatment induces the bulb to cease making leaves and to form flowers. Unlike many bulbs, the Easter lily bulb is never dormant. New scales or leaves are formed year-round. When exposed to the proper environment, the bulb will sprout, form leaves, and flower. The bulbs must be in moist medium to perceive the cold treatment. Optimum vernalization temperatures are as follows: ‘Nellie White’, 40 - 45 °F; ‘Ace’ 38 - 40 °F.
Hitting the Date: After pre-cooling, lilies will need 110 -120 days to bring them into bloom which means that you need to get your bulbs potted up in early December and certainly no later then December 15th. Many growers bring in their bulbs in October and November and pot them up and give them their cold treatment in the pots. This method creates a better root system and thicker stem. With the higher energy costs many growers are allowing their suppliers to take care of the cold treatment.
Reprinted from the November 7, 2008 edition of the Greenhouse TPM/IPM Weekly Report from the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension, Central Maryland Research and Education Center.
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