How to Create Plants From Day Lily Seedlings

Propagate expensive cultivars of daylilies by planting seedlings.

Daylilies take over when given enough space, sun and water, but they can be grown from seed, too. Expand a collection by selecting seeds offered by daylily societies across the country or by planting "proliferations," the tiny plants that start along daylily stalks on some varieties. Given sun and moisture, seedlings should be ready to remove from their sandy growing media and planted in their permanent garden spots in spring.

Things You'll Need

• Organic amendments
• Garden spade
• Hand trowel

Instructions

1. Prepare a bed for daylilies by cultivating to a depth of 1 foot and adding 1 or 2 inches of organic matter like well-rotted manure or compost. Add sand or extra compost to heavy clay soil. Work the soil until it is loose and drains water quickly. In well-prepared soil, water should take no longer than 15 minutes to drain, leaving the soil evenly moist. Allow the soil to settle before planting seedlings.

2. Plant seedlings once all danger of frost is past in the spring. Set them out before digging any holes. Set plants 18 to 24 inches apart, depending on how wide the mature plant will grow. Some plants grow bigger and need more space; use half the width of the mature plant for that distance.

3. Dig holes 1 1/2 times as deep and wide as the root ball or peat pot the seedling sits in. Tear off the collar of peat pots to soil level so that water doesn't pool around the seedlings.

4. Set crowns -- the white part of the seedling just below the green leaves and above the roots -- an inch or less below the soil's surface.

5. Water frequently to keep seedlings moist until they "catch" and begin putting up new leaves from their centers, creating the classic daylily fans. This indicates that they have established a healthy root system.

Tips & Warnings

• A self-administered soil test, evaluated by your local university agricultural extension, diagnoses nutrient and other problems that might be present.

• Choose sunny places to plant seedlings. Dark-colored cultivars or plants in Southern gardens benefit from afternoon partial shade.

• Be patient. Depending on cultivar and when seedlings started, fans may or may not put up scapes with a few flowers the first season or take two or three years to become mature enough to begin flowering.

• Never let seedlings dry out.

• Experts offer conflicting advice about fertilizing daylilies, some suggesting fertilization as early as seedlings emerge. Well-rotted manure provides nitrogen for newly planted seedlings and, once they establish their root systems, garden fertilizer is less likely to burn their tiny roots.

References

• Oak Forest Technology Solutions; The Six Step Beginner's Approach to Hybridizing; Bill Jarvis
• University of Kentucky; Hemerocallis (Daylily) Propagation; Winston C. Dunwell; 2000
• University of Florida Extension; Daylilies for Florida; Sydney Park Brown, et. al.; 2010
• Tallahassee Daylily Society; How to Grow Daylilies; Joe Agosta