For the past 3 summers my daylilies have bloomed so well. This year, half the group did not develop scapes, while half did and are now in bloom. They are in the same location with the same amount of sun, same type of soil, etc. Do you know what is happening and what I need to do to make these bloom next season?
Hardiness Zone: 6b
Thanks,
Natalie from Fairfield, CT
Natalie,
It could be that your lilies are feeling a bit overcrowded. Once established, daylilies need dividing every few years. When kept in close quarters too long, their dense fibrous roots form masses and flower production tends to slow down or even stop. Daylily enthusiasts recommend dividing and replanting daylilies after they have finished blooming, in late summer, early fall, or early spring. In truth, daylilies are tough. Most anytime will work, but it's easiest when they have less foliage to contend with. Just make sure if you divide them in the fall, that you leave them enough time to become established before winter.
To divide them, cut back the leaves to about 6 inches to make them easier to handle. Use a pitchfork to loosen up the soil around the clumps and to free as many of the roots from the soil as possible. You may have to dig pretty deep to reach the perimeter of their extensive root systems. Using the fork, pry clumps out from the ground and shake off excess soil so you can see the individual fans (spray them off with water if necessary).
Ellen
About The Author: Ellen Brown is an environmental writer and photographer and the owner of Sustainable Media, an environmental media company that specializes in helping businesses and organizations promote eco-friendly products and services.
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My sis in law has this problem, only none are blooming. She ran into a neighbor at Home Depot and she said it is caused by fungus in her daylillies, so she is attacking that with a vengeance. You might ask around and see what it looks like so you can check for that, good luck.
They may need dividing? They could be too crowded in their space.
Google Daylilies; call those who specialize in daylilies and they may be able to direct you on how to check this out further.
tHEY NEED DIVIDING
A daylily is my favorite flower. I have paid 50.00 for a fan. Do you know the name of your daylily? Some require more sun than others. I always use oak leaves for mulch and lots of water. If they are tall and yellow or orange they may be the old original kind that take over and kill your other daylilies. Some will just take over. You should divide them every 3 to 5 years. I have good,dark, rich soil. I use a childs long handled shovel and dig around the base slightly. You don't want to hurt the roots. Then I pull the roots apart by hand. You could use a sharp knife if you needed to. Then I would baby them. I would put some in pots if I was losing some of them.
Can anyone tell me the name of the daylilliy in this photo?
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