How to Propagate Lilies at Home — No Green Thumb Required

With improper lily propagation, you might find yourself in a messy garden where lilies cannot thrive. Our lily bulbs and planting strategies continue to help gardeners enjoy colorful, beautiful lilies in well-designed spaces. Learn how to propagate lilies using six proven methods to fill your garden with these breathtaking flowers.

How to Propagate Lilies

Lilies can be propagated through multiple methods, including division of established clumps and harvesting bulbils and bulblets that form naturally. Taking stem or leaf cuttings, scaling (separating individual scales from bulbs), growing from seeds, or even rooting certain lily plants in water can also help you grow beautiful lilies. 

Each propagation technique suits different lily varieties and gardening situations. Whether you want to plan oriental lilies or tiger lilies, you can choose the method that best fits your time frame, experience level, and budget.

1. Lily Division

Dividing lilies is the easiest way to propagate lilies quickly because some lily species can't readily clone themselves by growing additional bulbs. Almost every lily species can be divided, except for lilies with concentric bulbs. 

• Dig up the lily (preference is after the flower blooms and foliage dies back some). Use a sharp knife if the bulbs are still connected.

• Divide the bulbs between the fall and early spring when they are dormant. 

• Move and plant the lily bulbs in well-draining soil with the pointed end facing up. Check to see if it has grown a second lily bulb.

• Wait if the plant has flowered to allow the plant's energy to focus on root development.

2. Bulbils and Bulblets

Bulbils, those tiny aerial bulbs that form in the leaf axils, and bulblets, the young bulbs developing underground, offer a straightforward way to create new plants. It's rewarding to see these little guys eventually turn into full-fledged lily plants you've grown yourself!

• Gently remove the bulbils from the lily stems once they are mature. Alternatively, carefully dig up the soil around the base of the plant to harvest the underground bulblets.

• For those in colder climates or when starting indoors, mimic a cold period by placing the harvested bulblets in a plastic bag. Refrigerate them for at least a month to encourage future growth.

• Plant the collected bulbils or the cold-treated bulblets in individual pots filled with well-draining soil. Don't plant them too deep – just enough to cover them.

• Water the newly planted young bulbs and place the pots in a location with suitable light and temperature. Nurture them as they develop into new plants, ready for eventual transplanting if started indoors.

3. Stem or Leaf Cuttings

Using stem or leaf cuttings to propagate new lilies is a fairly straightforward process. Just like stems, leaves have much of the genetic material needed for lily roots to form and grow new lilies.

• Take a 4- or 5-inch stem cutting from the stem closest to the ground. If your lily has only one stem, it may be best to wait for it to mature and produce multiple stems. When you take a cutting, you need just 1 or 2 leaves. 

• Leaves require energy, so limiting to 1 or 2 for photosynthesis can give energy to the stem to grow roots. Cut your leaves into strips for each cutting to have at least one vein.

• Dip 2 inches of the stem stripped of the leaves into rooting hormone and place directly in a pot prepared with moist sand. I like to partially bury one end of the leaf and then keep the leaf and soil moist. Keep the sand moist (not soaked yet slightly damp) as this encourages rooting. 

• After a few weeks, roots should start to develop and you can then transplant to a pot or a spot in the garden. I recommend a pot as it helps to pay closer attention to the lily during this time.

4. Scaling

Scaling is one of my favorite methods to propagate lilies, as it's somewhat satisfying to peel off the scales from the lily. Each scale has the opportunity to create a new lily. 

• In the fall, carefully separate any small bulblets with developing roots from the parent plant. Either replant them in a nursery bed for further growth or reposition them around the original plant to mature.

• After the lily has finished flowering, gently expose the main bulb. Carefully detach several outer scales. Make sure each scale retains a portion of the basal plate where new roots will originate.

• Place the removed scales inside a labeled plastic bag filled with slightly damp peat moss or vermiculite. Store it in a warm location (around 70 degrees Fahrenheit) for several weeks to encourage bulblet formation.

• Wait for the bulblets with roots that have formed on the scales within the plastic bag. Carefully separate or pot up the bulblets if it's still winter. Another way is to store them in separate bags of peat moss in the refrigerator until planting season.

5. Seed Propagation

Seeds are a great way to grow your lily collection. Since lilies are hybrids and hybridize easily you can get something maybe unexpected or something unique. Seeds easily propagated are called epigeal seeds, while harder germinating seeds are hypogeal seeds. 

• Collect mature lily seed pods. I've learned that waiting until they're just starting to turn brown is the sweet spot for mature lily seed pods. Break them open gently to get those precious seeds.

• Soak the harvested seeds in warm water for approximately 24 hours to aid in germination.

• Plant the soaked seeds in a container filled with well-draining soil, keeping them lightly covered. I like to mix in a bit of perlite. Just a light covering of soil is enough.

• Position the planted container in a warm, sunny location. Keep the soil surface moist while avoiding oversaturation.

6. Water Propagation

While lilies ultimately need soil to flourish, water propagation offers a method to initiate root growth in cuttings before transplanting, giving them a head start. However, this method is only ideal for the initial rooting phase. It's not a complete growing solution for mature lily plants.

• Using a sharp knife, take a stem cutting from a healthy lily during spring or summer, making sure to cut just below a leaf node.

• Remove the lower leaves from the cutting. Keep only a few remain at the top. Place the bottom portion of the stem in a container filled with water, keeping the leaves above the waterline.

• Position the container in a location that receives bright, indirect sunlight, and refresh the water every few days to maintain cleanliness. This keeps things fresh and helps prevent any funky stuff from growing.

• Once roots have formed, carefully transfer the cutting to a pot with well-draining soil. Water the roots and continue providing bright, indirect sunlight as the plant establishes.

What Is the Average Timeline of Lily Propagation Using Different Methods?

Understanding the timeline for propagating lily plants through various methods promotes successful multiplication, leading to healthy new plants. Remember that certain lily species respond more favorably to specific propagation techniques and their corresponding timelines due to their unique growth habits and reproductive strategies.

Related Questions

What Do I Need for Lily Propagation?

Some tools and materials needed to propagate lilies include a shovel or trowel and pots with solid media such as potting soil. You'll also need compost sand, a watering can, a sharp knife or shears, rooting hormone, empty jars, labels, and a marker. 

How to Get Lilies to Multiply?

To get lilies to multiply naturally, divide established lily bulbs in early spring or fall when the plants are dormant, carefully separating bulbs with attached roots and replanting them. You can also propagate lilies by planting the small bulblets or by removing the individual scales from lily bulbs and placing them in a moist medium to develop into new lily plants.

How Long Does It Take to Propagate Lilies?

Depending on the propagation method, lilies can bloom the following season or take a few years. Dividing bulbs at the end of the season, you can expect bulbs the following year, while starting seeds may take 18 months or longer. Scaling and planting bulblets and bulbils can take at least 2 years to bloom.

Conclusion

As you master these propagation techniques, you'll enjoy the satisfaction of creating dozens of new plants from just a few lily bulbs, saving hundreds of dollars while expanding your garden's beauty exponentially. Imagine stepping into your garden in the summer, surrounded by lilies you've multiplied yourself.