Why Grow Lilies?

By Greenhouse Grower staff|June 1, 2010

Why would growers here want to grow lilies when thousands are already being shipped into the United States from The Netherlands?

Ron Beck of Fred C. Gloeckner & Company posed the question May 24 at the Lilytopia Grower Symposium at Longwood Gardens. The main reasons why:

–They’re a profitable crop
–They’re fast growing
–They’re high yielding
–Growing them domestically means lilies are closer to the customer
–Growing them domestically means there’s potential for better quality at retail

Lilies can be grown in a range of structures, Beck says, and they can be grown outdoors, on benches or on floors. But sometimes, growers struggle with lilies. The two roadblocks, according to Beck, that keep growers from success are: 1) not planting bulbs deep enough and 2) overwatering.

“Not planting deep enough is the No.1 bulb problem,” Beck says. “You want to be sure you have a stem root system. Overwatering is probably the next biggest problem after not planting deep enough. You want to make sure you have uniform watering.”