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How do I care for my daylilies?
The wise daylily gardener will apply a proper cultural program which includes watering, fertilizing, mulching, possibly spraying, grooming, controlling weeds, and sanitation.
Watering
Water is essential for good daylily performance.
- Water, supplied in sufficient amounts, almost certainly increases the number and size of daylily blooms.
- For daylilies, watering is most important in spring when the plants are making scapes and buds, and in the summer during the bloom season.
- Daylilies benefit more from deep watering, which reaches 8 to 10 inches into the soil, than from a succession of brief, surface waterings.
- Caution 1: Overhead watering during the heat of the day will cause any open blooms to spot and/or wilt.
- Caution 2: Watering in the evening can also cause spots on the next day's blooms.
- Caution 3: Be careful not to over water.
Fertilizing
Daylilies grow in a wide range of soils and conditions.
- To determine the nutrient needs of your soil, take a soil sample and have it analyzed. Contactyour local county agricultural agent for instructions.
- Daylilies can do well over a relatively wide soil pH range and adjustment of pH need only be considered if the plants appear to be doing poorly. A soil test as recommended above should always be conducted before amending with sulfur or lime.
- In the average home garden, a single fertilizer application in the spring is usually sufficient, although even that may not be necessary every year.
- In extremely poor soils or on light or sandy soils which tend to leach badly, more frequent application may be required. Consult with your local agriculture office for recommendations suitable to your soil and climate.
Mulching
Mulching, although not essential in every area, generally does contribute to better daylilies by improving the soil and helping retain moisture.
Grooming
Keep your garden neat and tidy.
- Many gardeners remove the day's blooms at the end of the day to give their gardens a pristine appearance.
- If you hybridize, expect to leave the pollinated blooms on the plants until the blossom sheds and the tiny seed pod is formed.
Controlling Weeds
The most effective weed control measures for the home garden are mulching and hoeing.
Sanitation
Proper sanitation measures lead to healthier daylilies.
- In the spring, dead foliage and debris should be cleared away from around your daylilies.
- During the growing season, damaged or diseased foliage should be removed.
At the end of the bloom season, cut off the bloom scapes to within a few inches of the ground unless you are hybridizing.
What pests affect daylilies?
Daylilies do have some pests, but many do only minor damage.
Aphids
Daylilies have their own specific aphid which feeds only on daylilies.
- Aphids are most active in cool weatherspring and fall in temperate zones, and all winter long in the subtropics.
- Controlling daylily aphids is not as easy as with other kinds of aphids, which are usually vulnerable to such soft controls as soaps.
- n order to reach daylily aphids inside the fans, a pesticide with at least a mildly systemic action is needed.
- Do not use the pesticide Kelthane, which is known to harm daylilies.
Spider Mites
Spider mites are among the most common daylily pests.
- Spider mites are most active in hot, dry weather.
- You can get some control of spider mites just by hosing them off as needed.
- Again, do not use the pesticide Kelthane; it is known to harm daylilies.
Thrips
Several species of thrips are known to infest daylilies.
- Control thrips by starting early in the growing season with a pesticide having either a systemic or long residual action.
- To repeat, do not use the pesticide Kelthane.
Slugs and Snails
Slugs and snails feed on the young, tender tissues, causing ragged edges and holes.
- They feed at night and hide during the day in cool, moist places, such as in mulch, under rocks and bricks, and in dead foliage.
- Sanitation helps to control slugs and snails. Otherwise, control requires using pesticides which are targeted specifically at these pests.
Other Pests
There are other pests that attack daylilies.
- Other insect pests which have been reported affecting daylilies include cutworms, tarnished plant bugs, cucumber beetles, wasps, Japanese beetles, grasshoppers, and periodical cicadas.
- Bulb mites may be involved in the transmittal of crown rot.
Deer will sometimes eat daylily flower buds.
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