How To Care for 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. Contact your 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?

 

What diseases affect daylilies?

 

What other sources of daylily information are available?