MARTAGON CULTURE and OTHER RESOURCES
The information here will help you get your martagon off to a good start and to grow well in the future.
Additional information sources:
www.northstarlilysociety.com The North Star Lily Society website
www.northstarlilysociety.com/martagons.shtml Martagon information
www.lilies.org The North American Lily Society (NALS) website
www.lilies.org/martagoncd NALS webpage on martagons (good articles)
www.lilies.org/martagoncd/articles/martagons.pdf An especially good article
1. Plant the bulb as soon as possible. If you cannot plant it right away, store it in its bag and in the refrigerator.
2. Choose a location. Dappled shade or morning sun with afternoon shade is ideal.
3. Martagons will grow in full sun but will have shorter stems and bloom for a shorter time. Deep shade is undesirable. All lilies require good drainage and appreciate organic matter in the medium. Martagons prefer neutral or even slightly alkaline soil.Cover the bulb with about four inches of soil and water in well.
GROWING SEASON
1. Fertilize twice each year with a balanced fertilizer (for example, 10-10-10) – Once when the stems break the ground in the spring and once right after bloom. In between these two feedings and after the second, you may also feed with a water soluble fertilizer occasionally. Be sure to use these in the morning.
2. Water deeply occasionally rather than lightly and often. Water in the morning so that the leaves can dry during the day to prevent possible fungus issues.
3. Mulch with your favorite organic material and refresh the mulch after bloom.
4. After bloom, cut the stem below the bottom floret to allow the plant to send its energy to the bulb instead of making seeds (unless you plan to harvest the seeds).
5. In the fall, cut the stems to the ground after they have turned yellow or white.
WHAT NOT TO DO
1. In the first year after planting, if your martagon produces a stem but does not bloom, or the stem fades after sprouting, or even if your martagon does not produce a stem at all, do not dig up the bulb! Martagon bulbs sometimes do not perform well the first year, especially if they are planted late in the fall. They are "sulking" and are just getting used to their surroundings. They will be fine the next year, probably, and digging it up will only set it back another year. ;
