Bottom Line of Daylily Culture
Jeff Pryor, President of the East Tennessee Daylily Society, gave a lecture on soil testing for Daylilies. I was so impressed that I thought I would pass on his wisdom to the rest of you.
Daylilies are an almost perfect perennial. They seem to need very little care because they thrive in situations that most other plants would rebel against. Even I have noticed that with just a little extra help, these plants will flourish. Water is essential. One year when we seem to have unending rain, the Daylilies were loaded with prolific blooms. They were the prettiest that I had ever seen. When we had a drought, the Daylilies were the only flowers of any substance in the garden that year. Add a little 10-10-10 fertilizer and your success is guaranteed.
A word of caution about the fertilizer. Tim Brown, an organic gardener, says that Phosphorus builds up in the garden from year to year and can damage your plants. He suggests that you use 4-1-2 fertilizer. Both Tim and Jeff recommend that you keep a log of everything that you add to your soil as the effect is culmlative.
Daylilies are primarily a grass plant so if you use too much nitrogen, you will get lots of green foliage instead of flowers. There are other thoughts on this idea. In the Daylily Robin, many people have expressed the opinion that most Daylilies can use the nitrogen without losing the ability to produce flowers. Well, how do you know what type of fertilizer you need and what other elements to add to your soil? This is where soil testing will aid you in the quest to grow more beautiful daylilies. Jeff recommends the A & L Analytical Laboratories, Incorporated. The office that I used is located in Memphis, Tennessee. Their number is 901-527-2780. You can also use your local agricultural extension agent if you don't want to use a soil testing laboratory.
When you call the office of the entity that is going to test your soil, they may send you the proper packaging to test the soil and directions on how to do it. I thought all you did was take a core sample, but they ask that you take samples from several places. It is all mixed together. They send the results back to you in the form of a table with the exact amounts that you need to add. The amounts in your soil are shown in the form of a bar chart.This eliminates guess work and is more effective for your plants.
