Questions about Propagating Daylilies

I have some older daylilies that need dividing. How do you divide a daylily?

The easiest way we've found is to dig up the clump by digging 8-12" from the crown all the way around and lifting it out.If the clump is very large and heavy you may want to just roll it out of its hole. Shake off the soil. Lay the clump on its side and gently pry off pieces using a weeding fork. David Stevens Rolls a large daylily clump out of the ground in preparation for dividing. Once the soil is off, the daylily clump is pried apart. Dividing A Daylily Step by Step

 Can I Raise Daylilies from Seed?

Raising daylilies from seed is relatively easy. Remember though that anything you raise from seed will be different than the parent sometimes much different, you can get an orange daylily from a pink parent or only slightly different a light yellow from a yellow.

After crossing a daylily you should get seed pods forming, green squat pods. When the pods begin to turn brown and crack collect the seeds, they should be black not brown or white. Now you have two choices. My way: I put the seeds in a paper envelope and store the seeds in a cool dry place until late winter. Next I put the seeds in between wet paper towels in an aluminum pie plate place inside a plastic bag and refrigerate for 3-4 weeks. Then I plant the seeds in flats or pots and grow them in my greenhouse to plant out later.


From such tiny seedlings, great plants can grow!                        

Newly sprouted daylilies seedlings, fine hair roots have grown, but the seed coat is still attached.


My Grandfather's way: My grandfather lived in Maryland. He planted his seeds in rows directly in the ground in the fall. However he fumigated the soil first to kill all weeds. If you plant in the ground weeds may grow faster than the daylilies. Lastly remember that it may take 2-3 years for the daylilies to bloom. But there is nothing more exciting than seeing your seedling bloom for the first time!


 Daylily seedlings in the greenhouse

Daylily Proliferations

My Daylily stems have little leaves growing on them they look like miniature Daylilies. What are they?

They are called Proliferations and they are like the extra plants the Spider plant houseplant produces. Treat proliferations just like rooted cuttings. Putting them in a pot with sand is a good approach. They should produce roots quite quickly. However because they don't develop a large root system before fall, they need extra protection to get through he winter. They also need to go dormant, so they should be kept in a protected spot like an unheated garage.