I have a couple of daylily issues I am not sure exactly what to do about so hoping for some input here. First off I have this one.

Should I leave this scape until it dies or cut it off since there are no more buds?

Second, I have these three different plants with this going on.


How can I save the new growth as they are all on scapes that are dying.

Third (okay I said a couple and should have said a few) last one. I just recently planted this one and it looks as if the whole thing is broken at the crown. It was not that way when planted. Will anything grow back? I dug around it a little today and the root is not mushy or anything like that, it still looked good?

Thanks for any input!

First issue--- that is a total personal preference. Some people cut them off short so not to see them when they turn brown and others just leave them until they turn brown and they usually can just be pulled right out.

second issue--- you can try putting the prolif in water (with some rooting hormone if you have any) to see if it will grow roots but it may not do it. Now on the ones (the first and second photo) it looks like part of the scape below the prolif is still green. As long as it is still green it is feeding the prolif and I would leave it on there until the scapes shows no green at all.

Third issue---- some critter probably came in and stepped on the fan and broke it (happens here often). I would plant the fan next to the crown because if any of the crown is left on the end of the fan it is possible for it to grow roots and survive (not always though) and the crown should send up more shoots in defense of being broken if it wasn't damaged too badly. There was an older hybridizer (don't know her name) that would ask visitors if they knew how to increase their daylilies and if they said no then she would go step on a daylily and break the fans. She said it would send up 4-5 fans from being broke. I have actually seen this happen when something has trampled through the beds or I accidently have broken a fan off.

Michele, Thanks! I was hoping to hear from you on these issues. I am more incline to cut the scape. I knew it would eventually die but it does look better cut, that is what I do to my Iris's.

On the Proliferations, I had double checked the AHS web site but the scapes started to turn brown before any roots have started to show. I will keep an eye on them and see what I think is the best thing to do. I received the plants that way.

On the third issue If I can get at least either one of them to survive I will be happy. I don't think I am going to get in the habit of stepping on daylily fans on purpose to get increase, lol. Don't quite have the nerve for that one Thanks for the information, I really Appreciate it!

After being stepped on a broken, how long 'til the 4-5 fans that resulted reached blooming sized fans? Assuming normal and suitable weather.

needrain said:After being stepped on a broken, how long 'til the 4-5 fans that resulted reached blooming sized fans? Assuming normal and suitable weather.

In my garden it would take 4-6 months.

Hearing about the trampled fan leading to an increase is a very happy thing when the garden is shared by very boisterous dogs. Thanks so much for recalling that great story - now I know to check the fan to see if there is some thread to plant it back in with. And, having also bought a number of regular fans by now that included bare crowns with roots, I know they will send up new leaves once they are settled in. Very helpful question-and-answers, thanks!

@tink3472 The prolif in the third pic, the scape was pretty much coming off today. I cut the prolif off and cleaned off the dead best I could with out being too invasive. I did have some rooting hormone I had just recently bought (I got lucky). We'll see what happens.

I use Perlite to start proliferations (along with the rooting substance, usually).
Seems to work pretty good.
I put the pot in a mostly shaded area for awhile for roots to form.

Also leaving some of the scape attached if possible gives more stability for the prolif to stay put.