I am repotting a few lilies that was in containers. So far two (2) of them when I emptied the dirt all I found was scales - bulb separated. Can anyone tell me what might be the problem? Am I watering to much? Any suggestion. (The lilies are: Avonlea (Tet Asiatic) & Lankongense.)
Thanks

good possibilies are, the backside rotted out of them,they may have gotten too hot. they may have had poor drainage or gotten too old,..,were the scales worth replanting????,. i purchased a e-bay tango asiatic last year and when i removed it from the packet it disintegrated,.,.i potted all the pieces and this year i have many/many shoots,.,.......shame you lost a lankongense,.,.hope you had others,.,.,.Everybody wants to buy my species bulbs, and some get very'' nasty'' when i say no,.[dont understand- or appreciate, how long it takes from seed]--''theyll get over it''..

I planted the lankongense from seed several years ago. I don't have any more planted, but I do have a few seeds which I will replant. Its funny, the lankongense bloomed this year with approx 10 flowers. Now the Tetra Asiatic did not. I did pot all the scales up.
Thanks again

A Lilium lankongense with ten flowers...you must be doing something right!

I think those two bulbs were infected with a basal rot. The basal plate of the bulb rotted (which connects all the scales together) disintegrated, and some the the scales survived. The soil becoming too warm may have also been a factor aiding the infection.

I'm thinking too much water or poor drainage. It doesn't get warm where Mike lives. Sort of coastal... I don't have much luck with potted lilies; two years max. And I have killed almost every lankongense and its hybrids, I just have no luck with those and try (ha ha) not to buy them again.

That must be the hard part[trying not to buy them again]

That is correct! But while just about every Chris North hybrid I have tried to grow has faded away, I have a couple of seedlings from Ed McRae that have persisted for quite a few years now. As I recall, Ed got his original lankongense material from Dr. North and I can say he must have improved on it as it is still in my garden. They are not very fertile but every year I pollinate for seeds and have gotten a few...

This is one of what I call my McR/N hybrids (McRae/North):

I live near Humboldt Bay, next to Eureka, California. During the summer, We normally have foggy mornings until around 1:00PM or later. I think this is my main problem why most of my crosses do not take, not enough heat or sun. It is funny that the next town/city McKinleyville which is 10 miles away has more sun than Arcata. McKinleyville is where Leslie Woodriff lived. I do water twice a week because most of my lilies are in containers, and I was also thinking (what Pard indicated) might be to much. I will cut down on watering. Thanks again for info.....