I would like to know what all of you have found indispensable over the years that has perhaps made it easier to become a good or better lily grower. I am talking about tools, sprayers, stakes, pruners, clippers, chemicals (organic or otherwise), fertilizers, books, labels, memberships, disinfectants, plastic bags, duct tape, kitchen sinks, etc. Literally anything you can think of.

A lot of other specialist plant hobbyists have their requisite arsenal of tools and supplies to deal with nearly every problem. I'm sure that it is no different for lily growers

Let's try to think of this thread as a resource for beginning and future lily growers to help them along their journey.

Great topic, Corey!

A couple of things I use that someone else might not.

I use Bayer Advance Tree and Shrub spray. It has Imidacloprid in it. I use it on the lilies and all my irises. I've never had a lily beetle.

A hose end sprayer to apply the above.

A hard plastic digger. Every single one I've had that was metal has bent. I get them from Lowes for 97 cents each, and just leave them where I'm working. I always have 5-6 out there somewhere.

A 'scarecrow' Last year I found I couldn't do without this, it kept the rabbits and deer away from the lilies, and the birds out of the raspberries. Worth 10X the price I paid for it. No chemicals needed for the critters other than bugs.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000071NUS/

Daffodils and crocuses. About 20 years ago I read in an interview with Tasha Tudor that she planted daffodils and crocuses to keep away the 'chippee hackeys'. And it works, with chipmunks and squirrels both. And it looks nice, too. I plant the daffs about a foot apart, around the edges of the lilies.

Can't wait to get some good hints from the rest of you.

A kitchen sink. Yes, I must have a kitchen sink.

(I'll be serious in the next post. Promise!)

Don't laugh about kitchen sinks, Rick. That's where I do the final clean up of my irises. I couldn't operate without it. My husband is always grumbling when he has to clean the trap of iris leaves and roots.

Great ideas, Polly! Can't wait to see what the rest of you use and recommend

A glass jar with a lid for storing rubbing alcohol. Jar must be deep enough and wide enough to insert clippers. This is done to prevent the potential spread of disease from plant to plant. In particular, virus can be a serious problem with lilies.

What a great topic.
I use both the Bayer product that Polly mentioned and Sevin (properly diluted) In early spring when the lilies are emerging I spray the ground around them.This is to deterr the Red Lily Beetle.I follow up with a second spray of Sevin in mid summer.

I feed my lilies with BulbTone in early spring and after they bloom.
I also planted daffs around my lilies this fall.I lost a few to voles last winter.

I also stake some of the really tall ones with tall loop stakes or just the green ones from big store garden supplies. I have some regals that need rebar as stakes.I use releasable cable ties to attach the lilies.

If I need to move lilys in the late summer I tag them and lable them with paper tags on wire ties in early summer when they are blooming.I borrow tagsfrom local market bulk section where they come with theplastic bags.

One product have found useful and is considered an organic method is Neem Oil. It helps with fungus and aphid control. When I am doing a good job, I spray once a week or so, all growing season.

These are all great suggestions! Thank you all for your input and please post more if you can think of anything else.

A waist high potting bench with 4 raised sides..-Saves on back aches when you get older ,and you can sweep up and re-use/throw out the spilt bits. An old ice cream tub to cut up for labels in poly boxes of seeds ..and a pencil.Plenty of poly broccoli boxes to plant the seeds that all the fantastic people in the 'lilies ' forum send to you .Things to throw at blackbirds that try and dig up your years of work. stakes and quality plant -tie material for when the serious 'orienpets' bloom.Probably one of the handiest things i have is a pair of 'baby scissors' on a 'swiss army knife' in my pocket..always using them in the garden

Anthony, great suggestions! I can just imagine you throwing things at the wicked blackbirds

Probably has a good arm, too

This has become so handy for me, and I never regretted the day my neighbor put his old grinder at the end of his driveway with a sign that said "free".

I wouldn't say it is a "must have", but it sure is convenient for sharpening shovels, grub hoes, regular hoes, axes, etc. Makes all that digging soooo much easier.



A potting bench would be so nice. Sigh... I have yet to build one. I think mine would have three sides instead of four. To each his own. As of now, I use cement mixing tubs for my planting. small - 28x20x6 inches, large - 28x36x8. Usually, I use the bed of my truck as the table . My "quality" plant tie material is old shoe laces and boot ties, and old cotton rope. I am very fortunate not to have bird problems. They are in my pots constantly pecking away at the surface grit that covers the soil in many of my pots, but except for my ice plants, they leave the plants and tags alone.

I just wanted that''professional'' look this year,with -green stakes and green ties--and,'you know',.,make the people feel like they are buying quality stuff!!.

I have gotten a few tips from everyones answers. This is a good thread.

Something that I don't use every day, but sure is handy when you have a lot to plant, is a bulb auger.

Ok now that reminds of that old buggy thread on DG... lol!

That's the first thing I was thinking BUGGY Bulbs! Second best thing, a stick of dynamite to drill that hole. hee hee.

That was DH's suggestion (dynamite) when planting that monster Buggy bulb. I could only get so far and had to ask for help.

is it a truck mounted bulb auger?