daylilies

When And How To Fertilize Daylilies

Daylilies are some of the best flowers you could grow if you’re looking to liven up your garden. They tend to thrive on very little and can grow in just about any type of soil. Depending on where you plant them in your garden, daylilies may produce more flowers than other yard areas. They do not produce anything other than the flower itself and hardly need any fertilizer to get started. This is a major reason why gardeners love planting daylilies, they don’t need anything special to be happy. However, there are definitely times when your daylilies need a little extra love in order to thrive. In this article, we’ll talk about when and how to fertilize daylilies and other general care.

Where To Plant Your Daylilies

Daylilies tend to be sturdy plants wherever you decide to place them. Although, some areas of the yard may be more ideal than others. To get the most out of your daylilies, plant them in a sunny plot with rich, acidic, well-draining soil. They can make flowers without these credentials, however, you’ll definitely notice a big difference in how prolific they become over time. Daylilies can thrive without fertilizer if they have these needs met. Additionally, it’s not a bad idea to use daylilies fertilizer if they don’t have any of these needs met.

Daylilies fertilizer is used to help new flower growth and increase the number of flowers produced. Using too much fertilizer can actually do more harm than good in some circumstances. Too much nitrogen in the soil can potentially ruin your plants entirely. Luckily, daylilies aren’t expensive and easily replaceable if you do end up losing all your flowers somehow.

How To Properly Fertilize Daylilies

Daylilies that have rich organic soil tend to not need as much or any fertilizer at all. Providing your daylilies with the perfect soil and set-up in your garden will be more than enough for the flowers to bloom. However, daylilies need way more love if they have average to poor soil. Using a complete fertilizer that’s 5-10-5 in the springtime can give your daylilies an extra boost for the growing season. Depending on how poor your soil is, another application of fertilizer in late summer to early fall can be beneficial as well.

When fertilizing your daylilies, be sure to not dowse the leaves at all as wet fertilizer will burn through if given too much on the plant itself instead of the soil. Aside from using a commercial fertilizer, organic compost or composted manure like bunny manure can give your daylilies the nutrients it needs. If you decide to use composted manure or organic compost, be sure to work it into the soil before planting your daylilies. Watch your plant’s health over time and use additional compost if necessary.

Cody Medina
Small Scale Farmer
Hi there! I'm Cody, a staff writer here at The Garden Magazine and a small-scale farmer living in Oregon. I've been gardening most of my life and now live on a quarter-acre farmstead with chickens, ducks, and a big garden.