Thompson & Morgan Facebook Q&A Session 3rd May 2013 - Your horticultural questions answered.

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Name: Angela Cantrell

Question: I have put my tree lilies in large tomato plant pots in the greenhouse...is this ok? I am also unsure of how much water to give them. Also, when do I take the polythene off my seed trays - is it as soon as the seedlings start to appear...or leave till they are a little bigger? I.e. Lobelia, chillies, sweet peppers and others I can't just remember right now, thank you.

Answer: Hi Angela, your tree lilies will be fine like this for now although will eventually need potting up into bigger pots or planting out into the ground. It's best not to use a container any smaller than 30cm in height and depth as the lilies need to be planted quite deeply and due to their height will be prone to falling over in smaller pots. When planting tree lilies in the ground we recommend spacing them 15cm (6") apart but for container displays it looks much better to plant them closer together for a full display. Plant them one bulbs width apart and make sure they're not touching the sides of the container. They like a moist, well drained soil but dislike water logging - allow the top inch of the compost to dry out between watering.

With regards to your seedlings, you can take the polythene away once they have germinated. You can leave it on for longer, but as soon as the seedlings start pushing against the polythene it’s best to take it off to give them room to grow. I hope this helps Angela, good luck.