Maximum Yield USA January 2018 | Page 102

cycl beginner’s corner Lilies of the INDOOR GARDEN by Dr. Lynette Morgan | While towering plants topped with beautiful blooms are not that well- suited to a compact indoor garden, lilies come in a diverse range of forms. These include dwarf varieties that are an ideal potted plant or addition to a small hydroponic system. L ilies are a popular flowering plant and cut flower crop with large, spectacular blooms in a diverse range of colors that often take center stage in bouquets at Easter and Christmas. True lilies are flowering plants that belong to the genus Lilium. As a commercial crop, they have undergone some exten- sive breeding programs to produce the impressive hybrids grown hydroponically and in greenhouses. In a heated indoor area, hydroponic growers can produce lilies year-round with the use of pre-plant- ing bulb chilling followed by flower “forcing” under warm conditions and good light levels. 100 grow cycle