What Is Crinum Lily?
Crinum lily is a genus of about 40 perennial lilies native to Africa, Asia, and Australia.
The best known Crinum Lily (or sometimes called Elephant Ear Lily) is the C. Orientalis corms affectionately known as “Dragon’s Tongue.”
For a long time, I wouldn’t grow these beautiful plants because of their exotic name. I didn’t want to be mistaken for a guy wearing a trenchcoat while carrying an AK-47.
Crinum Lily Leaves & Stems:
Each leaf comprises many broad leaflets, which are glossy and dark green with wavy edges. They range from 10-18″ in length at maturity. The leaves die back once the plant begins flowering when the bulb starts producing a flower stalk and foliage dies off. You can cut them down at any time during your plant’s growth cycle as it will not affect their ability to bloom or increase in size later on.
Crinum Lily Care & Maintenance:
Warm temperatures and low light are required for Crinum to grow well. They will tolerate periods of reduced light but need several hours a day to thrive. In the wild, Crinum lilies can grow in shallow water or mud on the banks of streams or swamps.
Crinos like lots of water and should be kept evenly moist all the time. They are not dormant (not actively growing). When you notice your plant has slowed down or stopped producing new leaves, you’ll want to cut back on watering a little bit until it starts growing again.
I’ve never experienced any damage to my plants by accidentally keeping them from being overwatered, just slower growth while they meet their needs.
Crinum Lily Light Requirements:
A North window with direct sunlight is the best place to put your plant if you want it to be happy. Some morning sun or light shade in the afternoon will be OK, but don’t place them in a spot that will receive no significant amount of natural light while growing.
You can use a grow light on any Crinum Lily as it doesn’t require much light. However, I have never done this and cannot tell you how good (or bad) it would work with one.
Crinum Lily Water Requirements:
The soil needs to be kept evenly moist during active growth and when dormant (not actively growing).
When I notice my bulbs slowing down growth or not producing new leaves, I will cut back on watering them until they grow again. I’ve never damaged my plants by accidentally keeping them from being overwatered, just slower growth while meeting their needs.
Crinum Lily Pest & Disease Control:
Like all indoor plants, Crinums are susceptible to Spider Mites and Mealybugs when grown in their usual warm-to-hot temperature range. When Spider mites or Whitefly appear on your plant, it’s best to treat the entire pot rather than attempting to remove the pests off individual leaves.
Overhead watering helps wash off any flying pest that might have landed on your plant and provide a humid environment for mold and fungus prevention.
Soil Requirements:
Crinum Lily likes a rich, peat-based potting soil. A cactus mix can also be used for the top growth phase but should be changed to a richer soil mixture later in the plant’s life once it has produced blooms.
When transplanting Crinum lilies, handle the bulbs and roots with extreme care. These are very brittle plants that don’t like their roots disturbed. They will benefit from at least a month of hardening off after being transplanted before going outside or being placed into your home so they can adjust to their new environment gradually.
Planting Crinum Lilies:
Upon receiving your plant, you’ll need to get it ready for planting. Clean out any old potting soil and remove the bulbs from their current containers. Rinse the roots to remove any loose soil, then place the bulb on some paper towels and allow them to air dry for a few hours before planting.
A good rule-of-thumb when working with Crinum Lily bulbs is that they should be planted as deep in the soil as they were growing previously. If your bulb were in the water or floating around freely at a previous stage in its life, this would be considered “deep” planting. If it were growing out of the water, you’d want to plant it about 1/4″ into the soil instead, so it doesn’t rot or suffocate.
Temperature and Humidity Requirements:
Crinum Lily needs a minimum temperature of about 50 degrees F at night and 60-65 degrees F during the day to thrive. Don’t worry if your home is a bit warmer, it will be OK as long as you don’t let it get much colder than that daily.
The humidity Crinum lilies need can actually be supplied by very hot or humid weather outdoors, so this shouldn’t be too hard to mimic inside. A north window with partial shade in the afternoon should provide enough humidity for it to grow well unless you’re in an extremely dry climate (like Arizona). Even then, Crinums can handle some drought without issue as long as they are not kept bone dry all the time.
Fertilizing Requirements:
Crinums should be fed every 2 weeks with a balanced water-soluble fertilizer. If you notice your plants are growing for only two or three days and not producing new leaves, it’s a sign they need additional nitrogen in their diet. This can usually be corrected by using a high nitrogen fertilizer like Miracle Grow (15-30-15) or some organic products that contain lots of blood meal & bone meal.
Closed Crinum Lilies
Flowers on my Crinum Lily plant don’t open properly and just stay closed even after 3 months. What is the problem? Most of the time these are due to improperly timed fertilization. If your bulbs were recently planted into new soil, the root system is working hard to get established. Don’t rush into fertilizing your plant right away. Let it settle in for a month or two before trying to feed again.
If you’re sure the bulb has been growing well and is healthy, then it’s likely just a genetic predisposition that these particular bulbs didn’t open properly after blooming. The bloom will be fine, but won’t be able to open and display its beauty like other Crinums can do.
Please note: When taking care of any plants, always follow the recommendations listed on their labels and consult an expert if you have any questions or concerns about how to maintain your plants’ specific needs!
Potting and repotting Requirements:
Crinum lilies can be repotted at almost any time. If you want to use the same sized pot, just get a new one that’s slightly larger or transplant it into the same size pot if possible. The soil should only be about 1/2″ deep around your bulb as these grow very slowly and there’s no need for too much soil. You’ll also notice leaves will develop from the base of your plant as it grows so make sure to leave room for them to spread out in their container without being cramped by other plants nearby.
Repotting is usually done when you’re starting to see signs of overcrowding (leaves getting crushed) or if you’ve had the plant for a few years and would like to refresh or change the soil.
If you’ve repotted your Crinum lily and want it to flower as soon as possible, be sure to use a fertilizer that has high nitrogen levels (which help promote flowering) such as Miracle Grow every three weeks for a couple of months following potting. If you notice your plant growing very quickly with lots of new leaves being produced, but not many flowers forming, this is likely another sign of too much nitrogen in its diet at that stage. Please note, if temperatures are hot outside (over 90 degrees F), avoid watering Crinums too often due to the increased risk of disease problems.
Once established in their home, they rarely need water unless left outside during extremely hot or dry periods. Water your plant until the water leaves the bottom of its container through drainage holes, then empty the excess water from its saucer underneath its pot and let it air dry for several hours (this will reduce the chances of fungal diseases). If left totally dry in a hot or cold environment for a week or two, they may look like they are dying but usually recover just fine once they start receiving regular care again.
Also, keep in mind that Crinum lilies can be kept forever if properly cared for! Older bulbs can simply be left in their original pots and allowed to grow as needed without having to repot them every year like you would with other plants. They are very slow growers and can easily handle becoming rootbound (having roots grow out of the pot). Just give them some extra water during dry periods and keep in mind that if you have very sandy soil, their roots may benefit from being gently pruned back a bit every few years.
Closed Crinum Lilies That Won’t Open
I planted my Crinum lily bulbs last year and they haven’t opened yet. What should I do? This is likely due to improper timing of when it was planted into its new home. After planting be sure it’s been able to settle for at least two months before watering again (including giving it a good soak) or else this can shock its system which will delay blooming until next year as it’s trying to adapt to its new environment.
If your Crinum has been in the same pot for a long time and is not blooming, you can easily dig up the bulbs (do this during cooler fall weather or when nights are above freezing) and plant them into your garden or into pots that will be kept outdoors (granite rocks work great as a display piece).
Or simply give them to someone who doesn’t have any at their home! Once planted outside they’ll adapt very quickly to their new environment and should bloom within 2-3 weeks of planting back outside.
What kind of fertilizer should I use? When it comes to fertilizing, you only want to use high nitrogen sources such as Miracle Grow every 3-4 weeks until you start seeing blooms appear (this should be about 3-4 months from potting), then switch to a high phosphorus/potassium source such as Miracle Grow Plant Food 20-10-20 every few weeks.
When using different fertilizers, always give your Crinum lily something rich in nitrogen first, wait for the leaves to fully color up, and take this opportunity to prune back any old foliage if needed while its stressed from transplanting, then slowly move over to higher levels of phosphorus/potassium once it’s had time to adapt.
Once-blooming has finished, switch back over to a high nitrogen fertilizer like Miracle Grow once every few weeks until fall or whenever temperatures begin dropping at night below 55 degrees F.
Crinum Lily Propagation:
Crinum lilies can easily be propagated by allowing the bulb to become totally dry, then break it up into sections where there are one or two small bulbs (do NOT do this during rainy times due to risk of disease). Planting them into a great soil mixture at a depth of 2-3 times their height should give them sufficient drainage.
You can also cut off the top part of your Crinum with 1 or 2 bullets that are growing on each side and plant these as well for more offspring! Just digging up an entire bulb is also an excellent way to get new plants too!
Crinum Lily pest Problems:
What do I do if my Crinum lilies are getting attacked by pests? Luckily they are not prone to many diseases or pests but here is the easiest way to deal with them: If you see little black bugs on your leaves or small stems, this is most likely a sign of scale that can be removed manually.
For general pest prevention, try washing down your plant every few weeks with a mixture of water and 1 tablespoon dish soap in a bucket (or spray bottle). You may need to repeat this process several times before all of the scales have been eliminated.
This will also keep ants away due to their fear of soapy residue! DO NOT PICK OFF THE SCALES TO REMOVE THEM AS IT’S MUCH EASIER TO JUST WASH THEM OFF If the infestation is too bad and you can’t spray down the plant, use a soft brush to scrub them off the leaves. Spraying water with a little bit of dish soap will also force their little bodies to fall off as they try to clamber back up the stem!
You can also use rubbing alcohol or ethyl alcohol diluted in a bottle ( 1 part alcohol , 2 parts water ) for treating your plants regularly – it’s antimicrobial, anti-fungal, anti-viral, and much more effective than horticultural oils/soaps which tend to be weaker and often harmful if applied too often!
You can even dab some on a Q-tip to target individual scales on your leaves! What if my plant is getting hit with whiteflies, mealybugs or aphids? If you’re seeing these pests on your Crinum lilies, I’d suggest washing off the leaves and stems using a mixture of water and dish soap (diluted).
They will fall off easily when sprayed with this soapy solution. Then use rubbing alcohol as a microbicidal treatment after cleaning to make sure any eggs that may be on the plant are killed off. *If you need an organic substance, you can also try spraying down your plants with Neem oil 2 times per week for a few weeks*
