Growing beautiful water lilies can be as easy as growing their terrestrial namesake. Just follow these few simple steps and soon fragrant blooms will abound.
General Care and Growing Conditions for Waterlilies
Waterlilies are a sun loving aquatic plant; to ensure good bloom set and continuing flushes of flowers make certain each plant receives at least 6-8 hours of sunlight a day. Water lily roots prefer nutrient rich clay based soils in order for the plants to grow to their maximum beauty.
A good fertilizer for blooming aquatic plants should then be applied as per label instructions. Fertilizer tablets buried beneath the soil in the water lily pot will help prevent algae blooms from the excess nitrogen run off from some liquid fertilizers. As always, make sure the fertilizers chosen are fish safe before using.
How to Make a Good DIY Waterlily Soil Mix
- 1 Part Sand
- 3 Parts Soil
- Enough gravel to cover the top 2-3 inches of the planting
Mix all ingredients thoroughly together. This soil mix will also work for various other clay loving aquatic plants. If using soil in place of clay make sure to cover the top few inches of soil with sand or pea gravel to prevent the soil debris from rising from the pot and muddying up the pond water.
Waterlily Pests and Diseases
Pests
- Dogs
- Raccoons
- Koi
- Aphids
- China Mark Moth
- Leaf Mining Midges
Insect pests can be controlled by hand picking them or by use of an aquatic safe insecticidal soap. Local hardware stores should carry these items.
Diseases
- Crown rot
Preventing disease is the best option; once it starts to grow, it can take over quickly. Start with only healthy stock and keep each plant fed very well. Remove dead and dying foliage and blooms. Trim off any soft spots in tubers and roots.
An additional soak in a separate tub or clean trashcan using potassium permanganate (4-6 Tbsp in 12-13 gallons water for 1-2 hours) could also be helpful in treating or preventing crown rot. Badly affected plants should likely be culled and destroyed lest they infect others.
How to Miniaturize a Waterlily
Using a small container such as a disposable plastic cup plant the lily as one normally would. When the lily begins to outgrow the pot, simply remove it and trim off any excess root and leaf growth. Repot in fresh soil with new fertilizer tablets. As time progresses and too much foliage accumulates simply pinch off cleanly any unwanted or yellowing leaves and fading flowers.
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