31 replies to this topic

[noobfisher]

I have read that lillies dont like alot of water movement? is that true and my lillies leaves are getting yellow and dieing off is this normal this time of year, also what plants can i put into my shelves they are about 4-5" below the water surface?
Thank you

[koiguy1969]

its true..lillies preferr still waters its mostly surface movement and splashing that disturbs them. so away from the waterfall or fountain is best.

[chris@azponds.com]

Lilies both Tropical and Hardies do not like alot of movement and it's best to place them away from the waterfall or skimmer. Also, you want to feed them and I recommend the Laguna Plant Spikes as they are once a year instead of tablets which need to be done every 30 to 45 days. As far as what to put on your 4-5" shelves, consider: mint, water celery, iris, cattail, or papyrus to name a few. Most pond shops will have the plants tagged as to what level you should place the plabnts at.

[DrDave]

I do not fertilize any plants in my pond. That said, even with daily sales of plants, I still have to mulch excess plants every weekend.

Adding chemicals to ponds, in my opinion, is wrong, and asking for trouble with the health of your Koi.

People who come here, always comment on how large and healthy my water plants are.

[noobfisher]

my only problem is i dont have a lot of room and they did great in the summer but now the leaves are turning yellow and get a stripe of brown in the middle, i then cut that stem off below the water and throw the leaf out is this what i need to be doing?

[stroppy]

the leaves start to die off this time of year ..so cut them right down as close to the root as possible

[oldmarine]

My water lillies started to turn yellow, so I cut back all but a few that aren't turning yet. Right now almost everything in my pond is quite visible.

[chris@azponds.com]

It's important (no matter what time of year) to remove any dead pads or flowers from the lily so that you can cut back on organic waste build up in your pond which can lead to problems with your Nitrite and Ammonia levels. Even though we're not talking about this yet, I also suggest dividing your lillies every two years so that you can keep control over them. chris at www.azponds.com

[koiguy1969]

i, like DrDave, never fertilize my plants, and if you check out any of my videos or pix you can see how they grow and flurish without the aid of artificial enhancement. when your ponds balance is where it shouild be everything gets its proper nutrient requirements

[chris@azponds.com]

Your right as you can also naturally fertilize any pond plant with the nutients that your fish will produce. Don't forget to test your ammonia and nitrite levels daily!

[koiguy1969]

get rid of the soil based planting mediums and use a mix of pea gravel and up to 1" cobble or river rock and you dont need fertilizer and your roots are directly exposed to a continuous supply of water and nutrients..and theres no need to check water parameters daily unless a problem is indicated...i check mine every week and have yet to see a problem.nor have i lost a fish to disease ulcers or parasites, or even had to treat for such.

[DrDave]

I don't check that often and I bet it is 0.

[koiguy1969]

chris@azponds.com said:

Your right as you can also naturally fertilize any pond plant with the nutients that your fish will produce. Don't forget to test your ammonia and nitrite levels daily! Chris @ www.azponds.com

exactly why would i have to to test daily? a biofilter takes ammonia breaks it down to plant accessable nutrients the plants feed on ..now, not feeding the plants with artificial fertilizer, they consume more nutrients supplied by the filter there by dropping the levels more, not increasing them.

[oldmarine]

I hope I don't bash anyone, but I would think if a person has to check the PH, ammonia, and other levels in thier pond every day, they must be doing something wrong. I have found from experience that a well planted, and filtered pond with the right balance of wild life, will check itself and create it's own natural balance. Given the right conditions, isn't that what nature does?

[koiguy1969]

thats the point oldmarine...when you dont fertilize your plants it does not mean you have to check your water more often, let alone daily,it means you can check it less if anything, because your plants pull more nutrients out of the water, not less...