Adding water lilies

[ZEROPILOT]

I thought the koi ate all of the lily plants. So do they just eat the roots? Or is it different w/everyone on what they destroy?

They are nibbling the leaf edges and all new shoots. Including flower stalks.
I haven't seen a flower since the day before the hurricane.
It'll end up being an $80 lunch for them

 

[j.w]

@ZEROPILOT shame on those beasts! You need to make them a walled off corner in your pond, stick them in there and let them think about what they've done

 

[Tula]

My koi like to pick up stones - kitty litter, from the lily pots and spit it out on the bottom of the pond. In doing so, eventually they expose the tuber, which then rises and usually gets sucked into the skimmer . For some reason, one don't usually mess with the leaves and never the blooms.

 

[j.w]

@Tula have you tried putting some bigger flat stones around the tops of your lily pots? I found that helped when I had mine in pots. My goldfish liked to take out all the kitty litter also but they couldn't do it as much w/the flat stones on top. Now mine are all just tied to a rock w/fishing line and no soil. Sitting on the pond shelf and bloomed better this season.

 

[Jhn]

I've had koi in 2 different ponds. First pond the koi destroyed any and all plants that were placed in the pond.

My current pond they like to move pea gravel out of the pots, but seem to focus most of their plant munching energy on the parrot feather and water celery in the pond. Current pond also has gravel planting beds that have worms and other fauna in/on the gravel, which seems to keep them busy.

 

[Tula]

I did try that last summer. The problem is my koi seem to be fascinated by nosing around in the rocks...they'd get in between the large flat stones, looking for kitty litter. I've had good success drilling holes in the lily pots and zip tying black deer fencing over the top.

One day this summer I had 13 in bloom at the same time

 

[Tula]

I've had koi in 2 different ponds. First pond the koi destroyed any and all plants that were placed in the pond.

My current pond they like to move pea gravel out of the pots, but seem to focus most of their plant munching energy on the parrot feather and water celery in the pond. Current pond also has gravel planting beds that have worms and other fauna in/on the gravel, which seems to keep them busy.

I too have parrots feather and water celery and my koi do nibble on it...which is fine, as it grows super fast

 

[Jhn]

I too have parrots feather and water celery and my koi do nibble on it...which is fine, as it grows super fast

Yes it does. they decimate the parrots feather by July in my pond. the water celery grows too fast. It is over hanging a foot into my pond by the waterfalls, I can see the water celery move as the koi are under it nibbling away.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Today, to my horror, a new situation reared up.
I noticed brown clumps floating all over the still end of the pond. Algae I thought. Until I scooped some up in my hand and noticed it was organic matter. Wood. Soil. I realized it was the soil from my Lilly pots. Now that the pebbles are gone, the koi are now ripping out the soil!
It's everywhere!
Tomorrow I'm going to get a bag of the golf ball sized river smooth rocks and place those in the pots to save the rest of the soil and stop those swimming wrecking crews.
So much for my spartan, clean pond. Now there are pebbles and soil all over the bottom.
But the fishes and the water are doing great.

 

[IPA]

Good thing you've got the pond vac

 

[j.w]

Shame on those fish kids @ZEROPILOT

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I bought a bag of the egg sized, golf ball sized round rocks after work and placed them around the Lilly stalks and covering the soil on pot number one.
Pot number two I found just a pot. Very little soil. And my plant floating nearby with its roots eaten off. No longer potted.
That's where all the debris came from.
I also swapped out the foam in my waterfall box for lava rock, bio balls and ceramic rings.
The lava rock has also clouded the water a little.
What a mess

 

[j.w]

Waiting to see what they do next to your sanity @ZEROPILOT