Do I need a soil bed for lilies?

[mtravigne]

I was watching an Australian YouTube video and the builder incorporated a potting soil bed for lilies. Not sure what lilies he meant, but if I wanted your standard lily pad to grow in my pond, would I need a soil base or would they grow in a bed of gravel?

 

[RobAmy]

Mine grow in anything including gravel, outside of the pots with nothing around them at all. The big thing is you just need something to anchor them down until established then they will hold themselves down. That being said my pond has plenty of nutrients in it. I started mine in a shallow pot in cat litter but the fish moved the cat litter very easily so I switch to about a 3/8" gravel. Others have better knowledge then me when it comes to plants. I am sure they will chime in.

 

[Jhn]

Like RobAmy said They will grow just about anywhere. I wedged the rhizome/ tuber between two rocks in one spot in my pond and it took of across the whole shallow portion of the pond.

Most usually keep them in shallow/wide pots of kitty litter or pea gravel, to keep the Lilies under control. The lilies won’t stay in the planting bed if you don’t prune them back regularly.

This spring I’ve been pulling out lotus and lily tubers as they have gotten a little out of control in the shallow portion of the pond.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

I originally grew mine in dirt. Now I grow them in rocks. As previously said, they will grow just about everywhere.

In fact, I have a small one that I tied to a rock that weighs it down, and it just sits on a shelf in the pond. It grew quite a few pads last year for being such a small plant. I accidentally forgot to lower it for winter, but it looks like it's still alive. it had a pretty large root mass on it too, so I cut the roots back most of the way so it can regrow them this year.

 

[warren]

I have always grown mine in clay/sand mixture in wide pots but want to try gravel in baskets cause it sounds like others here have had good luck in gravel. Only going to try a couple and see which do better.

 

[mtravigne]

I originally grew mine in dirt. Now I grow them in rocks. As previously said, they will grow just about everywhere.

In fact, I have a small one that I tied to a rock that weighs it down, and it just sits on a shelf in the pond. It grew quite a few pads last year for being such a small plant. I accidentally forgot to lower it for winter, but it looks like it's still alive. it had a pretty large root mass on it too, so I cut the roots back most of the way so it can regrow them this year.

Dumb question but what do toy mean by “lower it” for winter?

 

[warren]

Dumb question but what do toy mean by “lower it” for winter?

In colder climates you bring them closer to the surface warmer weather and lower to deep water during winter to keep tuber from freezing

 

[ShawnInfirmity]

Usually people will raise up their lilies closer to the surface of the water in the spring (12-18 inches from surface) but will lower them when it gets colder to keep the tuber from freezing which would kill the plant.

Looks like @warren beat me to it. haha