Feeding water lilies...advice, please

[Mmathis]

@addy1 @adavisus @fishin4cars @minnowman

If I want to feed my plants that are already in the pond..... [I think I under-fed them initially]

1. what's the best method to use? *
2. what "plant foods" are the easiest to work with [for in and out-of-water use]?
3. what "plant foods" give the best results?
4. if you use a food that's not specified for water lilies, what chemical components are important to look for?

* Is it better to just pull the whole plant out of the pond, or is there an easy [and accurate] way to deliver fertilizer while the plant is in the water?

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Last year I used pondtabbs, and if I buy anything this year, I'll probably do the same thing. I just push the tab right into the pot. Don't have to take out the lilies or anything.

 

[Mmathis]

Last year I used pondtabbs, and if I buy anything this year, I'll probably do the same thing. I just push the tab right into the pot. Don't have to take out the lilies or anything.

Where do you get them and how many do you use/how often?

 

[JBtheExplorer]

Where do you get them and how many do you use/how often?

I get them from a local garden center.
1 per plant; If I remember right it said 1 every 4 weeks, but I rounded it out to 1 a month. I believe there was just over 20 tablets in it. I had just enough to get three months worth out of them, which was all summer, so the pack lasted me the year.

 

[addy1]

I use tabs, tomato spikes, but usually wrap some osmocote in a piece of paper towel and stick it under the plant or between the edge of the plant and the pot, or right in the center of the plant shove down into the kitty litter. If I am dividing them the osmocote goes into the bottom of the pot before the lily is put in.

 

[Tula]

Great idea about the paper towel and the Osmocote! When I'm planting I add it, but used pond tabs to stick into pots I wasn't dividing this year....now I'll do this

 

[addy1]

I have the pond tabs, but unless I get a good soft area to push them in by the time i work them in they are dissolving in the water.

 

[BlueOrca]

@addy1 @adavisus @fishin4cars @minnowman

If I want to feed my plants that are already in the pond..... [I think I under-fed them initially]

1. what's the best method to use? *
2. what "plant foods" are the easiest to work with [for in and out-of-water use]?
3. what "plant foods" give the best results?
4. if you use a food that's not specified for water lilies, what chemical components are important to look for?

* Is it better to just pull the whole plant out of the pond, or is there an easy [and accurate] way to deliver fertilizer while the plant is in the water?

Not an expert but here goes...

1 - Best method is one where the fertilizer stays in the soil/clay and doesn't readily disperse into the water (ie pushing it into soil and covering it)

2 - for in pond use, slow release hard tabs/spikes and or osmocoat granules

3 - depends what results you desire (see 4)

4 - with most plant fertilizers the 10-10-10 would be Nitrogen- Phosphorus- Potassium
Nitrogen for green growth (lots of lily pads)
Phosphorus and Potassium for roots and flowers/fruit

I go for a higher Phosphorus- Potassium to increase the flowers and promote root growth so I can split my lilies sooner and give them to friends and family. Since I am a ponder on a budget I use the tree fertilizer spikes you get at the big box stores (fruit tree kind) and break them up with a hammer and push the chunks into the soil.

 

[addy1]

Mine grow so well, slower is better lol. Every other year I do a lily purge, ship off boxes of tubers.

 

[milhousebarks]

I also like the jobe's fruit tree spikes from the local nurseries. They are 9-12-12, so good for flowering, and they are very hard material since they are made to be hammered into the ground (with a plastic cap on top that inevitably breaks...) so they stay together well even when broken down into smaller pieces for use in my pond. I just lay a spike down on the driveway and give it a few wacks with the hammer to knock it into little pieces and then poke 2-3 pieces into the pots. This lets me distribute several in a pot and pick the size based on the plant. Lotus get bigger chunks, small water lilies get medium sized and pygmy sized like Helvola get little pea sized pieces. If I happen to smack them into too small a piece I just put more pieces in each pot. The tiny stuff left over just gets sprinkled into the flower beds.

The first time I bought them the nursery I was at actually had them in bulk and let you buy them as singles for something like $0.75 a piece. I only bought 2 to try and they were great. The last time I purchased I had to buy a 15 pack which cost $9. Based on my current usage if I just use them for the pond, that should last me about 7 years!

I think Addy's idea of packaging the Ozmocote is a great idea as well.