Free-range water lily ;)

[Mmathis]

I made a common (?) mistake the other day. I had recently repotted my water lilies. Well, of course, they haven’t had a chance yet to get well-rooted.......and I accidentally pulled one out of the pot. When I repotted them, I was lazy and running low on kitty litter, so I actually put 2 rhizomes in one pot, thinking if they grew overcrowded I could go back later and repot them separately — so there is still one in the pot and it’s thriving.

I don’t want to get back in the pond to deal with this issue right now, so for the time being I tucked the fully leafed rhizome under a rock along the edge of the pond — it’s only maybe 6” deep. I know that’s probably not ideal for a water lily. I thought about weighting in and letting it go to the bottom (to grow bare-root), but the most shallow area of the pond is around 3 feet deep. Is that too deep for a water lily? The pot it was originally growing in was elevated on a milk crate, so about 18” from the surface. It’s a Sioux, if that helps. Very agressive grower!

 

[Lisak1]

I think the Sioux likes to be about a foot and a half deep. But with an aggressive grower I'd be a little afraid to let it loose!

 

[Mmathis]

I think the Sioux likes to be about a foot and a half deep. But with an aggressive grower I'd be a little afraid to let it loose!

Good point! This is the “creepy” lily that literally crawls out of the pot! And when I say “creepy,” I mean that not only does it “creep,” but it looks like a creepy alien creature!

 

[Mmathis]

Solution found! I made a mesh “basket” to hang off the side of the pond (well anchored to a post.). I put some pea gravel at the bottom, added the rhizome, then a little more gravel. From where I had the rhizome stuck under a rock initially, it was already producing a healthy crop of roots. So now it’s safely contained and is about 12”-18” below the surface.

 

[j.w]

Do you have a photo of it @Mmathis ?

 

[Mmathis]

Do you have a photo of it @Mmathis ?

Yeah, but it said the file was too big. I’ll try again. Have never had an issue with file size before, so don’t know what I’m doing different....

 

[Mmathis]

 

[j.w]

Looks like you put twine or rope or ? through the mesh. what keeps it from folding in on itself as it looks like it stays nice and rounded at the top?

 

[Lisak1]

Good job! You know what they say about necessity and invention!

 

[Mmathis]

Looks like you put twine or rope or ? through the mesh. what keeps it from folding in on itself as it looks like it stays nice and rounded at the top?

A wire coat hanger!

 

[j.w]

Thanks sounds like a winner!