Had a light bulb moment, might be dim later....but

[addy1]

Out today 6 hours pulling lilies

All in oil pans. Grabbed one, it pulled 7 with it. Huge root mass, huge tubers, huge amount of muck, litter etc.

Cut the roots, cut the tuber, haul the root mass out. What a job

SO. Next spring I am turning them loose. I did it in my 1000 gallon pond about 5 years back. Maybe more. The lilies grow great, flower beautifully, pond not filling up with muck ect.

I know way down the road they will be a headache for somebody, not me. Most likely a new owner will fill the ponds in.

Life is getting complicated, hubby requiring a lot more of my time. It won't get better, just worse.

SO LILY FREEDOM!

I am going to put the aggressive growers deeper, the others where ever. Would do it this year, just might, most likely not.
I do have some healthy tubers I will pass along to somebody.
Iris getting way cut back, will have iris tubers to pass along.

 

[j.w]

Out today 6 hours pulling lilies

All in oil pans. Grabbed one, it pulled 7 with it. Huge root mass, huge tubers, huge amount of muck, litter etc.

Cut the roots, cut the tuber, haul the root mass out. What a job

SO. Next spring I am turning them loose. I did it in my 1000 gallon pond about 5 years back. Maybe more. The lilies grow great, flower beautifully, pond not filling up with muck ect.

I know way down the road they will be a headache for somebody, not me. Most likely a new owner will fill the ponds in.

Life is getting complicated, hubby requiring a lot more of my time. It won't get better, just worse.

SO LILY FREEDOM!

I am going to put the aggressive growers deeper, the others where ever. Would do it this year, just might, most likely not.
I do have some healthy tubers I will pass along to somebody.
Iris getting way cut back, will have iris tubers to pass along.

Can't say that I blame you at all for doing this! Will be so much easier for you. I couldn't do that w/my fish pond as it is too small so I took them all out and only have the one lily you gave me in my frog pond. That's shallow so no trouble dealing w/it in there. Just need to remember to fertilize it next year so it will bloom!

 

[Tula]

I have to admit I don't miss grooming my water lilies ! My last year with the pond I had the most beautiful lily blooms but gosh was it work, trimming them planting in new kitty litter and fertilizing them a lot since we didn't have fish.

I say go for it @addy1 enjoy your lily freedom

 

[addy1]

Stack of lily pots , yesterday. I dumped yesterday, was exhausted. The fish went crazy going after worms etc.

Stack of lily pots today, 22 in the big pond.....still 6 or so out in the smaller ponds

Muck pile pulled out with roots, yesterday

The water needs to clear so I can shove the strong growers deep, on the right. Slower growers on the left.

Will ad a shot of them spaced out, once done and clear.

 

[addy1]

Rather being doing this

 

[Tula]

Yup......lovin on the pups

Aside from the last year I had my lilies ( with out koi ) I also had to zip tie deer fencing over the top of the oil pans to keep the koi from dislodging them!

 

[addy1]

At least the goldies ignored them.

But loved the worms in the pots, lots of lille red ones. once pulled out of the pans, swarmed the lillies.

 

[SarahT]

Out today 6 hours pulling lilies

All in oil pans. Grabbed one, it pulled 7 with it. Huge root mass, huge tubers, huge amount of muck, litter etc.

Cut the roots, cut the tuber, haul the root mass out. What a job

SO. Next spring I am turning them loose. I did it in my 1000 gallon pond about 5 years back. Maybe more. The lilies grow great, flower beautifully, pond not filling up with muck ect.

I know way down the road they will be a headache for somebody, not me. Most likely a new owner will fill the ponds in.

Life is getting complicated, hubby requiring a lot more of my time. It won't get better, just worse.

SO LILY FREEDOM!

I am going to put the aggressive growers deeper, the others where ever. Would do it this year, just might, most likely not.
I do have some healthy tubers I will pass along to somebody.
Iris getting way cut back, will have iris tubers to pass along.

Sounds like a great plan. I'm sorry life is getting more complicated and hubby care is taking more of your time. Caregiving is very time, energy, and emotion consuming, and all the experts say "take care of yourself and let the lilies go free" (or something like that.)

 

[addy1]

I have just attended a 6 week course on caregivers and self care, also a great one day vendor and speakers. Lots of info in the old brain now.

Emotionally wearing is a good description. I have a adult, becoming a child

Most likely, I am going to attempt at home care, when necessary. A lot of options out there.

If he is totally gone and in home care fails, I will place him in a care home.

 

[Mmathis]

We had a pond fail last week (Intex pool with a leak). I pulled the lily tubs out, with everything else. I was surprised to see that the ONE plant that was doing the absolute best…..was one that had jumped the pot! So, when I re-planted the pond, I too, did away with the pots! I chose 3 plants/tubers to keep and zip-tied them to weighted mesh so they would sink.

 

[Lisak1]

Never mind my question on your FREE post @addy1 - I totally get it. Life changes; priorities change. We adjust.

 

[Tula]

Truthfully the reason I no longer have a pond, but rather a fountain...is do to caretaking. We cover the spectrum from 3 years old to 88 1/2 years......life and priorities do change and we adjust.

 

[addy1]

We had a pond fail last week (Intex pool with a leak). I pulled the lily tubs out, with everything else. I was surprised to see that the ONE plant that was doing the absolute best…..was one that had jumped the pot! So, when I re-planted the pond, I too, did away with the pots! I chose 3 plants/tubers to keep and zip-tied them to weighted mesh so they would sink.

My 1000 gallon pond, they are blooming and growing like it is spring. All are free. Some flowers 8 inches wide. I need to take a picture tomorrow.

 

[addy1]

Never mind my question on your FREE post @addy1 - I totally get it. Life changes; priorities change. We adjust.

Yep. He didn't ask for this, i didn't expect it, but it is our path to walk.

 

[addy1]

1000 gallon pond with free running lilies. A few days ago