Holy Lillies!

[JenH]

Well, today's project was repotting all my plants. I had 2 lilies and my friend gave me 2 more plus some grass plant (no idea what it is). Once we are finished with building our new pond I'm going to just bury them in rocks, no pots. So for now I planted them in oil pans with lava rocks. My friends lilies were pretty small, and pretty easy to clean up. But they had them planted in those square pond plant baskets with all the holes and the roots were growing out of the holes. I had to tear them to get them out of those pots. My 2 from last year, I planted in oil pans with clay kitty litter. They were very small when I potted them last year. When I took them out of the oil pan they were huge. The roots were wrapped all around the oil pan and in the cat litter. I hope I didn't hurt the plants trying to get them cleaned up and all the cat litter out of their roots. It was a tangled up mess!! When we are finished building the new pond I plan to put them in about 2.5 feet of water, no pot, bare root or whatever. Hopefully that means other then trimming them back I won't have to do this anymore. I felt like I was murdering them Anyway, mine were so big and since I am brand new to water gardening (any gardening really) I had no idea how to divide these, not even sure I really know how to plant them either. So I've attached a couple of pictures hoping you guys can let me know what you would do with them. Just remember in a few weeks they will have a permanent home at the bottom of my renovated pond.

 

[addy1]

I use a large sharp knife and cut the tuber between the growths. You can leave it as a tuber with more than one growth spot if you want to.

I also pull off any old roots, they are pretty tough. I had a few with almost no roots, stuck them back into the clay and they are growing.

To get clean them up, I just used a garden hose to rinse off the clay from the roots. Peeled them apart with my fingers or cut with the knife, threw away all the old tubers.

 

[sissy]

I just pulled and cut mine also, just like i did with my hosta plants

 

[j.w]

I wonder if you are just going to throw them in the pond between some rocks w/ no soil tho will you even need to cut them up? I mean they will have all the room in the pond to grow as big as they want w/o being crowded. Just thinking on this as I've never done it but maybe someone else has?

Oh wait I re-read your post and sounds like you are putting them in a pot of rocks right? Well then yes I guess you will have to cut them. I cut them so there is at least one spot where a lily pad stem is starting to grow. Don't worry about the roots tho as you can cut some of those off it you need to fit them in the pots. They will regrow back like crazy!

Some here do actually put them in the pond just weighted down somehow w/ a big rock.............maybe they put them in those onion bags w/ large holes in the netting and stick a rock in the bag and just toss them in? Not sure but know they do it somehow and they say they grow just fine of the fish poo in the pond! I always say I'm gonna try that and this yr I think I will on a few to see what happens.

 

[addy1]

The roots will go out and become a big root mass as the lily grows jw, mine had the roots wrapped round and round the oil pan, If loose in the pond those roots would have wandered where ever they wanted to and probably tangled up with each other.

 

[j.w]

I wonder how big those things can grow if left on their own?

 

[addy1]

Probably cover the entire bottom of the pond, they just keep sending out babies and new tubers, spreading spreading spreading lol. It would take some time, but I could see it happening.

 

[taherrmann4]

I had one about 3 years ago that I didn't touch for about 4 years and the tuber was about 2.5' long and the roots were just a huge mass on the bottom of the pond. I had to cut the roots out around the pot they were in. The thing must have weighed over 100lbs or more. Had to gradually pull it to the shallower side to get it out. And then the smell! My god it was like the smell of a 1000 rotten eggs, I am sure the neighbors appreciated it, I know my dog was enjoying the smell.

 

[j.w]

That sounds disgusting tmann! I did not realize they could get that big. Guess that's why they are kept in pots or watched very closely before they get outta hand like that. If I let one loose w/ just rocks holding it down I think I'll make it stay on the pond shelf in an onion bag w/ a rock in it and when it gets too big then divide it up. Just seems so easy to care for that way instead of the potting and such.

 

[blessedfamily]

I started out with 2 Water Lily's 4 years ago and last year they were so crowded I had to take some out to even see my fish..I was told yes you can just plant them on the bottom with my pea gravel rock weighing them down no problem..BIG PAIN! I just drained my pond a few days ago to clean it and take the rock off the bottom and the Lily roots were all over the place,up the sides etc. It took me rocking and pulling to get 3 huge clumps out that can be divided into 10 or more plants. Pea gravel came with the clumps as they rooted really well it that nasty muck. So if you don't mind them taking over your pond then go for it,it does work.

 

[j.w]

Yikes but wonder if you don't have any gravel on the bottom or thick gunk then what will they stick into? Only each other I guess cuz I don't think they can dig into the liner or anything like that. As long as a smooth bottom they might be ok as long as I pulled them out once in awhile to divide. Ya think? Oh and I wasn't going to put them on the bottom, just lay on the plant shelves.

 

[addy1]

Give it a try jw, those roots even without muck will go everywhere. In the oil pan they just do a nice circle. I was going to try a loose one, not going to now. Sticking with pots.

 

[HARO]

80 degrees F here yesterday, so I thought I'd get a head start on cleaning up the pond. (Hasn't been done in eight years or more!) What a chore!!! The plant shelf was a solid mass of roots, rocks and whatever, about 6" thick, and extending down into the pond centre. There it becomes a tangle of lily roots and pots, with the odd rock worked into the mix, that is about 12' long and 8' across by 1 1/2' thick. It would take a backhoe to pull that mass out! Cut up what I could reach with a serrated knife and pulled it out, but the water is still too cold to take a stroll in, and besides, there is no place to stand. It's terrible when procrastination sneaks up on you like that!! Maybe I should leave it untuil next year??
John

 

[addy1]

roflmao..............sure why not!

 

[j.w]

LOL John.............................GET TO WORK!!!