I'm having triplets!

[pinon ponder]

I found small tubers on some of the lilies I recently bought so I carefully removed them and their feeder roots, then put them in pond potting medium in a small pot. Then I set that pot in a larger container of water. That was about a week ago. Today I found leaves poking out of all three! I've repotted them in an oil pan full of kitty litter but no fertilizer tabs. Here is a pic of my new triplets! :razz:



I don't want to put them in the big pond yet so I put them in my small potager pond, which is a round, metal stock tank, about 3 ft. wide and 2 ft. deep. Now I'm wondering if that is too deep for them at this point. What say all you experts? This stock tank is in full sun and still water. I usually use it as a water feature - no fish or plants in it until I put these guys in it.

The pump for it has a fountain. Can I still use it while the lily leaves are small and way under the water? I know not to use it later when the leaves are at the surface.

Oh, and should I put a fertilizer tab in the pan?

 

[addy1]

I would put a tab in with them, some water movement won't hurt them at this point. They should take off with the sun and warm water.

Congratulations!

 

[sissy]

great job

 

[fishin4cars]

Lilies should be about 4" under the surface until the first three or four leaves surface and then start dropping them deeper. I would wait to Fert. until the leaves are on the surface but I have used osmaocote when planting and it didn't harm the plants so you may be fine. I like letting them get started and the roots spreading before hitting them with fert. tablets., aa for the fountain as long as there isn't splash hitting the leaves in full sun water movement won't harm the lily, Well at least a fountain pump, I don't think they would do good in turbulent water but water flowing slowly around a lily won't hurt it at all and may actually make the bloom stalks tougher.

 

[pinon ponder]

Thanks for the tips! I baled out most of the water in the tank. There is now about 6-8" over the pot. I put another lily in the pond, too. I grew it from a tuber I got at a big box store. It has some nice leaves on it but is still fairly small so it can live in the small pond for now.

I was looking at another lily I bought and it has some tubers, as well. I'm going to pot them up and they can join the other babies. I think I'm going to have quite a lily nursery soon! This could be fun!

 

[j.w]

Before too long you will be dividing all those lilies up and sharing w/ friends cuz you are gonna have lots! I have to divide mine up next Spring cuz I have not done it in a few yrs and I'm sure they need it badly. Mine are all one color and wish I would have bought different colors to start w/.........oh well, live and learn.

 

[pinon ponder]

Hey, J.W., I'd be happy to share with you, if that's possible. I don't know anything about shipping these tubers. probably best done when they are dormant, right? One is pink and the other I think is a dark pinkish red. I will check the tags again and let you know. I also have one called Denver. Really pretty yellow! It's in the pond and usually has one or two blooms at a time. I took a pic but the sun is so bright it just looks like a white blob. Will try again tomorrow. It's still in its one gallon pot so I'll be repotting it, too. Hopefully it will have some babies I can put in the lily nursery.

 

[j.w]

This is the one I have:

You prolly already have this one.........seems like everyone does.
Thanks for offering and I like the sounds of the yellow ones.
If I ever get any other colors I will share with you when they are able to be divided unless of course you want more pink like these.
Not sure when to ship. I would think in Spring when just starting to grow and everyone is dividing theirs would be good but don't know.
Never shipped any water lilies...........maybe somebody can help us here w/ that question.

 

[addy1]

Ship in a baggy, with a wet paper towel, trimmed old roots, etc.

I had some shipped to me in the fall, stuck them in the pond over winter and they grew great that spring. Had some shipped early summer, stuck them in the pond, they grew great. So either or.

All that were shipped to me were trimmed of old roots, tubers with just some tiny leaves.

you will be lily overwhelmed jw,

 

[j.w]

Thanks addy, good to know how to do it when time comes to divide. Sounds like it can be done most anytime when not freezing out.
I just would like to have a few like I said before w/ one of each color so as not to be overwhelmed w/ just the same bright pink like I have every year.
Gosh I think I need a bigger pond!

 

[HQJohn]

Sorry for this stupid question..When your say tuber, is it from one section of root to the other? :dunno:

 

[HARO]

The tuber is the thick part that the lily grows from. The roots are the much thinner, almost stringy things that anchor the tuber to the substrate. John

 

[addy1]

You will find the leaf shoots coming from the tuber also.

 

[CountryEscape]

I got all my lilies this year from Menards, on sale, $5 each. They were each in small 6" or smaller pots, with just the tuber. I was smart enough to buy only the ones with tiny leaves on them. They were packed in the soil medium, with a plastic bag lightly closed. I did as the directions said, and dropped them down to about 18". The first 2 I bought, dark pink and yellow, had leaves on the surface within 2 days. I was amazed!!! So, I purchased 6 more, light pink, dark pink red, yellow and white, and they grew slower, but I think it was because the tubers were older, and they were not as healthy. They are all living except one, which was dark red and I bought it hopeful it would grow, although no growth on it when I got it. So, lesson learned - don't purchase the 'dry" type unless they have growth! I'm glad to hear I can separate the tubers, but these are individuals so not for a few years, I suspect.
What I would like to know is what is used for the soil medium? I'm sure there is some mixture that works well. Maybe use pea gravel to help hold it in the pot? I will definitely need to put these little lilies in larger pots eventually, but not sure what is needed in the soil. So far, this being my first year, all my plants have come with soil!
Congrats on your "triplets", and thanks for the post, as I learned more new stuff.

 

[addy1]

Country,
some just put them in pea gravel, some in kitty clay, some just stick them between rocks.
I put mine in kitty clay, in a oil pan with some osmocote below the clay, about 1/4 cup
Lilies like shallow wide pans.