Lilly Depth

[Kaniff]

In order to grow my lillies big should I try and gradually sink them to the deepest part of my pond (4') to let them grow up and expand or would they benefit from staying about 12" under the surface where they are now?

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Depends, most hybrid water lilies available today are bred to be grown in about 18" of water.

 

[CometKeith]

I let my lilies drop to 4 ft and they became huge. Last summer I had three or four flowers at any given time and tons of leaves. I would actually have to keep pruning it so it didn't take over the whole pond! I needed to transplant them to my new pond and they had massive root ball of about 3 sq feet not to mention a huge tuber, The original little 6" plastic containers they started off in were no where to be seen.

 

[addy1]

I keep mine in the 2-3 foot range. I leave the deep area for the hornwort and one place to see fish without them hiding under all the plants.
Mine are all in Walmart oil pans.

 

[bagsmom]

I have been studying mine. First year for the pond. I have one lily in about 2 feet and another in just over a foot -- maybe 14". They are both growing, but I think the one in deeper water is more robust. And that is the one that flowered! It was spectacular! I need to thing about sinking the shallower one into deeper water. Do I just drop it down and let the stems elongate?

 

[mrsclem]

You will be surprised at how fast it will move those leaves up. Some lilies do better in shallow water so if it doesn't seem to be adjusting, you can move it back up.

 

[Mmathis]

I have been studying mine. First year for the pond. I have one lily in about 2 feet and another in just over a foot -- maybe 14". They are both growing, but I think the one in deeper water is more robust. And that is the one that flowered! It was spectacular! I need to thing about sinking the shallower one into deeper water. Do I just drop it down and let the stems elongate?

Yes, and as @mrsclem said, the stems will do their thing!

 

[RichardSJPonds]

Four feet is on the deep side, I wouldn't drop them that low straight from 12". You can use blocks or rocks to raise up the pot and gradually remove them as it grows until you find the optimal depth.

The second half of this blog shows a few tricks for setting lily pots in your pond at the proper depth:
http://www.landvistaaquascapes.com/blog/repotting-and-fertilizing-pond-plants

 

[Usman]

yessss doing so gradually is best and observe whats the outcome then go on