Overwintering hardy water lilies (WITHOUT a deep inground pond)

[Joshaeus]

Hi everyone! I was wondering...how do you overwinter a water lily that was being grown in an aboveground container pond, or some other setup where the entire water body will freeze? I do not have a basement at my disposal but DO have a mini fridge. Thanks

 

[Phaewryn]

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/thr...ants-some-of-the-common-ones.7417/#post-84939

"Wintering Hardy Lilies Indoors: If your pond WILL FREEZE to the bottom, you must overwinter your hardy lilies indoors. After trimming, take the container to a cool dark place such as a basement or cold storage area. Your goal is to keep the lily as cold as possible without letting it freeze.
Keep the plant damp all winter. One way to accomplish this is by placing damp newspaper over the top of the container and around stems then loosely covering it with a garbage bag. (If your lily is not in a container, wrap the plant in the damp newspaper and place in a partially open garbage bag.)
Once a week discard the newspaper, check the plant for signs of mildew or rot and place fresh damp newspaper. Always make sure the garbage bag is loose because the plant needs air.
In the spring (or when the water is consistently at least 55 degrees), return the lily to the pond at the desired growing height and resume your monthly feedings."

 

[Joshaeus]

Thanks! An online vendor told me that hardies need light during dormancy...I am assuming that is not correct?

 

[Phaewryn]

Thanks! An online vendor told me that hardies need light during dormancy...I am assuming that is not correct?

@addy1 Can you clarify on this?

 

[seandelevan]

https://www.gardenpondforum.com/thr...ants-some-of-the-common-ones.7417/#post-84939

"Wintering Hardy Lilies Indoors: If your pond WILL FREEZE to the bottom, you must overwinter your hardy lilies indoors. After trimming, take the container to a cool dark place such as a basement or cold storage area. Your goal is to keep the lily as cold as possible without letting it freeze.
Keep the plant damp all winter. One way to accomplish this is by placing damp newspaper over the top of the container and around stems then loosely covering it with a garbage bag. (If your lily is not in a container, wrap the plant in the damp newspaper and place in a partially open garbage bag.)
Once a week discard the newspaper, check the plant for signs of mildew or rot and place fresh damp newspaper. Always make sure the garbage bag is loose because the plant needs air.
In the spring (or when the water is consistently at least 55 degrees), return the lily to the pond at the desired growing height and resume your monthly feedings."

this is the 100% correct way to do this.

took my lilies with me when I moved houses. This was in July. Kept them stored this way until the following spring when I got my new pond built. Came back no problems.

 

[Joshaeus]

this is the 100% correct way to do this.

took my lilies with me when I moved houses. This was in July. Kept them stored this way until the following spring when I got my new pond built. Came back no problems.

Yeah, that would be a problem if they needed light during dormancy...

 

[Joshaeus]

I know this is an old thread, but I have a closely related question that I thought would be best to post on this thread...could I simply store the rhizome in water in the fridge, not unlike what a lily would experience in an actual pond? I would use a storage container and could open it once daily for gas exchange if that would be helpful; I could even do weekly water changes with pre-chilled water.

 

[j.w]

You can store them in water in a cold basement, shed or garage. Found this that explains it pretty good:
Overwintering Hardy Water Lilies and Lotuses
Techniques for plants grown in tubs or pools

By David Grist, Former Employee-Owner

Many water plants will survive the winter in a pond or pool. However, plants in raised tubs, pools and other vessels will not survive the winter if you routinely have long periods of temperatures below freezing.
To try this technique, you will need a place to store the dormant plants. Temperatures should range from 30 to 50 degrees F. Light is not necessary because the plants will be dormant. An unheated basement is ideal, but you can sometimes find these conditions in garages or sheds, too.
Note that this technique is only effective with "hardy" water lilies and lotuses. In other words, they must be plants that normally spend the winter in dormancy. Tropical water lilies are generally treated as annuals.
Once temperatures have dropped in the fall, find a bucket or tub that's large enough to accommodate the pot that your lily or lotus is planted in. Take the plant from your outdoor garden-pot and all-and place it in the winter storage bucket. Remove all dead and dying foliage. Move it to the place it will spend the winter, and fill the bucket with water, covering the surface of the plant's soil by about 2 to 6 inches.
During the winter, check the water level occasionally to make sure it's still covering the soil surface by a few inches. Once the weather has warmed in spring, you can return the lily or lotus to its summer home.