overwintering lilly

[geckogod2]

I have one hardy water lilly (nymphaea red) in a 55 gallon aquarium in our back yard. Can I over winter this lilly in a smaller tank (20 gallon high) with a filter in a basement. It maintains a winter temp of around 45-60 degrees. I can provide heat using a submersible heater if necessary. Do i split the lilly apart in the winter or in the spring? I live in PA.

Also I have some extra Flourite gravel (Iron enriched clay gravel made by Seachem) left over from an aquarium project. Would i be able to plant the lilly in this gravel next year. This stuff worked awesome for planted aquarium tanks.

Thanks.

 

[DrDave]

Welcome to the Forum.
I have kept small water lilles in a 32 gallon tub over the winter with a small 150GPH pump for circulation. It was outdoors, so the UV substitute was not necessary.

 

[oldmarine]

Question for DrDave,

Last year I left the water lillies untouched in my pond over the winter. I also used a 150 watt subersible aquarium heater in my pre-filter reservor that kept the water just above freezing on all of those nights it froze.

With the addition of a 27 gallon boi-filter above ground and behind the water fall, I'm adding 300 watt submersble aqaurium inside the boi-filter.

Would you recommend this method or not using the heaters at all? It worked well, other than having to add water every day due to evaporation. Warmer water v.s. cold air.

 

[DrDave]

Question for DrDave,

Last year I left the water lillies untouched in my pond over the winter. I also used a 150 watt subersible aquarium heater in my pre-filter reservor that kept the water just above freezing on all of those nights it froze.

With the addition of a 27 gallon boi-filter above ground and behind the water fall, I'm adding 300 watt submersble aqaurium inside the boi-filter.

Would you recommend this method or not using the heaters at all? It worked well, other than having to add water every day due to evaporation. Warmer water v.s. cold air.

Keep in mind, I am in So Cal and you are much farther north than I. In your case, I think the heaters are necessary to help maintain the plants when it is really cold.

I am not an expert in cold for ponds. I grew up in ND so I know cold, but I didn't have ponds then.

Water Lillies are perhaps hardy enough, have you tried to use Wikipedia for info on these?

 

[leeannecastro]

I had lillies in my pond last summer and I left them alone at a depth of about 2 1/2 feet and they grew again this year. I am in zone 5 and I can over winter any hardy lilly with no work at all (no pond heater, just a bubbler). Tropical lillies, however will die in the winter if not cared for, but I don't know what you would need to do.

 

[koikeepr]

I concur with leeanne. I just leave my lily thingees in the water and they just come back next year. Standard lily tubers (or whatever the heck thay are called), are tough and can just go dormant in the pond. Tropicals, of course, desire warm water all the time.

 

[charrold]

I am also in Zone 5 and asked at a couple of local garden/pond centers that are local to CO. They all said the same thing - sink 'em to the bottom and they will come back.

I bought all of mine locally at these centers as well so I am confident they will make it through since my pond is over 3' deep. If you are well below the freeze line you should be OK with any hardy specimen.

 

[poodles-ponds and gardens]

oldmarine- Keeping the lily in the pond will depend on how deep your pond is. If I remember right, yours is a preformed? Maybe 18 inches deep? If left without a heater would you pond freeze solid? If so, you will need the heater. The only reason the bulb survives is that it doesn't freeze. As for the filter. Is it and the tubing below ground? Were you planning on running the waterfall or pipe directly to the pond? My concern even with heating the filter would be that the water would cool in the pipe on the way to the pond and either get an ice plug or even spit your pipe. As for running the waterfall, ice could build up and divert your water out of the pond, thus draining your pond. There is directions for making a zeolite and carbon filter (submersed) in Skippys website. http://www.skippysstuff.com/aerator.htm That's what I plan on using this winter. (zone 5) As for my bio filter, I plan on draining it, leaving the dump valve open and putting the lid on. (it's a trash can)

 

[stroppy]

im certanly no pond expert on ponds but i have been reading up on zeolite ...and yes its very good for getting rid of ammonia ...but if you Salt your pond it wont work as it just releases it back into the pond .... please anyone thinking of useing it, do a search on google and read up on it ...

 

[DrDave]

If it is set up right then the zeolite will never be needed.

 

[charrold]

Probably a whole other thread, but would you even run a filter at all in the cold CO air? I was not planning on really using any filtration over the winter (aeration to keep a hole open, but that's it). I know the pipes would freeze and the filter will cool the water too much (I am also running an above ground trash can filter) and the waterfall would just cause me to loose too much water either to evap or freeze...

I am happy to post this up to a thread, but figured I would ask since it seems pertinent to the question at hand about overwintering plants...

 

[DrDave]

Probably a whole other thread, but would you even run a filter at all in the cold CO air? I was not planning on really using any filtration over the winter (aeration to keep a hole open, but that's it). I know the pipes would freeze and the filter will cool the water too much (I am also running an above ground trash can filter) and the waterfall would just cause me to loose too much water either to evap or freeze...

I am happy to post this up to a thread, but figured I would ask since it seems pertinent to the question at hand about overwintering plants...

Please post your Location in the User CP at the top of this page. We would never know you were in Colorado unless you say so each time.

 

[leeannecastro]

I won't run my filter this winter. I will likely close it all up in November.

 

[oldmarine]

Like I mentioned in another posting, I am leaving almost everything running except the water fall this winter. The water fall is about three above the pond waterline, and I am sure it would freeze up and create an overflow problem.

My water lillies are at the deepest point in my pond at two feet deep. The one I had last winter did quite well, so I am sure the four new lillies will also winter over quite well left alone on the bottom.

From the looks of the growth in my lilly baskets, I will be giving away some re-potted lillies next spring.