Pond Plant Propagation

[The Walker]

Greetings from Montana....
Each year, for several now, I purchase a couple of Pond Plants from the Lowe's in either Missoula or Kalispell MT....
Sometimes the grow and sometime they don't.
In the instructions, they suggest taking the plant and placing it in deeper water to winter.
So each year, I gather up all of the plants (They are tethered on string, pull them from the shallow parts of our pond and drop them down to about 8 ft in. Then in the Spring, I pull them up and place them back in the shallows... Life goes on.
My question is: Can I get these plants to grow on their own outside the little basket that they came in... They have never seemed to root in the soil at the the bottom of our pond either in the winter or summer..
Our pond is roughly 180,000 sq ft. and depths vary from shore to about 10 ft. Canada Geese nest on it in the spring and the resident fish are brooke trout... Occasionally red-eared slider turtles will pass by...
Thank you for any advice that you might be able to provide!
~Semper Fi~

 

[MitchM]

Welcome.
Which plants are you having difficulty trying to grow?

 

[The Walker]

Well when I get a plant, they either grow or they don't.... It's pretty black and white...
If they start to grow life is good... But sometime nothing happens... No sprouts or anything.
But what I would really like to do is get these pond plants, water lillies, etc., is to multiply on their own... Kinda like what Black Berries and Raspberries do... Plant one plant in the spring and while that plant grows, it sends out runners and more berry plants come up.... If you know what I mean...
What I would like is my pond to look something like the photo of the month... But not in a sense that I have to arrange all of my plants individually after I pull them from the deep water....

 

[MitchM]

Different pond plants have different requirements.
Lilies need warmer water temperatures than we have here in the north. They will work in shallow ponds that have warmer water.
I have good luck with Marsh Marigolds, Corkscrew Rush, and various irises.
That's why I ask which ones specifically you are having difficulty with.

 

[The Walker]

Do your plants reproduce on their own?
The Pond Plants that I get come from Costa Farms in Florida. If you are not familiar with them, whatever they grow from, a seed, a pod, is in a plastic mesh bag with what appears to be Sphagnum inside that protects the growing entity..The pod/ plastic mesh bag comes in a plastic container with instructions.
If the plants grow, they usually produce up to six lilly pads. Then in the fall I put them into deeper water to winter. Then in the spring I put them back into the shallows...
There are rural natural ponds around here that have water lillies that grow wild. No one moves them. They reproduce to the point of taking over the pond like cattails...

 

[MitchM]

I believe our native water lilies are Nuphar variegata (Yellow Pond Lily), and the lilies that are sold in big box stores are Nymphaea variety (Hardy Water Lily).
The Nymphaea need a water temperature of 60F to grow and 70F to bloom.

Is this the lily that you are seeing in the natural ponds around your area?
This is the Nuphar variegata.

My plants do grow, but slowly. I have fairly cold water here.
I'm not sure where our hardy lilies come from, most likely eastern Canada.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

But what I would really like to do is get these pond plants, water lillies, etc., is to multiply on their own...

Water lilies do multiply on their own. I got mine just last year and they're already popping up from different parts of the pot. Eventually, maybe in two years, the pot will be too full and I'll have to divide and repot.

I'm not sure why you're having so much trouble getting plants to grow. One thing I would suggest is making sure you read the zone of each plant. Stores like Lowes will sometimes sell pond plants rated for much higher zones and sometimes they'll die before they even start growing.

What I would like is my pond to look something like the photo of the month... But not in a sense that I have to arrange all of my plants individually after I pull them from the deep water....

I don't lower or raise my lilies. They stay at two feet deep all winter and summer. I have 5 pots in total (each a different color lily), they all sit on the bottom next to each other, as they grow, they all come up looking like one plant mass. I also fertilize mine (well, I haven't this year), which might help yours produce more than 6 pads.

 

[Lisak1]

I think what you're asking is can you naturalize your plants - plant them directly in the pond without a pot. The answer is - probably. Describe your pond for us - in particular what is your edge like? Do you have shelves in your pond?

 

[MitchM]

...

I'm not sure why you're having so much trouble getting plants to grow. ...

A 4 acre, 10 foot deep pond is going to have fairly cool water.
That will prevent a lot of typical pond plants from thriving.

 

[Big Lou]

Welcome Walker. Please post photos of you pond. Is it natural?

 

[Lisak1]

A 4 acre, 10 foot deep pond

Oh, wow! How did I miss that??

I would suggest investing in plants from a source other than a big box store. As you've learned, they don't necessarily sell the highest quality plants. There are many reputable online pond stores that ship anywhere in the country. Or you could post a query for a ponder who is dividing lilies in the spring - lots of people are willing to share for the cost of postage.

 

[Big Lou]

With such a large pond, if not lake, you have moved into a much more vast plant environment. I'm excited to learn of the possibilities to bring additional beauty to your body of water.

 

[CometKeith]

Hmmm...10 acres. that's like the size of the town I live in! I would suggest you find some shallow areas and see which plants do well in those areas. Then you can see if your plants will overwinter in those spots. I have lilies that actually fell to the bottom of my pond (4 ft) and I never touch them and they keep coming in stonger and better every year. Good luck!

 

[The Walker]

Thank you all for your replies! I will try to answer your questions or respond to your comments!
MitchM
I never thought about how big our pond is in acres! LOL
But it is fairly cool water in that Brooke Trout live in it. The photo of the lilly pads look very much like the ones in our local ponds...
JBtheExplorer
I have read about using pots and rocks.... I would like them (The Lillies) to simply use the soil of the bottom of the pond to grow from.. How does one fertilize water lillies??
Lisak1
That's exactly what I would like to do... No pots or rocks... They would just grow and spread naturally like our cattails....
The edges open in some areas and covered in cattails in others..... There is some shelving, but mostly it just gradually rolls or slopes from the edge down to the deepest part of the pond.
Big Lou
Our pond is not exactly natural in that a few years back I dug out a good portion of with a back hoe.... We actually created it to provide nesting for local waterfowl.... We usually get a pair of Canada Geese to nest of the island or a nest box at the north end and we'll get Wood Ducks or Merganzers to nest in boxes we have set up around the pond... Occasionally a Mallard will try to nest on the island, but by the time they get on their nest the goslings have hatched and play havoc with the Mallards..
I guess that the only reason that I am playing with pond plants is for something to do after the waterfowl leave and that a display caught my attention at Lowe's....
I believe that the main problem with some of the plants not growing most likely is two-fold... Cold water and poor quality plants as already suggested... In the beginning I bought a couple of plants and didn't open the containers and look at them until I got home.... It was then that I noticed some kind of fungus/mold growing on them.... My fault...
In recent years, I have checked them before buying them...
CometKeith
Maybe I will that a try and put some in deeper water and just leave them there and see what happens... Typically we get about 18" of ice on the pond during the winter...
Can one transplant water lillies??? I mean with the water lillies that grow wild in backwood ponds, can you go in and remove some of them and transplant them into another pond???
The only drawback to this is dealing with the leeches while wading in the ponds... Actually I guess that they're no worse than mosquitoes or ticks!

 

[Big Lou]

The below illustrates a four acre tract of land. You have quite a valuable resource. Respectfully, with such a massive body of water you are surely dedicated to nothing but the best environmental and wildlife management. For the most appropriate aquatic plant guidance I would suggest you contact your state or county governments natural resources agency and or an independent professional consultant.

Not saying you can't enjoy garden pond plants yet sir, you are light years beyond the scope of ordinary garden ponds. As evidence, say, you innocently planted beautiful water hyacinths. Such an invasive plant could quickly became a massive issue. See the second photo. I do not want to come off sounding like an alarmist yet knowledge is your ally. My very best wishes to you. Again, welcome to the forum.