Pond plant soil

[Bart]

I know this subject has been talked about before but I could not find any using the search method so here is my question. I have 9 pots of water lillys in my pond that were planted in early summer of this year. Half were planted in clay soil from around my house and the others were planted in Kitty litter from Walmart. They were doing good for a long time but now they are all looking real bad. Only a couple of leaves left on each plant. I have been putting 6 of those Miracle Grow fertilizer sticks in each one of the pots about every month or so. The pots are about 10" in dia. The water is crystal clear although there is some algae sticking to everything including the leaf stocks and pots. Its like there is nothing in the water for feed for the plants. The small cane type plants that are on the shelf by the bottom drain collection box seem to be doing fine. I'm hoping that someone has some ideas about what could be wrong here. I have not run a water test lately but the last time everything was looking good.
Thanks
Bart

 

[addy1]

Is it cooling off there? Mine are slowing down and giving up for the year, but we are a lot colder than you.

 

[j.w]

It is natural for them to die off at the end of the season and mine are all dying now. All that will be left are the tubers and the tiny small sprouts that will stay there to wait to bloom next Spring. Not sure how it works if you have no cold season but maybe they still go through a resting period?

 

[adavisus]

If your water temps are cooling off into the the 50's and 60's it would be normal for the waterlilies to go from strong growing in Summer, to adapting to cooler waters and giving up on blooming and making large lilypads.

Are they hardy, or tropical waterlilies? The foliage can fizzle out fast when the weather swings to chilly stuff

Regards, andy
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[Catfishnut]

I am not certain if this has anything to do with what is going on with your plants (water lilies). But, for deciduous trees and shrubs there is something more than temperature that causes the leaves to change and the plants to trend into winter or dormancy periods. It isn't entirely due to the temperature changes, but the reduction in sunlight and daylight hours. This spurs the production of carotins (carotenes?) not sure of the spelling without checking, and also tanins. These make the leaves change colors and drop off the stems. So even if the temps are warm, day and night, if the total daylight hours are reduced, the plant automatically triggers to go into winter dormancy. It is based more on the energy supplied from the sun via light than actual temperature. As the days grow shorter, the plants naturally do their thing according to available light energy from the sun and not according to the temperature unless a hard and early frost comes along. Frost will kill them quick, then they won't have the chance to generate the carotene and make the pretty colors. They just turn brown with tannins and fall off or even fall off green.

I wouldn't be worried about these plants unless they do not come back in green next spring. Some plants are used to this and will come back, some of your specialty plants have to be dug up (or removed from the pond) and taken indoors to survive the winter. Depends upon the plant and the climate of the area.

Gordy