Question for all who plant lilies in kitty litter

[Lisak1]

I tried the kitty litter idea when I divided and repotted some of my lilies this year. While they were easy to plant and much, much lighter to handle than when planted in clay, I find the litter stays really soft. If a pot gets tipped even the slightest bit, the litter spills out and the plants float to the top of the pond. I did put a few rocks in the top of each pot to hold the tubers down but the litter is always soft and at risk of spilling. And the lilies never seem to actually take root in the pot. They are just being held down by the rocks.

Did I do something wrong? Is this how it's supposed to work? I hesitate to shift or move a pot for fear of creating a mess!

 

[RobAmy]

Mine are all in cat litter in very shallow oil pans. I put 1/2 gravel on the tops of the cat litter with no larger stones. I have 8 pots and none of them have floated out. When the koi play in them cat litter can come out but for the most part the cat litter is fairly packed. I used special kitty from walmart. If the pots get tipped I think with mine the gravel and cat litter could come out. If you can get it on a more stable area that would be best. Mine are at different depths also. Mine have never tipped over. Mine are rooted for thru because when the ducks land, they land on the pads with some force and they do nibble on the pads a bits. I did separate and pot mine in early april (boy that water was cold) except for a couple from addy where planted a little later.

 

[addy1]

Give them some time, my kitty litter gets to be a solid clump. I don't put anything on top of it, except a rock on the tuber if it tends to float out.

 

[Tula]

I planted in kittly litter in oil pans this year. I haven't had a problem, but did cover with deer fencing and zip tie shut......a pain, but worth it with the koi.

I've been away for a few weeks and can't wit to get home in a couple of days to see how everything is doing

 

[addy1]

my shubbies ignore the lilies except to swim through them But neat idea Tula! gives the lilies netting it can grow through.

 

[Lisak1]

Thanks for the feedback. The pots are all in flat spots - mostly pond bottom - but sometimes when I wander around I bump into them. The clay filled pots wouldn't move, but because these are so light they are easy to tip over. I hesitate to put too many rocks on top because I've heard the lilies can have a hard time growing through the rocks. But if the litter will eventually firm up, then the problem will be solved!

 

[GwenDellAnno]

I used a couple of flat (smallish... still leaving room for the lily root to grow across the pot in the middle) landscape stones on top of the looser "litter" near the sides, mostly just to keep the koi from totally rooting up the lilies as well as to keep the "dust" down. I did set them in gently after washing them out good in another container and I didn't really have any issues with extra "dust" in the water. Mine are pretty heavy. I can't imagine them tipping over. I did have trouble at one point finding kitty litter that wasn't full of other chemicals (like baking soda... not so good in the pond or for the plants), but I too finally found WalMart the cheap "Special Kitty" stuff.

 

[sissy]

I use a mix of kitty litter and crushed oyster shells to plant mine and then pretty decorative bags of rocks from the dollar store that did not look pretty for long .I used pea gravel also .Now no plants in the pond because aggie and bert will not leave them alone .