'Starting' water lilies indoors?

[Joshaeus]

Hi everyone! I was wondering...could I start a water lily in a heated, brightly lit aquarium a few weeks to a month before putting it outside, and if so would this benefit the water lily at all? Thanks

 

[GBBUDD]

I would imagine you would have more shoots a larger plant by the time blooming came along. i would doubt if it would get them to flower earlier

 

[Joshaeus]

I don't need it to bloom earlier...I just need it to survive. I've had atrocious luck with water lilies in the past (IE 'they always die/do not bloom') and anything that would improve my odds would be highly desirable.

 

[GBBUDD]

ah yes you were in Arizona if i remember. I would look at strains that are more heat tolerant not ones that you just liked better then another. Also get some fertilizer tablets , You are trying to grow them in a small tub. One thing i do know about lillies is they do not like rushing water nor do they like to be bothered.

 

[Joshaeus]

ah yes you were in Arizona if i remember. I would look at strains that are more heat tolerant not ones that you just liked better then another. Also get some fertilizer tablets , You are trying to grow them in a small tub. One thing i do know about lillies is they do not like rushing water nor do they like to be bothered.

I live in New England...I have been getting my water lilies from Arizona up until now. They did not have running water.

 

[GBBUDD]

go to a pond and get some native strains of lilies , grab some of the mud too

 

[Stephen Noble]

Hi everyone! I was wondering...could I start a water lily in a heated, brightly lit aquarium a few weeks to a month before putting it outside, and if so would this benefit the water lily at all? Thanks

Yes. And they will grow faster in a warm, shallow tub next to a south or western window with artificial plant (plant specific) lighting. Agree with the suggestion to fertilize. I have never had a lily bloom in any of my indoor ponds but they leaf all over the place.
I forget, are you concentrating tropicals or both? Here is the key to success: Make sure, absolutely certain, that your plants are not shocked when taken outdoors in the spring. They will be highly sensitive to water (not air) temperature changes and shock from direct sunlight. Tropicals can be stunted (in some cases for months) if they are placed in water with a temperature that is lower than about 70F.

 

[Joshaeus]

Yes. And they will grow faster in a warm, shallow tub next to a south or western window with artificial plant (plant specific) lighting. Agree with the suggestion to fertilize. I have never had a lily bloom in any of my indoor ponds but they leaf all over the place.
I forget, are you concentrating tropicals or both? Here is the key to success: Make sure, absolutely certain, that your plants are not shocked when taken outdoors in the spring. They will be highly sensitive to water (not air) temperature changes and shock from direct sunlight. Tropicals can be stunted (in some cases for months) if they are placed in water with a temperature that is lower than about 70F.

Thanks I was going to heat the water garden to keep the temperatures reasonably consistent. My luck with tropicals and hardies has been equally bad, so I have not decided which I will try this year. PS...how do I adjust a water lily to being grown in direct sunlight? And how much should I fertilize the lily indoors?

 

[Stephen Noble]

Add your lilies when the water temperature is consistently where you need it. Plants get 'sunburned' and often die unless they are gently acclimated. The acclimation is applicable to fully aquatic, marginals and any potted tropical plants like palms & bananas etc. that were brought indoors for the winter. Use window screens (framed) to filter the intense light. They work very well and can easily be secured in place. Really, anything else that will filter the intense sunlight works too but screen (especially very fine mesh) works the best. Initially cover the plants so they only get sunlight filtered through the screen. Slowly raise the screen about an inch every couple of days so that the plant receives early morning sunlight from an oblique angle. Raise the screen higher every few days. Many plants are lost every spring when suddenly taken outdoors and blasted by the sun. One trick is to watch the weather report and take the plants outdoors when there will be several, warm, overcast days. This helps reduce shock during the transition period.

 

[LHB]

Do you have Koi? They love to eat Lillies. That may be why you have such bad luck.

 

[Joshaeus]

Do you have Koi? They love to eat Lillies. That may be why you have such bad luck.

I have little tub gardens...far too small for koi and (arguably) even goldfish. My largest fish I have kept in my tub gardens are 3 inch long (and strictly carnivorous) paradise fish.

 

[LHB]

City water in Phoenix is 7.1 -8.4, quite alkaline. Lilies want 6.5 -8.0 Any chance your water is the problem? You can use an aquarium test set?

 

[Joshaeus]

City water in Phoenix is 7.1 -8.4, quite alkaline. Lilies want 6.5 -8.0 Any chance your water is the problem? You can use an aquarium test set?

(Facepalm)...I did not mean to say I live in Arizona. I live in New England. Sorry for the confusion.

ANYHOW!...

My water is towards the lower end of that range. My tapwater has a TDS in the high 40's ppm, hardness almost zero, and PH in the low to mid 6's out of the tap. I actually have to add small amounts of baking soda and marine salt (1/32nd tsp and 1/16th tsp per gallon respectively) for my hard water fishes; when I did not do so in the past, the water was so soft that most fish I tried to keep died within a few weeks. However, my prior residences were harder and in the low 7's PH.

 

[NancyMc]

Well, I live in Winnipeg, Canada where it gets colder than just about anywhere else in the “world” in winter. I have hardy water lilies that I leave in my pond all winter. It freezes to the bottom and then some. In spring I take them out, split them if required, and fertilize them (Jobe’s tomato stakes) and put them right back in. They grow and bloom reliably.

 

[Joshaeus]

Well, I live in Winnipeg, Canada where it gets colder than just about anywhere else in the “world” in winter. I have hardy water lilies that I leave in my pond all winter. It freezes to the bottom and then some. In spring I take them out, split them if required, and fertilize them (Jobe’s tomato stakes) and put them right back in. They grow and bloom reliably.

I did not know water lilies could survive freezing solid! Impressive Anyhow, my water gardens are all above ground tub ponds, so I would probably overwinter any hardy water lilies in my aquarium fridge.