Water lilies dont seem to have survived.

[Pond skipper]

Hey all, so I planted some water lilies. (Ones I pilfered from a local lake) in kitty litter, I used the non clumping non scented clay kind as directed they say it’s montmorillonite (or something like that) they lasted about a week but now the pads are all gone. Rhizomes seem to still be ok (not exact sure how they should feel but they still have some flexibility but not mushy) should I leave them and just see if they shoot up more pads or are they likely dead if there’s no pads? . I know my pond is more shade than sun although it does get some sun throughout the day. The water lilies I bought from someone not far from me that she had planted in pits with regular soil and rocks on top are doing fine. I left them the way she had them but I wanted to replant them now I’m afraid to. Any thoughts on what might have been the problem or any suggestions.

 

[Lisak1]

As long as the tubers aren't rotting, they're likely still alive. I'd give them time.

 

[Pond skipper]

As long as the tubers aren't rotting, they're likely still alive. I'd give them time.

That’s what I was hoping to hear.. thanks
Any thoughts on the kitty litter? Is that The best way to plant them. Do you know how they might do bare rooted tucked into some rocks and pea gravel maybe instead of the litter? I pretty sure someone on here said you could do it forlilies and the pickerel rushes I have too but I’m just taking a little survey of what everybody does

 

[Mmathis]

What size pot/container did you use?

 

[Lisak1]

I have one that I shoved between rocks about 8 years ago. It does fine. I'd be careful about the variety you choose to release from a pot though... some of them can get massively large roots. And yes - kitty litter is a fine planting medium.

 

[Pond skipper]

That’s what I was hoping to hear.. thanks

 

[Pond skipper]

What size pot/container did you use?

It is a strange kidney shaped planting basket I found somewhere. I would say it is about 1.5 feet long and about 5” wide. It fits perfectly into a curved edge of my pond .

 

[Pond skipper]

I have one that I shoved between rocks about 8 years ago. It does fine. I'd be careful about the variety you choose to release from a pot though... some of them can get massively large roots. And yes - kitty litter is a fine planting medium.

Thanks I have no idea what variety mine are. The ones I got from the lane were…well… from the lake lol. And the others were from someone my wife found on Facebook or something I might just start with replanting them in a larger oil pan as I’ve read so many of you do.

 

[Pond skipper]

I have one that I shoved between rocks about 8 years ago. It does fine. I'd be careful about the variety you choose to release from a pot though... some of them can get massively large roots. And yes - kitty litter is a fine planting medium.

Would anyone recommend putting a layer of regular old soil and then kitty litter on top of that? Or just the kitty litter?

 

[j.w]

@Pond skipper I used to use this recipe I got from someone long ago before I knew about kitty litter. It produced lots of blooms and I also added fertilizer to it so they grew like gangbusters but when the fish got to digging around in it it made an awful mess. If kitty litter gets thrown around it doesn't make such a mess. You can lay some flat rocks on top of the soil so the fish are less likely to mess w/it.

Here is her recipe that I used:

WATER LILY FERTILIZER RECIPE

Use pots w/o holes (or you can line pots w/ black plastic garbage bags) and throw in about a half cup of Osmocote Pellets (Veggie Formula) per 18" wide x 6" deep pot on the bottom of the pot before adding the soil. Osmocote will last for about 4 months. She used composted cow manure for her soil. She said it was the next best thing to natural pond muck. She also stuck a walnut sized wad of plain steel wool on the bottom of the pot. She said it kept the lily from getting chloritic (yellowing from lack of iron). She also mixed in Mosquito Quick Kill Granules into the compost to inoculate the soil w/BT to kill caterpillars that try to eat the pads. When mixed into the soil it seems to "time release" and last all Summer. She mulched the top of her containers w/ pea gravel and if in w/ koi she used bigger rocks or broken flagstone fitted together like a puzzle to keep them from digging around. She said keep the rocks away from the crown so as to allow the plant to grow.
P.S one word of caution: Compost should smell like high quality compost and not cow poop! It should not be moldy,stinky or nasty in any way.
I tried her recipe for several years and I got wayyyyyyyyyyyy too many blooming lilies that covered my whole pond! So if you have the room give it a try.
I had mine planted about 18" deep and in full sun all day long.
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Then I switched to kitty litter, way easier to deal w/and as long as you supply enough fertilizer all is good! So yes you can use soil but keep the fish out of it or one big mess!

 

[Pond skipper]

Hi, thanks for that comprehensive answer. I only have goldfish and they don’t seem to dig, so maybe just some pea gravel on top will work. However, I’m liking the idea and the look of the kitty litter. The only fertilizer I have used was the Jobes tomato spikes they were the only ones I could find that looked like they would be safe for my fish. Do you know it they are any good for the lilies? I couldn’t find any specifically for pond use. Do you think a layer of that recipe you gave or even just plain soil with some fertilizer spikes mixed in and covered with the kitty litter to keep it in place and for the aesthetics of it would work? I doubt I’ll get any flowers anyway due to the shady conditions where my pond is but I’m happy with just the pads, and do ate my fish

 

[j.w]

Hi, thanks for that comprehensive answer. I only have goldfish and they don’t seem to dig, so maybe just some pea gravel on top will work. However, I’m liking the idea and the look of the kitty litter. The only fertilizer I have used was the Jobes tomato spikes they were the only ones I could find that looked like they would be safe for my fish. Do you know it they are any good for the lilies? I couldn’t find any specifically for pond use. Do you think a layer of that recipe you gave or even just plain soil with some fertilizer spikes mixed in and covered with the kitty litter to keep it in place and for the aesthetics of it would work? I doubt I’ll get any flowers anyway due to the shady conditions where my pond is but I’m happy with just the pads, and do ate my fish

You can try whatever you want, if it works let us know! Jobes works and so does Osmocote slow release so you only have to add it once per season. Soil is not going to kill anything unless you have poison weed killer of something like that in it. If you don't hold it down w/something tho it will float up and make a mess. My goldfish are diggers and will dig in anything they can get there snout into

 

[addy1]

Mine have never been in anything except kitty litter, in Walmart oil pans

 

[Pond skipper]

You can try whatever you want, if it works let us know! Jobes works and so does Osmocote slow release so you only have to add it once per season. Soil is not going to kill anything unless you have poison weed killer of something like that in it. If you don't hold it down w/something tho it will float up and make a mess. My goldfish are diggers and will dig in anything they can get there snout into

Lol.. mine are so skittish they run and hide every time anyone fires near the pond. If you sit away from it a bit and sit still there will eventually stay playing. They love trying to push each other up out of the water against the side of the pond. it’s fun to watch. I just with they would get their food pellets when I put them in so they didn’t end up in the skimmer.

 

[j.w]

Lol.. mine are so skittish they run and hide every time anyone fires near the pond. If you sit away from it a bit and sit still there will eventually stay playing. They love trying to push each other up out of the water against the side of the pond. it’s fun to watch. I just with they would get their food pellets when I put them in so they didn’t end up in the skimmer.

Maybe just turn off the skimmer while you feed them, then back on when all the food is gone.