What to do with a water lily rhizome

[busygal]

Late last night I got handed a clump of water lily rhizomes from a neighbour who's wife is making him fill in his pond /cry These rhizomes have no stem and no roots that I can see (I need to do a closer inspection) They look like a canna lily rhizome. My question is what do I do with this? Every lily planting instructions I have found talks about the roots and the stems... which these have neither. Should I put them in water until they start showing some growth, and then plant them? Are they dead? I would really appreciate some help!

 

[Lisak1]

I would put them in the water and see if they start to grow before I went to the trouble of potting them up. Hard to say if they are dead or alive, but you'll find out soon enough!

 

[dieselplower]

What a horrible wife! I hope he leaves her! hahahahahhahaha

 

[addy1]

net bag, sank with a rock, I do that with lilies tubers if I am not sure they are alive.

 

[adavisus]

It sounds like it is a dead, canna lily, cold killed by Winter

Regards, andy
http://www.pinterest.com/adavisus/pondering/

 

[busygal]

Addy...A net bag? Do you mean the kind that you get for laundry? So just throw them in the bag and sink they with a rock?

They are firm so I believe them to still be alive... they do have a bunch of roots but I can't find a growing "crown" so I don't know what part to make sure is out of the soil when I plant.