When to cut back water lillys

[420benz]

Pond is full or floating cabage plants so if I cut the water lillys back now it is easier to remove them. I am in zone 8.

 

[Mmathis]

Mine have already died back, so I would say that “yes” this is a good time. Also zone 8.

 

[addy1]

I am soooooooooooooo far behind, have not touched them yet. Usually done by now.

 

[mrsclem]

Some of mine are still blooming so letting them go for now

 

[brokensword]

you cut back water lilies? You mean they don't flower in the snow? Who woulda thunk it!!

 

[Mmathis]

@420benz BTW, when you asked if it’s easier to remove them…..not sure what you mean. If they are hardy lilys, they can stay in the pond over winter. Or are yours tropical?

 

[Stephen Noble]

Yep, cut them back now. That is unless as @brokensword says, they might flower under the ice. Are they tropical or hardy?

 

[BKHpondcritters]

I'm in zone 7A and, while my lilies have definitely slowed down on pad & flower production over the past month or so (once fall hits, out pond is in mostly shade because of sun angle vs. surrounding trees, so flowering goes WAY down) they are still hanging in there, so I tend to let them linger on until a hard frost hits our area. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt them to cut back now, but... if they're still green I see no reason to interfere.

But! If I had a compelling reason to cut back (the pads are totally in the way, as seems to be the situation for the OP) then I'd go ahead & chop at this point.

Heck, I had water hyacinth blooming last week. Is it really fall??

 

[Lisak1]

You can cut them back whenever you want @420benz - if they aren't ready to go dormant, you'll soon find out!

 

[Eltee]

I'm in Henderson, NV (I think zones 9A and 9B). No ice or snow in the winter.

My lily pads are no longer blooming and no new pads forming. The Existing pads are browning and shriveling. Should I cut them off near the base of the stems?

Newbie, here. Thanks for any advice.

 

[brokensword]

I'm in Henderson, NV (I think zones 9A and 9B). No ice or snow in the winter.

My lily pads are no longer blooming and no new pads forming. The Existing pads are browning and shriveling. Should I cut them off near the base of the stems?

Newbie, here. Thanks for any advice.

yes

 

[Lisak1]

Honestly I just yank mine and they come off where they come off - sometimes right at the base, sometimes half way up the stem. it's all the same in the end.

 

[MaryLou]

We are in zone 6 SW Lower Michigan. We have removed all the water lettuce and water hyacinths, cut the hardy water lilies down to soil and sunk them in bottom of our pond. Our pond is 4 ft deep so they over winter there nicely. We then turned off the waterfall and installed a bubbler fountain in the center of the pond and put a leaf net over the pond until all the leaves are done falling and cleaned up. MaryLou B.

 

[GBBUDD]

I look at lilies as they don't need to be cut back. There is benefit to removing ANY dead leaves and stems so they do not add to the bio load of the pond over the winter. But you must keep the tubers from freezing as mentioned dropping the pots with the roots in them to a deeper section of the pond. Just about every other plant that can winter over just needs to freeze and not dry out. though Cardinalis another that seemed to like to still grow over the winter in deeper water deeper meaning below the ice line

 

[Eltee]

Now that spring is here and it is slowly warming up in the 9A / 9B Zone (near Las Vegas) do I need to do anything to my dormant, underwater potted lilies or do they just re-bloom on their own?