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By Brett Fogle
If you missed the springtime window of opportunity to divide your hardy
water lilies, don't worry, it's not too late. Although springtime is
the best time, you've actually got the entire normal growing season to
get it done.
The reason for dividing your water lilies is that they eventually run
out of room in their existing pots and need more room for the roots to
spread out so the plant can flourish. Not only is this relatively easy
to do, but you end up with more plants as a bonus!
Step 1
Remove the plant from the pot and gently rinse the dirt from the root
system.
Step 2
Cut the older growth from one end of the tuber, and the newer
growth from the other. If there are new "eyes" along the tuber you can
snip them off and pot them if you wish.
Step 3
Take a sharp knife and cut the tuber back on the 'growing' part. On
small plants you can safely cut the tuber down to 2-3 inches. Keep it at
around 5-6 inches for larger plants.
You should also cut off new buds and any older leaves so the plant can
stay focused on growing a new root system.
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Step 4
Plant the tuber in good quality garden soil that has been poured into a
pot that is suitable for water gardening. Potting soil is not the best
choice so make sure that the package says 'garden soil'.
Insert the tuber into the soil placing it next to the wall of the pot
rather than in the center of the pot.
Insert a couple of aquatic plant food tabs about halfway into the soil
and then pack the soil around the tuber so it will stay in place when
the pot is submerged.
Finally, pour a layer of pea gravel over the soil to keep it from
washing away. This also discourages your fish from digging in the pot.
Make sure that you do not cover the crown of the tuber with gravel.
Step 5
Slowly submerge the pot into your garden pond. Don't be alarmed if some
dirt residue mixes in with the water. This is normal and it will soon
settle to the bottom and the water will clear.
Keep your new plants in water that is no deeper that 12" until you
notice at least five or six new leaves. Once the plant is established
you can place it in deeper water if you wish.
There, you're done. Now your old plants will have more room to grow and
you'll have new plants to keep or share with friends. Wasn't that easy?
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Brett Fogle is the owner of MacArthur Water Gardens and several
other pond-related websites including
MacArthurWatergardens.com
and Pond-Filters-Online.com. He
also publishes a free monthly
newsletter called PondStuff! with a reader circulation of over
9,000. To sign up for the free newsletter and receive our FREE
'New Pond Owners Guide' visit MacArthur Water Gardens today!
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More articles on creating and maintaining beautiful garden ponds
See Also...
Building Liner Ponds
Surprisingly enough, it is usually in mid-summer that many
gardeners begin to think about installing a small pond or
water garden. Ponds don't need to be weeded or watered, and
they can supply exuberant color in the form of water lilies
and bog plants.
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