HARDY LILIES – TROPICAL LILIES – MARGINAL & BOG PLANTS
Pond plants are a huge benefit to any pond. They take away nutrients from nuisance algae growth, provide cover and shelter for your pond fish, and simply provide a beautiful aesthetic for you to enjoy throughout the summer! This blog post contains pointers on how to pot hardy lilies, tropical lilies and other marginal pond plants. If you have additional questions, please do not hesitate to call, email or ask an Aquatics Unlimited associate.
WHAT ARE YOU POTTING?
HARDY LILIES
Place it nearest to one edge of the pot because they grow horizontally. The rhizome of the lily (the chunk with all of the roots and petioles of the plant growing from) should be angled at 45 degrees ensuring the growing point of the rhizome will be exposed.
Carefully fill the pot with more of the planting medium to cover the roots and around the rhizome, making sure not to bury the growing point.
Finally, we suggest adding a layer of gravel on top of your planting medium to avoid disturbance by pond fish.
TROPICAL LILIES
These would be potted in a very similar manner to hardy lilies, with the exception of their growth pattern being vertically and therefore, can be potted in the center of the pot but ensure that the crown/rhizome (where the petioles/leaves grow from) of the plant is not buried under your planting medium.
MARGINAL PLANTS
Marginal and bog plants are potted in a very similar manner to lilies, with the exception of pot size (can be smaller) and the number of fertilizer tablets used (only one).
REPOTTING
If you are wanting to re-pot a potted lily you purchased, take these first steps:
- Compress together both sides of the plastic pot to loosen the lily and soil.
- Grab the lily by the bottom-most exposed area (rhizome of the plant), not by the leaves, and carefully lift it out of the pot.
- Rinse off as much of the old soil from the roots as you can.
THE POTTING PROCESS
POT SIZE
Most lilies from our store can be potted in a 12” diameter pot, but if your plant has a larger rhizome and root system, a bigger pot may be required.
*You want an initial pot size where the rhizome has room to grow and expand, rather than be restricted. We have various shapes and sizes of pots and baskets in our pond section for your convenience!
A wider pot is more important than a deeper pot.
PLANTING MEDIUM
We recommend the Microbe Lift Aquatic Planting Media because it contains beneficial bacteria that aids with pond clarity, it is safe for all aquatic life, and it contains no algae promoting nutrients. You can find this in our pond section in 10lb and 20lb bags.
You can mix 25% of the Microbe Lift Aquatic Planting Media with another potting medium (topsoil) or use it as a stand alone product. If using only topsoil, we recommend putting a layer of gravel over the soil to keep it from falling out of the pot.
TIME TO POT!
Fill your pot half full of your chosen planting medium or medium mixture. Add in two fertilizer tablets, one on each side of the pot; push into medium with your thumb. We recommend Crystal Clear Thrive Plant Fertilizer tablets, which can be found in our pond section. Fill your pot with more of your planting medium until about 3” from the top of the pot.
