5 Simple Steps To Dividing Your Hardy Water Lilies-Gardening
5 Simple Steps To Dividing Your Hardy Water Lilies
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 1Remove the plant from the pot and gently rinse the dirt from the root
system.Step 2Cut 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 3Take 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.Step 4Plant 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 5Slowly 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?**************************************************
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!
**************************************************
Fertilizing Your Water Lilies…-Gardening
Fertilizing Your Water Lilies...
Unfortunately, sunlight is not enough.Your water lilies will grow, thrive, and bloom much better if you
get in the habit of fertilizing them regularly.The good news is -- It's Easy!you can either remove your water lily from the pond to fertilize
them, your sometimes you can even do it with the plants still in
the pond...I prefer to remove them so I can inspect to see if they are
becoming overgrown, and possibly need dividing. This is really
the best way, and a good time to kill two birds with one stone.So, first - remove the pot from the pond. Then drain out any
excess water, so you can see the surface of the soil and
Rhiozome..Next, here's a trick I use to fertilize my lilies quickly and
easily...Have a fairly wide tipped flathead screwdriver nearby, and then
use it to punch a clear path into the soil and through the
existing roots. Then give it a good twisting to hollow our your
hole.You'd be surprised how hard it can be to push a fertilizer tab
down into a dense root pack - so try this next time and tell me
if it isn't 100% easier.Now that you have your 'holes' dug - take 3-4 water lily
fertilizer tabs out (we like the Tetra Pond fertilizer tabs), and
push them down into the holes with your index finger..That's it -- you're done!Then just cover up the holes and top off the plant with some
fresh dirt, as we discussed in our last article - and you're
ready to move onto the next one.Once you've fertilized all your lilies, just slowly lower them
back into the pond..Here's another trick I use - Don't just drop the pot back into
the pond, as trapped air bubbles can sometimes uproot the lily or
some soil..This is espcecially true new pottings, as the soil has not been
properly 'set'. Here's what I do:Lower the pot into the water, just enough to fill it with water,
then raise back up out of the water until you see all the air
bubbles disappear.Do this a few more times, until you think you're removed all the
air bubbles from the pot - then slowly lower it down into the
pond.There's nothing more frustrating than having a newly potted lily
(or any plant) suddenly lift up out of the pot, dumping dirt all
over the pond, and having to be repotted.. I'ts happened to me
more than once..So that's it for now, in our next article, we'll talk about
trimming and pruning water lilies...**************************************************
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!
**************************************************
Planning a Water Garden…-Gardening
Planning a Water Garden...
A water garden is the area of your landscape that will provide you with relaxing sounds of the water, while adding to the overall details of your landscape. The water garden is a project that you must 'plan' for continued success. If you are lucky enough to have the room in your lawn for a water garden, you are already one step ahead of many gardeners! Let's talk a little about how to plan for your water garden.
A few important factors about placement of a water garden that often are forgotten are:Do you have children in the neighborhood? If you have or live near children, you will want to keep your water garden in an area that will be close to your home. You will want to be able to see what is 'going on' by the water. Children are curious and they love water! Being able to see your water garden will save you worry later after the creation of your water garden even if the children are in the yard.Do you have a natural spring in your lawn area? When planning a waterfall in the water garden, the use of a natural spring or water source is going to make the continued success of your water garden much easier. A water garden is possible with a waterfall even if you do not have a natural spring or water source, but it is a little more 'work' to create that special effect. You can find more information about this in another article on this site.The lay of your land is important. While we will discuss this in other articles as well, planning your water garden around the lay of your land is important. If you are lucky enough to have a flat lawn, you can plan your water garden in various areas. The landscape that includes hills and slopes are a little tricky but using the slope in your lawn, you can create the water garden that takes care of that little 'wet patch' at the bottom of the yard!Most water gardens are an addition or extension of the natural landscape. To encourage and invite your guests to the water garden for picnics, for chats, and for just sitting in pleasure: Plan the water garden so it's visible from the walkway to your home. The water garden that your visitors and guests see while entering your home adds value to your home and to your conversation!In planning your water garden, use a sheet of paper to write down what you want to gain from your water garden. Start your list by using personal reasons, value reasoning, enhancing, or changing the overall look of your landscape. Alternately, you may simply want a place for solitude. These are the desires you'll write on your list. From this list, you can better plan 'where' your water garden will suit you and your ideas.Gordon Goh is author of the free, informative website Simply Flower Garden offering quality useful tips for flower garden lovers.