How to grow a water lily in a basin or pond?

Are you planning to grow water lilies in your pond? Today, we take a look at this set of aquatic plants of the Nymphéaceae family. They are often found in lakes, ponds and other bodies of water. It is a rather special perennial plant: indeed, like irises, it grows from its rhizomes.

It is a plant appreciated for its flowers like its large round leaves. Decorative, they can also serve as a shelter for fish. The water lily needs to be permanently immersed in stagnant water, or else in a very weak current. There are several kinds of water lilies, including the hardy water lily and the tropical water lily.

How to plant a water lily?

Depending on the climate and environment, water lilies will need a little TLC. In the case of the rustic water lily, for example, it can be exposed outside during the winter (in a country like France).

It is therefore always well advised to learn and educate yourself on how to take care of this plant. It is quite possible to grow water lilies, as long as you consider a few measures. Once these parameters are taken into account, one can expect a successful and healthy culture.

Find a water lily that matches your pool

Before moving on to the actual planting, it is advisable to consider the size and the various parameters of the pond concerned. Indeed, these data will make it possible to identify the treatments or actions to be carried out to optimize the culture of the water lilies.

The ideal is therefore to ensure that the depth represents the distance between the surface, and even the surface of the substrate in which the rhizome is planted.

Choosing the right time and location to plant the water lilies

As you would expect, the best alternative would be to find the perfect spot to plant the water lilies. These can be planted in full sun for six to seven hours a day. This exposure notably guarantees maximum flowering of your foot.

At the same time, it is important to take into account the vegetation that grows around. This will allow you, among other things, to match the colors and times of flowering of water lilies and other plants.

You can also consult our article on the best times to plant in an aquatic environment !

Choosing the container and the substrate for planting a water lily

Clay soil is good for planting a water lily and won't cloud your water. This for the simple reason that this type of soil is heavy.

If you have fish, it is best to place pebbles on the surface. This is so that the fish cannot burrow into the earth. At the same time, avoid planting a water lily in a substrate that is too rich, or even adding compost to it.

Finally, the young water lily can grow in the bottom of a pond where the water level does not change too quickly during the year.

Know how to plant your water lily

In detail, the rhizome is planted obliquely, in the ground. It has roots, leaves and flowers. At the end of the rhizome, we find the main bud. This will eventually give the future leaves and flowers.

When planting the water lily, take care to prevent it from being covered. He must be able to breathe perfectly. To help it, it is necessary to water the plant well before planting. This is a useful exercise that water lily growers often forget to put into practice.

Finally, it is advisable to fertilize the water lily with fertilizer. For example, choose three fertilizer pellets such as briquettes for aquatic plants, which will be placed at the bottom of the container.

Provide quality care for your water lily

There are generally two methods for properly maintaining water lilies. If the water lily no longer blooms, or if it blooms little, it may be due to a lack of fertilizer or the need to divide it at the end.

fertilizer pellets

That said, to really succeed in the maintenance of the water lily, we will think about fertilizing the soil beforehand. This fertilization is done every year, by integrating Osmocote pellets into the substrate or growing medium . In particular, this prevents the fertilizer from getting into the water.

Of course, the use of other fertilizer tablets is quite possible. However, these lozenges must often be renewed every six to twelve weeks.

The division of the rhizomes

Always with a view to growing a water lily well, it is necessary to know how to divide the rhizomes. This division should be done three to four times a year. In detail, once the water lily is planted in a container, it will be necessary to divide the rhizomes to finally rejuvenate them.

This action must be carried out when the leaves are seen emerging from the water. Indeed, the division of the rhizome is done by simply cutting it with a very sharp knife. The rhizome is divided over a distance of between 5 cm and 7 cm, while monitoring its growth. Finally, when a rhizome does not have a collar or when it is dead, it must be eliminated immediately.

A water lily's push out of sickness

Nature being what it is, all plants have times of disease. If these anomalies have always been obstacles in the growth of plants in general, this is also the case with water lilies. And for good reason, several diseases contribute to its lack of growth.

To grow your water lilies successfully, you will need to protect them from diseases such as Ramularia nymphaearum . Among other conditions, the latter is responsible for brown spots on the leaves.

At the same time, and logically, we will also avoid rotting. It is a disease that begins with premature yellowing of foliage. This yellowing will then continue with the fall of the leaves.

Often overlooked by growers, this disease can kill the plant very easily. It is best to treat it quickly. The solution ? The best treatment against these fungi is to choose a product that acts in two ways: preventively or curatively. Of course, the preventive method is always the most recommended!

It may interest you: we have written an article to help you deal with najas marina or najas pectinata .

Protect plants from insects

Insects are always harmful to plants. They find the opportunity to go to feed or have fun. But for a plant like the water lily, its growth is risky if it is visited by insects. Indeed, their role is to prick the leaves in order to suck the sap.

There are several insects that do this poor job. You have the black aphid which appears a little before summer. The water lily moth. It is an easily identifiable yellowish caterpillar. Its mission is to cut the edges of the leaves of the water lily then hide underneath between the cut piece and the rest of the leaf.

All these pests can be controlled by the use of a bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis which will then destroy the cells of their intestine. You can also use phytosanitary products while respecting the indications prescribed by the manufacturer.

In short, the growth of a water lily depends on several measures that must be adopted. If you apply all the suggested tips, it is possible to successfully grow your water lily. At the same time, do not forget to keep an eye on the state of health of your pond, by regularly analyzing the water in it.