Author Topic: Help..lillies overgrown (Read 2051 times)

Cathy_P · « **on:** May 01, 2013, 06:55:44 AM »

My lilies had a good winter and grew out of the pots and are sticking to the bottom of the pond. The last time I had them out was last Spring. If I force them loose will they rip the liner? I've tried just pulling them out, but it didn't work. I'm not very strong..maybe some kind of tool to pry them out?

SueSTx · « **Reply #1 on:** May 01, 2013, 07:06:04 AM »

I've never had one grow into the liner. Usually if you just grab the tuber where it hangs over the pot and tug, it will just snap right off. I'd be careful of my liner though. It might be rooted into the liner, but I doubt it. You might be able to feel around and snip each root with your fingernail without causing any damage if it seems rooted into the liner.

Good luck and welcome to our 'club house'. Come back and post some pictures and hang out with us.

Cathy_P · « **Reply #2 on:** May 01, 2013, 07:09:04 AM »

Ok..I'm going out there an tug..harder..Thanks

Kat · « **Reply #3 on:** May 01, 2013, 07:18:14 AM »

You might break a few finger nails but do as Sue suggested. Try not to use any sharp tools & good luck. If you have a way to drain the pond & put the fish in a temporary holding bin you could see the situation of the roots better without all the water in the way.

SueSTx · « **Reply #4 on:** May 01, 2013, 07:32:38 AM »

I forget about fake nails. I use my nails to snap all kinds of things. Still, I guess a new mani would cost a lot less than a huge liner and a lot less aggravation than having to drain, pull and replace the old one due to a huge hole made with a sharp object.

Kat · « **Reply #5 on:** May 01, 2013, 07:37:13 AM »

I'm way beyond a mani ... a lady at Costco was offering free nail decorating to sell her product. I showed my hands to hubby & he said the lady would run away screaming because my nails/hands look so bad from digging in pond dirt

SueSTx · « **Reply #6 on:** May 01, 2013, 08:50:28 AM »

I know exactly what you mean. I refuse to wear open toed shoes because I always see dirty toenails once I get out in public. Mud seeps in no matter what kind of footwear I use.

Indiana Karen · « **Reply #7 on:** May 01, 2013, 11:33:42 AM »

It's a backbreaking job Cathy. Maybe you could find a teenage boy that needs an extra $10 bucks.

Cathy_P · « **Reply #8 on:** May 01, 2013, 06:58:25 PM »

Oh well, I got two of them up and had two more that won't budge. I think the teenage boy would be the best idea...hmmm, my own cabana boy

howardTheHumble · « **Reply #9 on:** May 01, 2013, 08:32:57 PM »

Maybe you will enjoy my somewhat less then common solution. I switched the 16 inch bucket around on Mr Backhoe so it pointed to the front, an instant lily lifer. Best guess is there are tons of lilies.

Liner is 45mil EPDM. My life loaded each lily into the bucket.

Some of the lilies were to big to lift even with the backhoe and had to be cut into sections.

I had lilies in mind when I purchased the backhoe. It was either this or scale way back. Then there are all them there ponds to dig.

howardTheHumble · « **Reply #10 on:** May 01, 2013, 08:37:21 PM »

Quote from: Cathy_P on May 01, 2013, 06:55:44 AM

My lilies had a good winter and grew out of the pots and are sticking to the bottom of the pond. The last time I had them out was last Spring. If I force them loose will they rip the liner? I've tried just pulling them out, but it didn't work. I'm not very strong..maybe some kind of tool to pry them out?

What kind of liner do you have. I have not had problems with EPDM ? The best tool we have found for cutting lilies is a flush cut carpenters saw. I can get the brand name if you like.

SueSTx · « **Reply #11 on:** May 01, 2013, 11:09:11 PM »

HTH now those are some huge lilies. I have never had one I couldn't lift with hubby's help, but I do repot every year and plant in dishpans.

If I asked hubby for a backhoe...well, I won't venture a guess what he'd say.

howardTheHumble · « **Reply #12 on:** May 02, 2013, 12:36:41 AM »

Quote from: SueSTx on May 01, 2013, 11:09:11 PM

HTH now those are some huge lilies. I have never had one I couldn't lift with hubby's help, but I do repot every year and plant in dishpans.

If I asked hubby for a backhoe...well, I won't venture a guess what he'd say.

I don't suggest anyone let them get that large. The move here left us in poor health and each year the problem increased. Now that we have Mr B Hoe we can dig holes for the other liners and maybe generate enough energy to get these guys under control. But as you know I have lost my enthusiasm for lilies potted in dirt. These guys were doing just fine without the pot.

The thing is that lilies are just slightly buoyant when clean. What we observed in the pond was that they like to put out a mass of roots that catch solids and this anchors them down. It seems reasonable that one could come up with a system to hold them down with the roots exposed. This is my next line of experimentation.

Indiana Karen · « **Reply #13 on:** May 02, 2013, 05:45:02 AM »

That's a lot of lilies Howard and your wife is a "keeper".

Cathy_P · « **Reply #14 on:** May 02, 2013, 06:09:06 AM »

That is a LOT of lillies! I notice that it's the wife that has to climb in and get dirty,

howardTheHumble · « **Reply #15 on:** May 02, 2013, 08:13:23 AM »

She is a keeper but she also wants the lilies at least as much as I do, maybe more.

I gave her the choice of running the backhoe or getting into the water. She ordered new waders to fit her so....

It is easy to forget how much the pond muck stinks. Yeach.

SueSTx · « **Reply #16 on:** May 02, 2013, 09:51:10 AM »

Did she treat herself to a manicure after all that mucking?

howardTheHumble · « **Reply #17 on:** May 02, 2013, 09:55:33 AM »

Quote from: SueSTx on May 02, 2013, 09:51:10 AM

Did she treat herself to a manicure after all that mucking?

She responds: "Mani-what??? I still have all my fingers..."

miguynmkoi · « **Reply #18 on:** May 02, 2013, 11:42:02 AM »

WHOA!!! Note to self: Don't let lilies get out of hand....OK! I don't have that problem, thankfully. I think my lilies don't like the shade time in my pond :-(

SueSTx · « **Reply #19 on:** May 02, 2013, 02:23:34 PM »

I've never had a manicure either.

howardTheHumble · « **Reply #20 on:** May 02, 2013, 04:55:43 PM »

Quote from: Cathy_P on May 02, 2013, 06:09:06 AM

That is a LOT of lillies! I notice that it's the wife that has to climb in and get dirty,

Have you managed to get you last lilies out ?

Cathy_P · « **Reply #21 on:** May 02, 2013, 07:02:34 PM »

Nope..Hubby is off work next week. Maybe he can get them out for me. I'm not worried but I think I will put them in larger containers.

tinkster · « **Reply #22 on:** May 02, 2013, 10:17:01 PM »

cathy... just went through two days ago with my colorado.. She had escaped her pot last year and I knew it and let her becasue she bloomed so freaking much. This year when I went to TRY to get her out... There ended up being a 3 ft tuber, . WHat helped me to finally get her up was to go down to the very bottom with both hands and get the roots... there are tons of them that grow into dirt/muck on the bottom. That is what makes it so heavy. I guess I had alot more muck on the bottom than I thought.... When
it dislodged it it was like pulling 3 ft of muck and roots behind me.. My pond is still all cloudy from how much muck it dug out wiith it. I will NEVER let a lilly get that far out of control but try getting right down to the bottom.

Tink