I need a little help, Please.

[Chevy Girl]

Can someone please explaine,"How to winter" my Lillies and other water plants.
Do I cut the old pads and leaf's off an leave them in the pond?
Do I leave all the pad's ,and bring them in to a kiddie pool in the basement ? Help, Please.......

[Desertponder]

You can leave hardy lilies in your pond. When the pads start to fail in fall and the plants are not really growing much anymore, trim the pads off and make sure they are deep enough in the pond that they don't freeze. They will be fine as long as they don't freeze.
If you have tropicals, well, that's a whole different ball game. They will not survive the winter in your pond. You either need to treat them as an annual or removed them from the pond and overwinter them. I've not had very good luck overwintering tropicals, I'm still figuring that out so I'm not the one who is best to help you there.
What other water plants do you have? As long as they are hardy to your zone they survive the winter.

[Chevy Girl]

You can leave hardy lilies in your pond. When the pads start to fail in fall and the plants are not really growing much anymore, trim the pads off and make sure they are deep enough in the pond that they don't freeze. They will be fine as long as they don't freeze.
If you have tropicals, well, that's a whole different ball game. They will not survive the winter in your pond. You either need to treat them as an annual or removed them from the pond and overwinter them. I've not had very good luck overwintering tropicals, I'm still figuring that out so I'm not the one who is best to help you there.
What other water plants do you have? As long as they are hardy to your zone they survive the winter.

Hi, I also have hyacinth, longwood canas,horse tail rush, mini cat tails, and some other long grass looking stuff, I have a large bunch of Irisis(sp?).
I figured I could trim the lilly pads off and drop the pots to the deepest part of the pond.
OR I am thinking green house, with a heat lamp for the long winters.

[Desertponder]

Water hyacinths will not survive. Many people have tried to overwinter them and its just not worth it. They take too much light and heat.
The cannas need to come indoors and treat it like a houseplant.
The horsetail will survive in the pond as long as it doesn't freeze. Don't trim it off though or it will drown. Just lower to where it won't freeze.
The cattails can stay in the pond and so can the iris.

[LeeAnne151]

Where in Oregon are you? some areas are much colder than others.

[Chevy Girl]

Water hyacinths will not survive. Many people have tried to overwinter them and its just not worth it. They take too much light and heat.
The cannas need to come indoors and treat it like a houseplant.
The horsetail will survive in the pond as long as it doesn't freeze. Don't trim it off though or it will drown. Just lower to where it won't freeze.
The cattails can stay in the pond and so can the iris.

I live in the Rogue Valley, outside of Medford.zone 9 I think.
I do have Metal halide lighting, that will provide light and heat for the plants.  And in the basement it never drops below 68*.
All of the plants will have to be repotted in the fall as they have bursted the sides of the pots they came in. the Lilliy plants will also be re potted, trimmed and lowered to the deep end of the pond. I'm going to bring the rest into the basement and give it a try. The Canas that are planted near the upper pond will be cut down to 4 inches .
I will give it a try this year. and see what I end up with next spring. thanks for all the help.

[LeeAnne151]

If you have a halide light you won't need to cut down the cannas, you can just bring them inside and they will keep growing. You can try to save the water hyacinths but be prepared for failure.

Hardy waterlilies are fine in the pond. Just remove dead pads when the time comes. Horsetail and cattails will be fine in the pond.

It is always better to repot when you are going into a growth period rather than a dormant period. Repot now if they need it rather than in fall.

[Chevy Girl]

If you have a halide light you won't need to cut down the cannas, you can just bring them inside and they will keep growing. You can try to save the water hyacinths but be prepared for failure.

Hardy waterlilies are fine in the pond. Just remove dead pads when the time comes. Horsetail and cattails will be fine in the pond.

It is always better to repot when you are going into a growth period rather than a dormant period. Repot now if they need it rather than in fall.

I will repot, on my next day off.
The potted Canas will come in, The planted Canas will be cut .The hyacinths, I will give a shot at, I may dip them and put some in my 125 freshwater, in my room, all I have in there are some Orandas ,Ryukins, black moores. I have reef lighting on this tank.
I'll try anything once. I'm not afraid of failure. I have full blown reef taks, and things die,now and again. But I will always try.  Thanks again for your help.

[Vickie]

I winter my water hyicents over in zone 6. I plant them in a tub in August here with no holes in the bottom with yard dirt and keep water in the tub. Then in Oct here I bring them in my basement under lights. If they survie through Feb or March in April they look ragged. Then I take them outside in April and put them in my cold frame tub. Which has water in it and I put an old window over the top. After a couple weeks when they start looking better I pull them out of the dirt. Works for me

[Chevy Girl]

I winter my water hyicents over in zone 6. I plant them in a tub in August here with no holes in the bottom with yard dirt and keep water in the tub. Then in Oct here I bring them in my basement under lights. If they survie through Feb or March in April they look ragged. Then I take them outside in April and put them in my cold frame tub. Which has water in it and I put an old window over the top. After a couple weeks when they start looking better I pull them out of the dirt. Works for me

Thanks Vickie.
I am going to try a few methods, and see what one works for me.
I have a 6 ft. reef lighting system on a fresh water tank. Right now I am just running the atinics, But will change them out to the broad spectrum lights for the winter, The tank stays 78 to 82degrees.
I had fresh water plants in the tank for years. The monsters that were in the tank have been traded in for some fancy gold fish. So ,I am confident some will survive the winter indoors. 
Then there is the tub in the basement method with the 2-250watt metal halides,should do for that .
Then if I can get the boys to build the green house, I have all the glass I need for a 3 sided + roof for that.
Something has to work. I just cant see not giving it a try with the hyicenth. I am actually not worried about any of the Lillies, except the small yellow. The larger ones that were a gift, have wintered over in a pond like mine for over 10 years.
I will do all I can to make all of the plants happy through the winter months.
again thanks for everyones help.


 

[LeeAnne151]

I tried them in my aquarium and in my greenhouse and they died.
I'm lucky that I have a pond forum friend who mails me some every year 

[Chevy Girl]

I tried them in my aquarium and in my greenhouse and they died.
I'm lucky that I have a pond forum friend who mails me some every year 

It isn't like they are costly, I just don't like to have things die.
If I can't keep any, next year I will only get a few, as they have become 4 times as many. I am over run with them, They are so pretty,,,,,,,,,,,,,
But the Koi eat the flowers..........
it's all good.