Newbie (OK sophomore) questions

[PathwayRev]

I put in a 5'x7' in ground pond last year which I made way too deep. I'm in Phoenix where the ground is like rock and the heat oppressive. Why did I dig down 36"??
I put in 5 lilies in one gallon pots and got OK foliage but few blossoms. Why??
I fertilized monthly with spikes. Tried a bit more frequently w/o improvement.
I want to put in more pots to get better foliage cover and cut down on the algae growth (a real issue here). Is now the time to get those lilies? We'll be in the low 80's next week.
Best source for plants?
I'm wondering if I'd have more blossoms if I elevated the pots off the bottom a little so they'd get more light, and be warmer sooner.

As you can tell, I'm still trying to figure this out and any advice is appreciated.
Thanks!

[SueSTx]

I would think the depth would be good in your summer heat.

[Esther]

I'm in Michigan so we are very different in weather and temps. I put my lilies on the shallowest ledge to start with and as they develope, lower them until they are on the bottom. This pond varies from 24" to 30". Check out the DIY sub forums and you'll find directions to make a PVC planter. If you think it out, you can make it so the top could become the bottom and you'd have two levels. I wouldn't glue the legs in place so you could switch them out with different lengths. I don't have any answers for why your lilies didn't bloom. It seems they should seeing you were fertilizing.

[Julles]

Welcome, Rev,

A deep pond is a GOOD pond!  I tried to get mine t 36", but in the Houston gumbo clay soil, could only get a small 3'x3' section that deep; the rest is 30".  For fish, especially koi, the deeper the better.  Deep water keeps the temperature stable, plus gives fish the option of swimming up and down, instead of just back and forth.  Up and down builds muscle better than back and forth.  Deep water also allows fish to escape predators.

Lilies want only about a foot of water over them.  So try putting them up on upside down milk crates.  In addition, the crates provide hiding places for your fish.  I cut some of the plastic lattice out, so the larger fish can get inside.

[frogman3]

I would, if you want more blooms, re-pot in larger pots than the one gallon pot. You never stated if you have hardies or tropicals. Just my experience but hardies do better when given ample room to grow. Five lilies should cover the whole surface of that sized pond depending on the species.

       I have my hardies in pots 22" in diameter which gives them plenty room to spread. Fertilize heavily every two weeks during the summer with jobe's tomato spikes.

I also use milk crates to elevate my lilies since my pond depth is 3 ft which has worked well until last summer when I found a 14" golden Orfe that when trying to exit the crate became wedged in a side hole that was too small. I managed to cut the fish free but it died from it injuries about a week later. This year I will be cutting a larger hole in each side of the crates when re-potting the lilies this spring. That was not an experience I want to repeat.

[Kat]

The lilies need to be higher up in the water, about 8-12" over the crown, larger pots (dish pans work great for hardies), can fertilize with veggie formula Osmocote (I'll also use Colorburst), & I also use plastic patio side tables to elevate the lilies (just the 4 legs) so the fish don't get stuck.  Tropicals can be grown in 1 gallon size nursery pots with newspaper over the holes.

As for a source for lilies, folks here will be posting some for sale or trade soon.

Good luck.

[PathwayRev]

Thank you, all, for very helpful guidance!! I'm now optimistic, and eager for summer!

[Michiponder]

I Know that many hardy water lily types like it shallow, but not all.  For many years Attraction, Texas Dawn, and an unamed variety of pink lily has been growing very well with 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 feet of water above thier crowns here.  Several people thought it was because they were in an earth bottom pond, but I have often placed them in pots at that depth to give away when I thin them out and they do just fine.  Blossoms are sometimes a few weeks later, but I find more blossoms later in the year than most people's ponds here.  They also grow very large with larger blossoms.