After a shock, dormancy?

[Nagahyde]

I purchased a few beautiful lilies from a list member recently, everything was going well until about a week ago, apparently a deer ate all the leaves, and uprooted the rhizomes and left them on the lawn, the roots were still damp when I found them, I replanted them immediately, put them in shallow water, in a protected area, and gave them fresh fertilizer tabs.

My concern is that I have not seen any re-growth since then, despite the weather being warm and sunny.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

[tranquility]

I would think that as long as the crown was still intact they would grow back..Now if its not I'm not sure if the tuber would put on additional crowns or not  ....just keep up what your doing and hope for the best...
Lawanna

[Kat]

You are doing all the right things.  It is going to take time for the plants to recover & sorry to hear the deer did so much damage.  Apparently water lilies taste really good to them 

[MuddyOkie]

I purchased a few beautiful lilies from a list member recently, everything was going well until about a week ago, apparently a deer ate all the leaves, and uprooted the rhizomes and left them on the lawn, the roots were still damp when I found them, I replanted them immediately, put them in shallow water, in a protected area, and gave them fresh fertilizer tabs.

My concern is that I have not seen any re-growth since then, despite the weather being warm and sunny.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

It may take 2-4 weeks for them to come back. Peek to see if any little leaves are making tiny spikes off the rhizome... and don't give up hope. If you have them shallow so they get nice and warm every day, they should come back.

The only way to deer proof something is 10k volt 30' spike topped electric fences of razor wire, I think, and even then they'll find a way... raccoons love rhizomes too (and your fish). The difference between deer and raccoon damage is the deer will often eat the leaves, the raccoon will use the rhizome for a chewtoy (little needle teeth holes) like a dog. [pond friend bought a Miss Lily Pons the year they were released, 3rd night  a raccoon walked his pots out to that one, dug it up, chewed the beejeebers out of it and left it float. He did everything possible but it ended up $125.00 of compost]

[tranquility]

You are doing all the right things.  It is going to take time for the plants to recover & sorry to hear the deer did so much damage.  Apparently water lilies taste really good to them 

Apparently they taste really good to goats as well...When the boys do get loose or if I tie them out too close to the plants the first things they devour are the lily and the lotus leaves.....
Lawanna

[Nagahyde]

Thanks for all the good thoughts.
I think I finally saw some new growth today. Time will tell.
We're investing in chicken wire, plastic deer netting, "T" posts and 12 gauge shot shells.