Hello.
Short intro: We put in a pond last summer, so this is/was my first year really tending to water lilies. I have a few that the pond guys put in and several others that I have bought since (thanks matherfish and kat!).
Can you experienced water lily fanciers give me some advice? Bunch of somewhat random questions below.
Some of the tropicals are sending out these smaller, arrow shaped, baby-type leaves. Does that signify they are tubering? It has been a unusually cool late August here and my pond temps are down into the lower 70s.
Although I love the cooler weather, I am sorta disappointed as I'd have liked to have continued with active growth a little longer.
I last fertilized a few weeks ago. I understand I am supposed to stop now to encourage tubering. Okay. So as it gets cooler, when do I take the plants out/clean them off to check for tubers (ie- what should they look like to tell me it’s time)? Should I wait until I don’t see any new growth? When it looks like most of the leaves are starting to die?
I have some hardies in a tub. I’d like to move them to the pond but they are infested with snails. I could to a severe PP treatment, but I was thinking about just repotting them after they’ve gone dormant and then moving them to the pond. Is this a really bad time to repot? If I did, should I keep or prune off the roots?
Lastly, does anyone plant hardy lilies in windowsill containers (long rectangles)? Wouldn’t that be reasonable given the straight growth habit of the tuber? I guess you would just have to be sure to keep an eye on it to repot as needed since it couldn’t go anywhere else once it reaches the end. Thoughts?
Any thoughts appreciated. Have a great Labor Day and weekend!
-Jennifer