Newbie here! Need Sean's expert advice on tropical lily

[tizzylizzy]

Well not actually a real newbie...was part of this group with the old site.
Anyways, I have this tropical lily I got for the first time ever this year called Red Ruby. Gorgeous lily Ive ever seen! Well I didnt know that it grows little baby lily plants in the middle of the pads! So cool, huh?
Well I brought some in a cup and put some fertilizer in there and theyre doing pretty well, but theyre really small. Will I get bigger ones off of these next year or am I just wasting my time?
And Id like to over winter the big main plant this winter if I could. I live in PA probably like zone 6.
Can I just take it out of the pot, put it in a pan of water with fertilizer and will it live? Hope Sean gets this.....I see he's an expert on this!
Thanks for anybodys input though!
tizzylizzy

[Sean]

Read up on this link, I have a tutorial on Viviparous waterlilies and it may cause you to ask even more questions.

This is the link  http://www.americanponders.com/forum/index.php?topic=137.0

If you have additional questions, I will be happy to help you out, I am just back from grocery shopping so I have food prep to do from bulk to individual servings.

Cheers,
Sean

[tizzylizzy]

Hey there Sean!
Thanks for getting to me so soon!
Funny you say about reading up on your tutorials. Right after I put up my post I read them and I must say they are terrific! Very informative and love that you have the pictures to go with!
Anyhooo....I do have a few questions though. I took the tubers, in the middle of the leaves, off my Red Rudy, when they did show more signs of growth of leaves forming. Did I take them off too late?
Here's what I have right now...
I just have about 6 or 7 plantlets with tubers in sort of different stages in a plastic clear cup with sprinkled in fertilizer near my sunniest window.
I change out the water about every 2 days cause it starts to smell.
Some of the plantlets with tubers have some of the white roots coming off them, not a whole lot though.
All my tubers are only approx. 1 inch or less in size. I thought I saw on your tutorials, yours were bigger before pulling them off and had more rooting.
Also, none of mine are in dirt, just floating in the water with fertilizer.
I would love to know what can I do from here since spring is so far away for me now to put them in the pond when they are ready and also will they get big enough for my pond next year to get the big leaves and flowers like I have on the mother plant now.
I think I mentioned I would also like to try and save the mother plant too. How would I go about that without putting them in a dark basement?
Thanks so much Sean!
tizzylizzy

[Desertponder]

Ah, I didn't realize that tutorial was there! Thanks for that link. I've got vips all over my Lavender Lace. I've been waiting for them to get growing pretty well on the pads before I removed them. I just picked two off over the weekend and put them in little pots in my betta tanks and they are growing.
I didn't realize they would grow faster/better if you pulled them right away. I'll have to go out and get the rest of them off the plant.

[Sean]

Hey there Sean!
Thanks for getting to me so soon!
Funny you say about reading up on your tutorials. Right after I put up my post I read them and I must say they are terrific! Very informative and love that you have the pictures to go with!
Anyhooo....I do have a few questions though. I took the tubers, in the middle of the leaves, off my Red Rudy, when they did show more signs of growth of leaves forming. Did I take them off too late?
Here's what I have right now...
I just have about 6 or 7 plantlets with tubers in sort of different stages in a plastic clear cup with sprinkled in fertilizer near my sunniest window.
I change out the water about every 2 days cause it starts to smell.
Some of the plantlets with tubers have some of the white roots coming off them, not a whole lot though.
All my tubers are only approx. 1 inch or less in size. I thought I saw on your tutorials, yours were bigger before pulling them off and had more rooting.
Also, none of mine are in dirt, just floating in the water with fertilizer.
I would love to know what can I do from here since spring is so far away for me now to put them in the pond when they are ready and also will they get big enough for my pond next year to get the big leaves and flowers like I have on the mother plant now.
I think I mentioned I would also like to try and save the mother plant too. How would I go about that without putting them in a dark basement?
Thanks so much Sean!
tizzylizzy

I would get a 25 gallon storage tote and put them all in there for the winter with a 75 watt grow light found at Home Depot for $4.00. Keep the light on for at least 12 hours a day and they will stay alive for the winter.
You can see the type of light I mean in this tutorial by Jean Niemi  http://www.americanponders.com/forum/index.php?topic=806.0
I would also pot up all the little vivips into small Dixie cups with some soil so there is a rooting media and some nutrients fro the small roots to feed the plants. With your large mother plant, cut away all but the newest 3 pads growing from the crown and remove all the big white fleshy roots and re-pot into a small nursery pot and place in the tote with the vivips. You will be able to keep them over wither without a problem this way.

Cheers,
Sean