Do water lillies stop blooming with age?

[JimMcD in SVAZ]

All,

   My experience with water lillies is that they stop blooming after several years.  Is this standard, or was I doing something wrong?  Are there varieties that have extended bloom life?  My next pond will be in the high desert of Sierra Vista, Arizona.

Thanks, Happy New Year
Jim McD

[JoshS]

Water lilies benefit from dividing and repotting regularly...every 2-3 years, depending on the pot size and growth rate of the lily.  They get too crowded to grow properly, then they produce smaller pads and few flowers.  I'm guessing this is your problem.

Have you divided and repotted recently?

Lilies are also heavy feeders.  Do you fertilize?  I fertilize 2x per month during the growing season.  Some people use a slow release fertilizer once in the spring.

[Sunbeam56]

As Josh said, my limited experience would be "no, they don't stop blooming".
I haven't put a lot of work into my lilies. But they are "free" in a mud bottom pond, so crowding is not an issue - they divide themselves.
Fertilizing is necessary, tho.

[LeeAnne151]

Jobe's Tomato Spikes are a great low cost fertilizer for waterlilies. Poke them into the soil/muck around the crowns of the plants but not right next to the crowns.

Pond Tabs are a lot more expensive.