Author Topic: overwintering tropical waterlilies (Read 2578 times)

Freddie Peepers · « **on:** August 03, 2009, 11:47:50 AM »

I know it is still August...but this our first full year with a pond and now we need to plan for overwintering our tropical plants
We don't have a greenhouse so whats the best method for overwintering tropicals in zone 5?

KatFish · « **Reply #1 on:** August 03, 2009, 12:00:52 PM »

I've got my ears open too! What I did last year (no lilies, just marginals) was to plop them into a large fish tank in the sunniest room in my house. They limped along and made it with only 1 loss. Not too shabby. Better ideas?

Desertponder · « **Reply #2 on:** August 03, 2009, 12:17:11 PM »

I've tried overwintering trops for the last 3 years and its been mostly a failure.
I've pulled them from my tanks, kept them in aquariums and that hasn't worked. They will often grow and put out little pads in that environment but then when June comes and I move them outside they die.

Year before last I put them all in damp sand in baggies and put them inside an old fridge (not running) in the garage thinking they would be safe in there. Wrong. They all froze, even inside the fridge.

This last fall I did the sand and baggie method and put them in the basement which never gets colder than 50 degrees in the winter. It worked great for overwintering extra hardies but only two out 7 or 8 trops survived.

I've pretty much resigned myself to not growing tropicals. Some folks have relatively good luck with overwintering them but I sure don't.

kitfoxdrvr · « **Reply #3 on:** August 03, 2009, 12:26:38 PM »

If you have an unheated garage, you can get a couple of those big round tubs (the ones with the rope handles) and put in a 4 inch layer of gravel and plant them bareroot. Tirm away the larger leaves and roots longet than about six inches, and you can get three in each tub. Put a shop light on a timer over them and set to 12 hours. Not enough light, but they will survive most of the time here in zone 7. I overwintered 8 last year and lost one to rot. Keep an eye on them and if one does start to rot, get it out of there. Not sure if the Jackson Five song applies here, but better safe than sorry...

You know, "One Bad Apple"...

Steve

Freddie Peepers · « **Reply #4 on:** August 03, 2009, 01:03:24 PM »

Our garage is attached and unheated
It can get very cold here in the winter -20 or more
How cold can a tropical survive?
We keep our canned soda out there and on several occasions it has froze so i don't think
our garage will work.
How about same tub planted same way in the basement with grow light?
The temp down there will average 60 degrees or so in the winter

kitfoxdrvr · « **Reply #5 on:** August 03, 2009, 03:10:00 PM »

You do that with enough light and you will get some growth!!! Try to keep the light limited so they survive but not thrive. All I want to do with mine is simulate dormancy. Unless of course you want to build a big pond in the basement!!!

Steve

PondmaninAL · « **Reply #6 on:** August 03, 2009, 05:27:46 PM »

The best way for you Northerners to over-winter them tropicals is to send them to Florida. They survive the Winter in the pond here. So, when you get ready to over-winter your tropicals, PM me and I'll send you me address.

Vickie · « **Reply #7 on:** August 03, 2009, 05:45:54 PM »

Scott you devil you. That sounds like your idea. LOL. I winter my tropical lilies over by storing the tubers in the damp sand and baggie method. I roll them in Captan for fungus. The sand can only be damp enough when you squeeze it no water comes out of your hand. I then seal the baggies and put them in a popcorn can and put the lid on it. I put it on a shelf in the basement. And the basement only gets down to 50*F at the coldest. I check them 2 times during the winter for rot or fungus. Or to see if the sand dried out too much. I do not loose many this way. On the ones that do not tuber I cut the plant smaller and cut the roots off so they fit in a cottege cheese container- not the small one- and put in my aquariums in the basement. I have filters and fish and lights and heaters. Some survive and some don't. Tropical lilies need warmth. Fifty is what I store the tubers at not the lilies. I am zone 6.

Vickie · « **Reply #8 on:** August 03, 2009, 05:56:22 PM »

I save my taros and hibiscus, brugs, cannas, palms, gingers, water hyicents, elephant ears, bananas, and more. I put them in the basement with the other plants. I am not throwing away anything I can save.

tranquility · « **Reply #9 on:** August 03, 2009, 07:23:34 PM »

Actually Scott has a pretty good idea...If he is willing and both parties know that he is NOT responsible if by any chance the lily doesn't survive...you could ship them to him in the winter-he could send them back to you in the spring all at the owners expense...and he could keep what ever babies that are attached to the plant come spring...a fair trade...you get to keep your trop. lilies-- he gets starts of different lilies and all you have to do is pay shipping both ways....I've done it for a few people over the years and it has worked out great...of course I got tired of having to over winter trops and got rid of all of mine..I only over winter Gary's now every year....He drops them off in the fall and picks them up in the spring...
Lawanna

Desertponder · « **Reply #10 on:** August 04, 2009, 10:17:13 AM »

Vickie, its funny how we basically store them the same way, same temps, same zone, etc. but I lose most all of mine.
I don't remember exactly how many I stored away last fall, 8 or 9 I think and I have two that survived.

One of them
being that unknown blue you sent me. I kept it in the betta tank this winter and it survived.

Another issue I have is I can't seem to get them to produce other tubers so I have backups.

PondmaninAL · « **Reply #11 on:** August 04, 2009, 05:30:06 PM »

Actually, Vickie, I did it last year for Sushi. The only problem was that we had an unexpected cold Winter and one of them took a while to recover. The other one I sat in a barrel with some other trops in direct sunlight. The main point is, they all came back eventually.

Lawanna, thank you for the promotion. I am willing to over-winter the lilies if everyone who wants to do it goes with your plan. As with Sushi's, it all depends on the Winter weather. I don't guarantee that they will come back but more than likely, they will. I will take all precautions and if it is going to get unusually cold, I will find a way to keep them warm.

KatFish · « **Reply #12 on:** August 04, 2009, 05:37:08 PM »

Just curious, how many plants, at what shipping cost? I doubt I could afford it, but then again with the priority shipping boxes..... Any idea how many trops will fit into a large priority box? Now I'm thinking...... I may be in the market for a plant-sitter

HOWELL · « **Reply #13 on:** August 04, 2009, 05:55:32 PM »

Plant-sitter............

Seems like you found one...

Vickie · « **Reply #14 on:** August 04, 2009, 06:01:49 PM »

Scott is you have plenty of dirt and pots it will work. But everyones dirt is different. Mine is black and Fernladys is red sandy clay. Her lilies do better than mine.

marla · « **Reply #15 on:** August 04, 2009, 06:37:31 PM »

I always overwintered my tropical marginals and lilies in the basement in a preform pond and rubbermaid containers. I used a grow light but no heater, the water stays around 55*-60*. In past years I kept it on 24/7 but then someone said they should have down time, so I put it on a timer last year. Not sure if that had anything to do with 6 of the 9 lilies rotting on me or not...but like Shanna, I think I'm done with them. They are so beautiful, but not sure it's worth it to me. The 3 survivors are small this year, because the weather is soooo cool, I did finally see a very small start of a bud on 2 of them, but not holding out hope. We'll see what next spring holds. I figure I have a large collection of hardies and I really like them and there are always more of those I want so I'm ok with it for now.

tranquility · « **Reply #16 on:** August 04, 2009, 06:51:44 PM »

Scott hope you didn't think I threw you under the train

...but, I did remember a member way back that did that...she lived in Florida and people would send her trops for the winter and she would keep what babies were on the mother plants....that way get a little something for your troubles...as I said I've done it for members in the past when I kept trops...but, I now longer have any....too much trouble to keep draggin' in and out of the gh...
Lawanna

Kat · « **Reply #17 on:** August 05, 2009, 04:28:16 AM »

If I lived up north, I'd order some in the early summer if the price was decent enough & treat them like annuals. Small investment but well worth seeing the blooms & stunning colors/mottled pads. Drop the pot to the bottom of the pond by season end & hope they have produced tubers.

Another way to help keep tropicals is to invest the time/money into a coldframe/greenhouse structure over a lily pond to see if that will be enough to keep the temps up.

If I had a basement, I'd be installing an insulated pond with lighting to hold the plants. Not enough to try to get them to bloom but enough that they don't get too cold.

And like several of you have said, find someone in a warm zone to hold the lilies for you over the winter. You can fit quite a few plants into a Flat Rate box if you pack them carefully.

Desertponder · « **Reply #18 on:** August 05, 2009, 10:55:51 AM »

After looking closely last night at one of my tropical survivors and looking back through pictures from previous years, I believe it is Lavender Lace that survived rather than my big unknown blue. :'( Bummer! I really liked that big blue.
But, if you want to try a tropical that is a tough one and seems to survive overwintering better than most then I would suggest Lavender Lace. I've had this one for 3 years now and its been the trooper so far.

kitfoxdrvr · « **Reply #19 on:** August 05, 2009, 04:41:03 PM »

Kat makes a great point; I spend more money on common bedding annuals every year than I do on purchase of several trops from her each spring. And you get to try new cultivars. If all my lilies survived or were kept indoors, I would have never found this gem that Kat sent me this spring, 'Caliente':

I am sure some of my current lilies will be left out for my zone 7 winter and their demise may leave room for a new favorite!!!

Steve

PondmaninAL · « **Reply #20 on:** August 05, 2009, 07:19:12 PM »

Quote from: KatFish on August 04, 2009, 05:37:08 PM

Just curious, how many plants, at what shipping cost? I doubt I could afford it, but then again with the priority shipping boxes..... Any idea how many trops will fit into a large priority box? Now I'm thinking...... I may be in the market for a plant-sitter

Quote from: HOWELL on August 04, 2009, 05:55:32 PM

Plant-sitter............
Seems like you found one...

Do you think Jerry could give me the title of Official AP Plant Sitter?

Quote from: Vickie on August 04, 2009, 06:01:49 PM

Scott is you have plenty of dirt and pots it will work. But everyones dirt is different. Mine is black and Fernladys is red sandy clay. Her lilies do better than mine.

Vickie, I have three acres of dirt and another six acres behind that.

Quote from: tranquility on August 04, 2009, 06:51:44 PM

Scott hope you didn't think I threw you under the train ...but, I did remember a member way back that did that...she lived in Florida and people would send her trops for the winter and she would keep what babies were on the mother plants....that way get a little something for your troubles...as I said I've done it for members in the past when I kept trops...but, I now longer have any....too much trouble to keep draggin' in and out of the gh...
Lawanna

Lawanna, you only threw me halfway across the track, I crawled the rest of the way.

HOWELL · « **Reply #21 on:** August 05, 2009, 08:38:19 PM »

Seems like it scott....You may even end up with an award...and the Ponder-award for AP's best plant sitter goes to.....?
You should try it and put it in your avatar...