Things You'll Need:
- Hardy Water Lily
- Potting soil (formulated for water gardens)
- Planting containers for ponds
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Step 1
Hardy water lilies grow well in pots. Use a shallow and wide planting pot designed for use in a water garden, which is made of a heavy, black plastic without any drainage holes.
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Step 2
It is time to re-pot and divide hardy water lilies when the plant begins to outgrow its pot. Carefully remove the plant from the pot and clean away most of the soil to expose the roots. Closely inspect the tuber-like roots of water lilies, and take note of the sections with strong and healthy groups of stems. Use a sharp knife to cut apart the tubers, taking care to ensure that each root section has one or more stems.
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Step 3
To plant the tuber, start by adding a layer of gravel along the bottom of shallow and wide planting pot, and then cover the gravel with a layer of quality pond soil. Do not use garden soil, which will quickly wash away once submerged into the pond. Instead, purchase a bag of specially formulated water garden soil which is very dense and clay-like, and will hold the plant securely in place.
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Step 4
Position the tuber cutting against one side of the container, and spread out its roots across the rest of the pot. Cover the roots with another layer of soil, making sure that the bud of the tuber with the pad stems is planted above the layers of soil. Add a final layer of gravel to dress out the pot and to help prevent koi from digging through the roots.
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Step 5
Before placing the potted hardy water lily back into the pond, slowly submerge the pot into a bucket of water. This will help the soil to settle in the pot, and any loose soil will dissipate into the bucket instead of into your pond.
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Step 6
Hardy water lilies require full sun to bloom proficiently, and placed in an area of the pond that is between two to three feet deep. Each bloom will last for two or three days before fading. Placing the water lily in a shady or shallow area will produce a lot of lily pads, but will not encourage blooms.
