Things You'll Need:
- Slow-release fertilizer tablets or spikes
- Water plant pruning tool
- Floating plant baskets
- Alum dip (Aluminum sulfate or Alum USP)
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Step 1
Fertilize your water plants with slow-release fertilizer tabs or spikes when potting them up. They go into the soil near the roots and last for a full year. There are some monthly spikes also that you an use, but any time you have to disturb the pot, you release soil into the water which can cloud it up.
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Step 2
Prune off dead parts of the plants with water pruners. They have scissors at the end of a long pole that will cut and hold the part as you pull it out of the pond. These work well for plants that you can't reach. If some plants are starting to crowd the surface, thin them out by pruning off the older ones. Do not pull at the plants to prune them, but cut the pieces off clean and then lift out. Pulling may disturb the pot and cause a soil spillage.
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Step 3
Place your floating plants in floating baskets if you have fish in the pond that are eating at the roots or plants. Remove any plants that have had their roots destroyed as they will die and decay.
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Step 4
Keep a check on your water level. Some varieties of water plants need to be submerged in a certain depth of water. Dry, hot spells can cause water to evaporate and more water may need to be added.
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Step 5
Give the plants a bath in an alum dip if you see any signs of fungus, snails or bugs. Ideally this is done before you pot the plants or float them in the water. To take plants out of the water for the bath, take out the pot, dig out the plant and wash it off with a garden hose. Immerse the plant in the dip for an hour and re-pot. Follow the manufacturer's directions for mixing the dip solution or you can make your own by adding 1 to 3 tablespoons of Alum USP, found in pharmacies or grocery stores, to a gallon of water.
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Step 6
Prepare for winter by trimming back hardy lotus and lilies and placing them in the deepest part of your pond. Other hardy plants can be left where they are in warmer climates or placed on the bottom of the pond in colder areas. Oxygenators and floating plants should be removed and put in the compost pile.
