How to Transplant Wild Water Lilies
Water lilies are often chosen for their simple beauty and the minimal care they require. Wild water lilies grow very similar to domestic water lilies, except they are found growing naturally in ponds and marshes. Finding domestic water lilies to buy is possible, but it can also get quite expensive. When you have access to wild water lilies, transplanting the lilies into your garden pond or small artificial pool can give you the water lilies you desire while saving you money. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Aquatic plant soil
- Garden shovel
- Garden shears
- Rubber waders
- Pond planting pot (one for each plant)
- Paper towels
- Small pebbles
Instructions
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1
Walk into the shallow body of water, with your rubber waders on, and locate the wild water lilies you want to transplant.
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2
Reach into the water and locate the bottom of the lily where the roots and the tuber grow into the soil. Gently move as much of the soil away with your hands. When you reach harder soil, use the garden shovel to carefully lift the root system and tuber (underground stem) out of the soil while supporting the upper portion of the plant. Repeat for additional lilies.
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3
Wet a piece of paper towel and wrap it around the tuber and root system for each lily plant. This will keep them moist during transporting.
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4
Trim away any dead leaves using the garden shears. Trim off rotted and soft sections of the tuber if necessary. The tuber should not have soft and squishy parts; it should be firm.
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5
Fill your aquatic planting pot about one-third full with aquatic plant soil.
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6
Place the water lily into the pot on top of the soil with the tuber end down, and add soil around the plant. Your soil should be added to the pot around the plant to about 1 inch from the top of the tuber.
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7
Place a layer of small pebbles on top of the soil to keep it from floating out of the pot.
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8
Lower the pot into the water, tilting the pot slightly to allow the water to enter the soil. This helps remove air pockets in the soil.
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Tips & Warnings
The ideal transplanting time is at the end of spring and the beginning of summer, when the lilies are growing actively.
When adding soil around the lily, take care not to cover the growing tip.
When adding your pot into the water, make sure your leaves float on the water.
Ideal water depth for small pools and ponds is about one foot, while ideal depth for larger pools is about 20 to 24 inches.
References
- Photo Credit water lilies image by peejay from Fotolia.com
