Pruning Your Water Lillies

Ok, now we’ve covered how to divide and fertilize your water lilies… now why don’t we take a look at pruning and trimming them to keep them looking their best!

Trimming and pruning your water lilies is important for two reasons..

First, you don’t want old, decaying leaves rotting in your pond.

Second, trimming old, dying pads stimulates the plant to produce more fresh ones, and third — it just looks better!

To determine when to prune your water lilies – use your own judgement for the most part. But if you notice a pad that is yellowing, or has begun to decay in any way, or has black spots on it – cut it off..

I also like to ‘thin out’ my coverage from time to time, and keep my lily pads from overlapping or becoming too crowded. It seems to keep the remaining pads more healthy.

Think about it this way, if the root of the plant only has so many nutrients it can absorb and distribute to all of the pads and flowers, it makes sense that with fewer stalks, pads, and flowers to ’share’ these nutrients – the remaining ones will be healthier and more vibrant.

You’ll be surprised at how many pads you can cut out, and still have a great looking plant (with lots of remaining coverage). See how many I cut off just the other day, and how nice the lily still looked afterwards.

Lastly, when pruning your lily – just use regular gardening shears, but make sure their sharp enough to give you a clean cut. I like to cut mine 1-2 feet below the surface of the water, so I don’t see the dead stalk in the pond, and to minimize what will die and decay after pruning.

Hope that helps, and that concludes our ‘winter’ lesson on water lily care.

Brett Fogle is the owner of MacArthur Water Gardens and several other pond-related websites. He also publishes a free monthly newsletter called PondStuff! with a reader circulation of over 9,000. To sign up for the free newsletter and receive our FREE ‘New Pond Owners Guide’ visit MacArthur Water Gardens today!

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Fertilizing Your Water Lillies

Unfortunately, sunlight is not enough.

Your water lilies will grow, thrive, and bloom much better if you get in the habit of fertilizing them regularly.

The good news is — It’s Easy!

You can either remove your water lily from the pond to fertilize them, your sometimes you can even do it with the plants still in the pond…

I prefer to remove them so I can inspect to see if they are becoming overgrown, and possibly need dividing. This is really the best way, and a good time to kill two birds with one stone.

So, first – remove the pot from the pond. Then drain out any excess water, so you can see the surface of the soil and Rhiozome..

Next, here’s a trick I use to fertilize my lilies quickly and easily…

Have a fairly wide tipped flathead screwdriver nearby, and then use it to punch a clear path into the soil and through the existing roots. Then give it a good twisting to hollow our your hole.

You’d be surprised how hard it can be to push a fertilizer tab down into a dense root pack – so try this next time and tell me if it isn’t 100% easier.

Now that you have your ‘holes’ dug – take 3-4 water lily fertilizer tabs out (we like the Tetra Pond fertilizer tabs), and push them down into the holes with your index finger..

That’s it — you’re done!

Then just cover up the holes and top off the plant with some fresh dirt, as we discussed in our last article – and you’re ready to move onto the next one.

Once you’ve fertilized all your lilies, just slowly lower them back into the pond..

Here’s another trick I use – Don’t just drop the pot back into the pond, as trapped air bubbles can sometimes uproot the lily or some soil..

This is espcecially true new pottings, as the soil has not been properly ’set’. Here’s what I do:

Lower the pot into the water, just enough to fill it with water, then raise back up out of the water until you see all the air bubbles disappear.

Do this a few more times, until you think you’re removed all the air bubbles from the pot – then slowly lower it down into the pond.

There’s nothing more frustrating than having a newly potted lily (or any plant) suddenly lift up out of the pot, dumping dirt all over the pond, and having to be repotted.. I’ts happened to me more than once..

So that’s it for now, in our next article, we’ll talk about trimming and pruning water lilies…

Brett Fogle is the owner of MacArthur Water Gardens and several other pond-related websites. He also publishes a free monthly newsletter called PondStuff! with a reader circulation of over 9,000. To sign up for the free newsletter and receive our FREE ‘New Pond Owners Guide’ visit MacArthur Water Gardens today!

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Water Lillies – Dividing and Fertilizing

While most of your ponds are slumbering in the dead of winter right now, we’re going to take a look at how and when to fertilize and divide your water lillies.

Normally a good time to do this would be in early Spring, once the pond thaws out and things are starting to warm up a bit – and before your lillies have started growing back too much.

Dividing Water Lillies

Some people would recommend dividing your water lillies every year, but I don’t think that’s practical or neccessary for most people (unless your pond nut like me), but after awhile you WILL have to divide your lily rhiozome as is outgrows it’s current pot or planting container.

A good way to determine if your water lily needs dividing is if it’s not blooming or producing nearly as many pads as normal. What can happen is the the root (or rhiozome) has become so overgrown that it has essectially run out of room in the pot, and can’t effectively absorb nutrients to grow.

Fortunately, it’s easy to remedy this problem – and you’ll most likely wind up with several new lillies to plant, or give away to friends.

The first thing to do is to remove the pot, and dig up the rhiozome from the pot. Notice how the root has become twisted and overgrown in this example here.

All you need to do in order to refresh and invigorate the plant, is to either cut or break off and remove several sections of the root/rhiozome to create a better root to soil ratio, letting the root more effectively absorb waterborne nutrients.

As we see in the pictures below, you’ll be left with several new sections or baby lilys that you can then re-plant and grow into new plants of their own..

In our next article, we’ll take a look at how to fertilize your lilys (new and old) to make sure they’re ready for Spring and Summer, and to make sure they’ll keep blooming and growing all season long.

Once fertilized, you’re ready to replant and put back in the pond.

As we can see below, it’s a good idea to add some more ‘fresh’ soil (never potting soil), which I usually just dig up from the yard. Adding fresh soil will usually re-energize the plant, and give it some more room for it’s new roots to develop. I recommend a good 2″-3″ of new dirt right on top.

Similarly, with your new Rhiozome cuttings – plant them in a new container with some fresh soil on the bottom, and then covered by some more fresh dirt (around 1″ for new cuttings). You can see here that I’m using a shallow planter for these, just to get them started. Once they start to grow again, I’ll move them to a deeper pot with more dirt.

I’ve also added some gravel on top, to keep you fish from burrowing in the dirt (as koi are known to do), but only a thin layer of pea gravel — anything too deep will make it difficult for the new lily pads to ‘push’ through.

On my existing lilies – I prefer to use the mesh bags for my lilies. They seem to allow a better absorbtion on nutrients from the pond water and I like the fact that I can cut holes in the corners, and cable tie them over the dirt – to also keep the koi from ‘burrowing’ in the dirt. You can find these at most nurseries and water garden centers…

Now let’s take a look at how to fertilize your water lilies…

Brett Fogle is the owner of MacArthur Water Gardens and several other pond-related websites. He also publishes a free monthly newsletter called PondStuff! with a reader circulation of over 9,000. To sign up for the free newsletter and receive our FREE ‘New Pond Owners Guide’ visit MacArthur Water Gardens today!

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Large Ponds

If you think that a large pond is simply a small pond that “grew up”, you’re in for some pond maintenance problems. Let’s start off my defining the terms that we’ll be using here. A large pond is anything over 1,000 gallons (5,000 liters). A pond that holds over 4,000 gallons (20,000 liters) is a very large pond.

Large ponds require a whole different level of financial and time committment than small ponds do. You’ll need larger and more efficient pumps and filters as well as the additional plumbing that those devices require. You’ll probably also spend a lot more for plants and fish as well as higher maintenance costs for those plants and fish.

Your building and maintenance costs are dependant, to a great extent, on how deep your pond is. A 6′ deep pond, for example, calls for a large and highly-specialized biofilter which uses a lot of electricity and requires a pretty hefty chunk of space for installation. You’ll need extra UV power and some sophisticated plumbing including bottom drains, skimmers, valves, and the like.

Of course, you always have the option of letting your pond go “au natural” and develop into a self-maintaining ecosystem just like a real pond. If that’s your goal, don’t go for a 6′ depth. Natural ponds will be more cloudy than a filtered pond and it’s likely that you’ll never see your fish!

Even a natural pond will require some help from you before mother nature kicks in. You’ll still need to condition the water, and remove chlorine, before fish are introduced. You’ll also want to have lots of plants both for natural shelter and temperature regulation as well as for their oxygen-generating characteristics.

If your pond takes root and begins to develop naturally then you’ll actually end up saving quite a bit of money on fish food. A natural pond generates and attracts a lot of natural food sources and it’s likely that you will never have to feed your fish at all.

Don’t skimp on testing just because your pond is developing naturally. You still have threats of fertilizer and pesticide runoff entering your pond, and you still need to worry about keeping oxygen levels up and water temperatures down. You’ll also want to examine your fish periodically for signs of parasite infestation.

Keeping a large pond can require an inordinate amount of time and money. My best advice is not to build one unless you are willing to do your part in keeping it.

Brett Fogle is the owner of MacArthur Water Gardens and several other pond-related websites. He also publishes a free monthly newsletter called PondStuff! with a reader circulation of over 9,000. To sign up for the free newsletter and receive our FREE ‘New Pond Owners Guide’ visit MacArthur Water Gardens today!

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Choosing Pond Plants

A pond without plants is like cake without icing. Pond plants fight algae, give fish a hiding place against predators, and beautify our own little slice of paradise to plunk down in at the end of a tiring day.

Don’t smother your pond with plants, however. Start with half the surface area, and don’t let them cover more than two-thirds to three-quarters at their growing peak. Overcrowding stresses them out, and hey – it just looks bad!

Don’t let the terms “hardy” and “tropical” throw you when choosing plants for your pond. Just remember that these terms refer to the environment in which the plant has originally been adapted – and not to whether it can be thrown across the room or how well it looks in a fancy mixed drink.

Hardy pond plants, as a rule, can handle cold temperatures and frost. Of course, this is relative to your USDA agricultural zone, found here: http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html. Ask your plant professional or check the plant’s label before taking home that plant that does great in Hawaii, but not so great in Maine.

Tropicals, on the other hand, pretty much hold true to what they’re called: They will take a nosedive if temperatures get much below 70 degrees, turning into a messy mush if it freezes.

But, ah, Grasshopper, there are ways to save even those hardy plants that aren’t quite up to a northern blizzard, as well as those tender-toed tropicals with which you’ve fallen madly in love.

Bury hardy pond plants, pot and all, into a south-facing part of your yard and cover with a thick, warm blanket of mulch. Or put them into a garage or basement, making sure they’re kept wet and have good air circulation.

Tropicals, on the other hand, need light and moisture year ‘round. If you don’t have a greenhouse, place tropicals in your sunniest window and keep misted, several times a day if possible, to provide the humidity they crave in order to flourish. “Grow lights” do a fabulous fake of the sun, however, and many tropical pond plants thrive under them.

Marginal pond plants – those that grow around the edges, or margins, of a pond – can be either hardy or tropical. Some hardy marginals are cattail, plantain, and rush. Tropical marginals include taro, spider lily, and water hibiscus. Of course there are legions more to lust after in both hardy and tropical marginals. Place marginals with their pot tops one to six inches under water. Very tall plants, like cattail, can be moved as deep as a foot beneath the surface one they’ve gotten full-sized.

Water lilies, however, like their water deep – between 18 and 30 inches – after starting the season in the 6”-12” shallower end. This gives them a nice, springtime shot of sunshine to get going again. And when the plant pro recommends those funny-looking pots with all the little holes in them, go for it. Pond plants poke their toes (roots) through them to develop tiny, nutrient-extracting feeder roots. Meshing with one another, these roots provide stability and protection against wind, kids, pets, and adults that have a tendency to stumble into them.

Fertilize pond plants when they need them. “Ha!” you say. “And when is that?” Well, go back to your plant pro, the Internet, or the plant label you so wisely saved. Each plant may have different requirements, but one rule of thumb: Plants need much more fertilizer in warm-weather months than when it’s cool outside.

Brett Fogle is the owner of MacArthur Water Gardens and several other pond-related websites. He also publishes a free monthly newsletter called PondStuff! with a reader circulation of over 9,000. To sign up for the free newsletter and receive our FREE ‘New Pond Owners Guide’ visit MacArthur Water Gardens today!

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Summer Pond Tips

Low Oxygen Levels Kill Fish

Use an oxygen tester and air stones to keep your available oxygen level to at least 7.0 parts per million of dissolved oxygen in 90 degree F. water. Koi and goldfish start showing signs of stress at oxygen levels of 4.0 ppm and will start dying at 3.0 ppm. The higher the water temperature goes the less oxygen that’s available. Water temperatures over 90 degrees will also affect fish health so keep the temperature under control by providing shade during the hottest parts of the day.

It’s Parasite Season

Warm water causes an increase in parasites such as anchor worms, fish lice or flukes. Some parasites such as anchor worm and fish lice are visible and can be treated with Dylox, Dipterex or Masoten.

Invisible parasites such as external protozoa and flukes can not be seen but they usually cause symptoms including extra thick mucus, constant scratching by rubbing against objects, flashing, or jumping. Some variations will cause a noticeable head shaking and yawning. Contact your pond specialist for treatments because different symptoms are indicative of different infections. Follow label instructions at all times or you could cause serious injury or death to your fish.

Summer Koi Feeding Tips

If your water is between 70 to 85 F. then feed a low protein food in a quantity that is equal to 1.0% to 1.5% of total koi body weight in pond. Estimate total koi body weight in pond and feed recommended % of food daily based on season and water temperature divided into intervals of about 2-2-1/2 hours. Takes koi about 2- 2-1/2 hours to digest food in warmer water and 4-8 hours in colder water when feeding is begun. So in warmer ideal water temperatures feed 5-8 times daily the individual portions totaling daily amount needed. In cooler temperatures feed 1-3 times daily.

Sunblock for Your Koi

Koi are not immune from sunburn, especially in shallow ponds that get direct sunlight. Provide shade such as water lilies or a rock overhang. Even a beach umbrella will do in a pinch.

Watch for Evaporation

Depending upon the surface area of your pond, you can lose several inches per day to evaporation. Monitor and adjust your water levels daily or as neccessary. Remember, do not use water with chlorine in it if you have fish!

Five Quick Tips for Healthy Summertime Water

1. Ensure that you have good mechanical and biological filtration and that your pump will turn the pond water over totally at least twice per day.

2. Operate the pump 24 hours a day.

3. Provide adequate shade by having 60 to 70% of the pond’s surface area covered with floating plants or other types of shade.

4. Add water clarifiers and bottled bacteria if your water remains cloudy even when good filtration is present.

5. Test oxygen levels daily and add air stones if levels fall below 7 PPM.

Brett Fogle is the owner of MacArthur Water Gardens and several other pond-related websites. He also publishes a free monthly newsletter called PondStuff! with a reader circulation of over 9,000. To sign up for the free newsletter and receive our FREE ‘New Pond Owners Guide’ visit MacArthur Water Gardens today!

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A Summer Greeting!

No question about it – summer is here! Everywhere ponds and water gardens are at their picturesque peaks of warm-weather beautywith fully flowering plants and lovely, lively fish. To make sureyou keep everything going smoothly with your water-garden interests, this newsletter comes jam-packed with need-to-knowtips, tricks, and tactics – geared to guide you through asuccessful summer season. From hot weather fish-feeding advice to keeping your pond clean, fresh, and algae-free, this Into thePond edition strives to address all your summer pond-relatedissues. Please – feel free to forward this newsletter to friends and family or anyone interested in the tranquil art of watergardening. For newbies and old hands alike, Into the Pond provides a super summer read for all levels of pond, plant, and fish aficionados.

Brett Fogle is the owner of MacArthur Water Gardens and several other pond-related websites. He also publishes a free monthly newsletter called PondStuff! with a reader circulation of over 9,000. To sign up for the free newsletter and receive our FREE 'New Pond Owners Guide' visit MacArthur Water Gardens today!

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