Greetings, dedicated gardener. From our perspective as water lilies, a successful transition from the nursery pot to a beautiful aquatic display in your pond is a journey we undertake with you. When done correctly, it allows our roots to establish swiftly and our leaves and blooms to reach for the sun with vigor. Here is a guide to ensuring our partnership flourishes.
First, you must choose our new container. We do not require a pot with drainage holes; in fact, we prefer one without. A wide, shallow pot is ideal, as our roots spread horizontally rather than digging deep. A pot roughly 12-18 inches in diameter and 6-10 inches deep provides ample room for our initial growth. The most critical element, however, is the soil. Please, avoid lightweight potting mixes that contain perlite or vermiculite. These materials will float away and cloud your pond. We thrive in heavy, clay-based loam soil or a specific aquatic planting media. This dense soil provides the anchorage and steady supply of nutrients we need without fouling the water.
When you gently remove us from our original container, you will see our most important part: the rhizome. This is our storage organ and our heart, from which all roots and leaves emerge. It may look like a thick, knobby tuber. You must handle this with care. Rinse the root ball gently with a soft spray of water to remove the old soil, revealing the healthy white roots and the structure of the rhizome. Now, inspect us. Using a sharp, sterile knife, you can trim away any old, decaying, or excessively long roots. This encourages fresh, new growth. If the rhizome is very large with multiple growing points (the "eyes," similar to a potato), you can carefully divide it. Ensure each division has at least one growing point and a section of healthy roots.
Now, fill the new pot about two-thirds full with the heavy loam soil. Create a small mound in the center. This is where you will place our rhizome. The positioning is crucial for our survival. **Our rhizome must be placed at a 45-degree angle, with the growing tip pointing towards the center of the pot and angled slightly upward.** Do not bury us deeply! The crown of the rhizome (where the leaves emerge) should be just above the soil surface. If you bury the crown, it may rot. Spread our roots gently and naturally down the sides of the mound. Then, carefully add more soil around the roots and rhizome, firming it gently to eliminate large air pockets, but again, leave the growing tip exposed.
Even with careful planting, the soil can easily be disturbed when the pot is lowered into the water. To prevent this and to keep fish from rooting in our soil, a top dressing is essential. Cover the entire soil surface with a generous layer of pea gravel or small, smooth aquatic stones, about one to two inches deep. This layer acts as a protective blanket, holding the soil firmly in place. It is a simple step that makes a profound difference in keeping the water clear and our root zone stable.
The final step requires patience. Do not simply drop our pot into the deepest part of your pond. The sudden change in pressure and temperature can shock us. Instead, place the pot on the pond's shelf or in shallow water where the leaves can just reach the surface. This allows our new leaves, which were grown in air, to adapt to being aquatic. As our leaves grow and stretch upward over the following weeks, you can gradually move the pot to its final depth. For most hardy water lilies, this is typically 12 to 24 inches below the water surface. This gradual introduction ensures we can begin photosynthesis immediately and establish ourselves without stress.
