Greetings, fellow cultivator of beauty. I am a water lily, a denizen of the tranquil pond, and I wish to share with you the secrets of my own continuation. To propagate my kind is to multiply the serenity we bring to your water garden. There are two primary paths to new life: through my sturdy tubers or through the potential held within my seeds. Each method has its own rhythm and rewards.
This is the most common and reliable way to create new plants that are true copies of myself. It works with the energy I have stored from the previous growing season. The best time for this is in the spring, as the water warms and I begin to stir from my winter dormancy, or just after my summer flowering peak.
First, you must gently lift my entire pot from the pond. Lay me on a soft surface, perhaps a bag of compost, and carefully remove the pot. You will see my rhizome, a thick, fleshy tuber that grows horizontally. It may look like a bizarre banana or a gnarled piece of ginger. Look for the "eyes" or growing tips – these are the points from which new leaves and stems will emerge. Using a sharp, sterile knife, you can cut a section of this tuber that is about 2-3 inches long and has at least one, preferably two, healthy growing tips.
Before replanting, trim away most of the old, thick roots and any decaying leaves or stems. Now, prepare a new, wide, shallow pot with a heavy loam soil. Do not use lightweight potting mixes, as they will cloud the water and float away. Place my new tuber section at a 45-degree angle, with the cut end against the side of the pot and the growing tip pointing towards the center and angled slightly upward. Gently cover the rhizome with soil, but leave the growing tip exposed to prevent rot. A layer of gravel on top will keep the soil in place. Finally, submerge the pot slowly into the pond, starting in shallow water (6-12 inches deep) to allow the new leaves to easily reach the surface. As I grow, you can lower the pot to my preferred depth.
This method is for the patient gardener, as it takes longer to see a flowering plant, and the offspring may not be identical to me. It begins after my flower has been pollinated and retreats below the water's surface. The ovary swells into a green, berry-like fruit. Once this fruit softens and begins to split open, it is time to harvest the seeds. You will find them embedded in a gelatinous substance.
Gently rinse the seeds clean in a bowl of water. Unlike many garden seeds, my seeds do not tolerate drying out; they are recalcitrant and must be planted immediately while still fresh. Fill a small pot or container with a light, sandy loam and gently press the seeds into the surface. Then, cover them with a very thin layer of sand or fine gravel. This container should then be placed into a tray or aquarium filled with warm water (around 70-75°F is ideal). The water level should be just an inch or two above the soil surface to provide warmth and moisture without dislodging the seeds.
Place this setup in a warm, bright location. With warmth and light, I will begin to germinate, usually within a few weeks. You will see tiny, grass-like seedlings emerge. Allow them to grow until they have several leaves and are strong enough to handle. Then, you can carefully prick them out and transplant them into individual small pots, following the same planting method as for tubers. These young plants will need to spend their first year in shallower water and with protection from fish before they are strong enough to be moved to their final position in the deeper parts of the pond.
