The water lilies, which are poisonous to many animals and have the botanical name Iris pseudacorus (marsh iris), like to proliferate in the garden pond once they have been planted. They are considered to be extremely easy to care for and when they are in bloom they are a beautiful sight. They can easily be propagated by sowing and dividing. Here you find out how this works.
Water lilies can be propagated by division or by seed
Divide water lilies - easily and quickly
The best time to divide a water lily is in early spring or autumn. The plant should be cut down so that the root area is clearly visible. How to proceed:
- Dig generously around the root area
- Remove the soil from the rootstock, if necessary, rinse off with a garden hose
- Divide rootstock with a sharp knife
- plant divided plants separately from each other
When choosing a location for the new plants, it is crucial to offer them a sunny to partially shaded place. The soil should be well-drained and well-drained. Sandy-loamy substrates are ideal. A high nutrient content suits the new plants, especially in the early stages of growth.
Sow water lilies
In autumn, the seeds of the water lily ripen. As soon as they have reached maturity, they can be sown. They are located in the brown and elongated capsule fruits. There they lie in multitudes like rolls of money.
Open the capsules or wait for them to pop open on their own. The seeds inside are light brown, flat and rounded. You can sow at home. There water lilies can be further cultivated. As a houseplant, they don't need much care.
Here are instructions for sowing:
- Seeds need a cold stimulus in the refrigerator, for example
- Soak seeds in water for 2 days
- sow in sandy-loamy soil (cover 0.5 cm thick with soil)
- Keep substrate moist
- Germination time: 2 to 4 weeks
- ideal germination temperature: 15 °C
Long wait for flowering
From a height of 5 cm, the water lilies can be pricked out. They are then planted in a nutrient-rich substrate. They can thrive both outdoors and indoors, for example in the living room. The first flowering can be expected in plants from seed after two to three years.
tips
Sowing is usually easy outside of the home. Water lilies like to sow themselves. Therefore, it is worth letting the seed pods stick through the winter.