For practical reasons, the water lily is usually placed in a plant basket and thus embedded in the pond. With good living conditions, however, it can grow so luxuriantly that it gets cramped in the basket after just a few years. Then repotting is due.

Water lilies grow strongly and therefore need a larger planting basket every few years

Best time for repotting

Not every time of the year is suitable for repotting water lilies. If you find that your specimen needs a new pot, then wait until May or June. This gives the plants enough time to root the new plant basket (€11.99) until winter. Autumn, on the other hand, is less suitable, especially if pruning is also associated with repotting.

Get a new planter

Get a suitable plant basket, which may be larger than the old one. But compared to the size of the pond, it must not be too big. Strongly proliferating water lilies are difficult to remove. It is better to cut back or divide the water lily as a preventive measure.

  • choose a non-rotting material
  • Bulbous roots require a deep and narrow pot
  • Rhizomes, on the other hand, need a wide and flat pot
  • 2-10 liters volume is appropriate for small ponds
  • 5-10 liters for medium-sized ponds
  • 15-30 liters for large ponds

Provide fresh substrate

You should not plant water lilies in fine soil, as this will be washed out and affect the water quality. Instead, buy special substrate for water lilies. You can also mix the water lily substrate yourself at home. Gravel and crushed stone made from all low-lime stone types are suitable. The grain should be between 2 and 4 mm.

Get the water lily out of the pond and repot it

  1. Get the plant basket out of the pond, as repotting can only be done outside of it.
  2. Take the water lily out of the basket.
  3. Clean the rootstock or rhizome with pond water.
  4. Depending on the variety, you can divide the bulbous rootstock or rhizome and plant the pieces separately.
  5. Remove damaged or black roots and trim light, healthy roots.
  6. Fill the new plant basket 2/3 full with substrate.
  7. Put the water lily on it - rhizome flat, tuber vertical. Fill in the gaps with substrate.
  8. Fertilize the water lily by adding fertilizer balls.
  9. Finally, you can weigh down the plant with larger stones.

tips

Use a sharp, clean knife for all cutting measures and disinfect the interfaces with activated charcoal.

Category:

Vegetable garden