There is another way to keep hardy water lilies over the winter. I have
used this method a few times. Lift the lilies out of the pond just before it
freezes over and dump them out of their pots. Cut off all the dead leaves
and strip off all the dirt (along with the mass of small roots) from the
main roots. Then Sink them (in a string bag, with a rock) into a container
full of clean water and store it in a cool Dark place in the house. So far I
haven't found a place that it completely dark so when I check them during
the winter they are developing More leaves.

In the early spring - just after the ice goes out of the pond - Repot the
lilies and sink them in the pond. I usually get my hardy plants, and my fish
back into the pond before May 1st. In Ottawa you may be able to start the
pond up 2 weeks earlier than I can.

--
Ponder_Eh?
The Pond http://my.tbaytel.net/tboard/


"Roop" wrote in message
...
i live in ottawa on, canada and have a 500 gallon pond setup in my
back yard. right now it's covered in about a foot of ice and snow. i
removed all my fish in the fall last year and left them in a large
aquarium. i was thinking of doing the same for my water lilies.

i may give that a try next year ponder. i love the pics on your site
btw.


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"Roop" wrote in message
...
Hey Carol. I was going to start them was 80 watt florescent lighting.
if they really get going it'll be going up to 240 watts. i got a 40
gallon tank for them. it's 36"x16"x18".

## That should do it.

i do not plan on keeping them in there any longer than i have to. as
soon as it's warm enough, they are going outside. all i really want
from them is some floating leaves and good growth, nothing more.

## I understand, you have a short season there. Here in TN they're
getting small new leaves already.

i'll also setting for them maintaining their current size and not
rotting.

## I have seldom had one to rot. I have had koi rip them from their pots
and kill them... :-(
--
Carol.... the frugal ponder...
"WORK HARDER, millions in Welfare depend on you."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Roop wrote:

last year i trimmed all the floating leaves and put them back in the
water. they quickly grew submerged leaves and then the pond froze
over. i was thinking if i pulled them out and started them now, i
would probably have a longer flowering season for them.

Perhaps. As Carol mentioned, you need a lot of light. Those submerged
leaves are called "indicator leaves". They're usually quite small, and
their sole purpose is to trigger growth when light levels get high enough.

ime, you get no head start keeping lilies in an ordinary aquarium under
living room lighting. What you get is a guarantee that they won't get
frozen :-)

it won't be warm enough to put them back outside until april or may,
probably the end of may at that. my worry is they would grow too
quickly in a few motnhs, but if i leave them outside, i may only get
a month or two of flowering. what do you guys think?

You run a greater risk of shortening the flowering season by repotting
your lilies with the crowns too deep in the soil, than by leaving them
in the pond to restart themselves.
--
derek