What did I do wrong?

I potted several small Trudy Slocum water lilies in a container 7 inches
deep and 24 inches in diameter. I used a light weight potting mixture from
Lowe's and put a layer of sand on top. About a week later I looked at my
pond and the whole container was floating upside down! Not quite all the
soil and lilies had fallen out yet but most of it did when I turned the
container over and pulled it out of the pond. What a mess! I had potted my
other lilies the same way, but in 7" by 18" containers, and they seem to be
OK. I always pot my lilies this way, but this is the first time I've used
such a large container.

I called the local pond supply and they told me I should have put rocks on
top instead of sand. Would this have made a difference? I don't like to
use rocks because it makes it so difficult to insert fertilizer tabs.

Unlike the 18" containers, the 24" container was actually sold as a small
pond, not as a plant container. Can I use it? What can I do to prevent a
repeat of this disaster?

Thank you for any suggestions and/or words of wisdom.

Harriett

"Harriett Wright" wrote in message
k.net...
I potted several small Trudy Slocum water lilies in a container 7 inches
deep and 24 inches in diameter. I used a light weight potting mixture from
Lowe's and put a layer of sand on top. About a week later I looked at my
pond and the whole container was floating upside down! Not quite all the
soil and lilies had fallen out yet but most of it did when I turned the
container over and pulled it out of the pond. What a mess! I had potted
my other lilies the same way, but in 7" by 18" containers, and they seem to
be OK. I always pot my lilies this way, but this is the first time I've
used such a large container.

I called the local pond supply and they told me I should have put rocks on
top instead of sand. Would this have made a difference? I don't like to
use rocks because it makes it so difficult to insert fertilizer tabs.

Unlike the 18" containers, the 24" container was actually sold as a small
pond, not as a plant container. Can I use it? What can I do to prevent a
repeat of this disaster?

Thank you for any suggestions and/or words of wisdom.
=============================
A light potting soil isn't suitable for water lilies. They recommend a heavy
clay with gravel on top. It's not hard to push a fertilizer stick down amid
the gravel and into the soil. I've been doing it for years. You can also
try adding rocks to the bottom of the container to keep it down - but use
either a pond soil or clay soil for the lily and at least use a peagravel on
top of that.
--
RM....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö

You can use anyhting yu want to plany in. It sounds like there was a
lont of air entrainment inthe sand yu used, and it eventually all
migrated to the highest side, and in the process floated the
container on that side enugh to cause it to tip over...Just ensure
your sand and soil is thouroughly wet. Rocks would only have given
less grain structure to trap air. I do not know what is in the light
weight potting mmixture, but some of the bagged mixes cntaian perlite
which is very bouyant. SOme containers are also a nitrogen filled
plastic material that is neutral or slightly positive bouyancy, so
that may have added to your problems as well..... Poke some holes in
the containers, and just for an experiment, toss a hadfull of the
"lightweight" soil in a bucket of water and see how much of it floats
or if it separates into small tiny grey to while looking speres..which
would be perlite....

On Tue, 12 Jun 2007 17:14:34 GMT, "Harriett Wright"
wrote:

I potted several small Trudy Slocum water lilies in a container 7 inches
deep and 24 inches in diameter. I used a light weight potting mixture from
Lowe's and put a layer of sand on top. About a week later I looked at my
pond and the whole container was floating upside down! Not quite all the
soil and lilies had fallen out yet but most of it did when I turned the
container over and pulled it out of the pond. What a mess! I had potted my
other lilies the same way, but in 7" by 18" containers, and they seem to be
OK. I always pot my lilies this way, but this is the first time I've used
such a large container.

I called the local pond supply and they told me I should have put rocks on
top instead of sand. Would this have made a difference? I don't like to
use rocks because it makes it so difficult to insert fertilizer tabs.

Unlike the 18" containers, the 24" container was actually sold as a small
pond, not as a plant container. Can I use it? What can I do to prevent a
repeat of this disaster?

Thank you for any suggestions and/or words of wisdom.

Harriett





-------
I forgot more about ponds and koi than I'll ever know!

"Reel McKoi" wrote in message
...

"Harriett Wright" wrote in message
k.net...
I potted several small Trudy Slocum water lilies in a container 7 inches
deep and 24 inches in diameter. I used a light weight potting mixture
from Lowe's and put a layer of sand on top. About a week later I looked
at my pond and the whole container was floating upside down! Not quite
all the soil and lilies had fallen out yet but most of it did when I
turned the container over and pulled it out of the pond. What a mess! I
had potted my other lilies the same way, but in 7" by 18" containers, and
they seem to be OK. I always pot my lilies this way, but this is the
first time I've used such a large container.

I called the local pond supply and they told me I should have put rocks
on top instead of sand. Would this have made a difference? I don't like
to use rocks because it makes it so difficult to insert fertilizer tabs.

Unlike the 18" containers, the 24" container was actually sold as a small
pond, not as a plant container. Can I use it? What can I do to prevent
a repeat of this disaster?

Thank you for any suggestions and/or words of wisdom.
=============================
A light potting soil isn't suitable for water lilies. They recommend a
heavy clay with gravel on top. It's not hard to push a fertilizer stick
down amid the gravel and into the soil. I've been doing it for years.
You can also try adding rocks to the bottom of the container to keep it
down - but use either a pond soil or clay soil for the lily and at least
use a peagravel on top of that.
--
RM....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö

Thanks, RM. I suppose this is a dumb question, but what's a "pond soil".
I've followed advice from this group in the past and used cat litter, but
how on earth do you get rid of it when you need to repot?

Harriett

High clay content in a soil is considered a heavy soil.......why get
rid of kitty litter when repotting, use it over and over again.....

The soils yu buy bagged at big box stores etc is pretty well useless
when it comes to use in a pond. A lot of them have the perlite, and
lots have gorund up cocoa bean fiber / coconut husks, and flyash etc
from Mt. Saint Helens, runn of the mill sand etc in it. No clay of
any kind. Lok for a kitty litter that has sodium bentonite clay listed
as only ingredient, without any "deoderizers etc added. Big Lots and
the Dollar Tree sells a 1 galcontainer of 100% sodium bentonite clay
kitty litter for 99 cents a jug, and it will expand to the point it
will fill up a 5 gal bucket..thats what you want for heavy clay
soil...if your gonna have to buy it..




..On Wed, 13 Jun 2007 01:22:18 GMT, "Harriett Wright"
wrote:


"Reel McKoi" wrote in message
...

"Harriett Wright" wrote in message
k.net...
I potted several small Trudy Slocum water lilies in a container 7 inches
deep and 24 inches in diameter. I used a light weight potting mixture
from Lowe's and put a layer of sand on top. About a week later I looked
at my pond and the whole container was floating upside down! Not quite
all the soil and lilies had fallen out yet but most of it did when I
turned the container over and pulled it out of the pond. What a mess! I
had potted my other lilies the same way, but in 7" by 18" containers, and
they seem to be OK. I always pot my lilies this way, but this is the
first time I've used such a large container.

I called the local pond supply and they told me I should have put rocks
on top instead of sand. Would this have made a difference? I don't like
to use rocks because it makes it so difficult to insert fertilizer tabs.

Unlike the 18" containers, the 24" container was actually sold as a small
pond, not as a plant container. Can I use it? What can I do to prevent
a repeat of this disaster?

Thank you for any suggestions and/or words of wisdom.
=============================
A light potting soil isn't suitable for water lilies. They recommend a
heavy clay with gravel on top. It's not hard to push a fertilizer stick
down amid the gravel and into the soil. I've been doing it for years.
You can also try adding rocks to the bottom of the container to keep it
down - but use either a pond soil or clay soil for the lily and at least
use a peagravel on top of that.
--
RM....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö

Thanks, RM. I suppose this is a dumb question, but what's a "pond soil".
I've followed advice from this group in the past and used cat litter, but
how on earth do you get rid of it when you need to repot?

Harriett






-------
I forgot more about ponds and koi than I'll ever know!

"Harriett Wright" wrote in message
ink.net...
Thanks, RM. I suppose this is a dumb question, but what's a "pond soil".
I've followed advice from this group in the past and used cat litter, but
how on earth do you get rid of it when you need to repot?
====================================
I never used cat litter in any of my pond plant pots so can't make any
suggestions as to how to get rid of it. I imagine it gets hosed off as does
regular clay soil when you repot the plant. Some stores and Pond Shops sell
an overpriced special heavy clay soil for pond plants.
--

RM....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
Zone 6. Middle TN USA
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö

I usually just put the plant into a container (either pond or regular
plastic pots I have punched holes in) of gravel.

when you break up the plants later, just shake the gravel out and reuse
it.... pea gravel is just fine.

rs

"Harriett Wright" wrote in message
k.net...
I potted several small Trudy Slocum water lilies in a container 7 inches
deep and 24 inches in diameter. I used a light weight potting mixture from
Lowe's and put a layer of sand on top. About a week later I looked at my
pond and the whole container was floating upside down! Not quite all the
soil and lilies had fallen out yet but most of it did when I turned the
container over and pulled it out of the pond. What a mess! I had potted
my other lilies the same way, but in 7" by 18" containers, and they seem to
be OK. I always pot my lilies this way, but this is the first time I've
used such a large container.

I called the local pond supply and they told me I should have put rocks on
top instead of sand. Would this have made a difference? I don't like to
use rocks because it makes it so difficult to insert fertilizer tabs.

Unlike the 18" containers, the 24" container was actually sold as a small
pond, not as a plant container. Can I use it? What can I do to prevent a
repeat of this disaster?

Thank you for any suggestions and/or words of wisdom.

Harriett

Hate to break it to you dude but Harriet flew the coop..she joned the
ranks of the nazi occupied group, and we banned her fromthis open
forum.....please delete or erase any info or links to Harriet, or
refrain from posting in this group.

Thank you

The Management!

On Sun, 24 Jun 2007 14:13:43 -0400, "Rob Sauerwalt"
wrote:

I usually just put the plant into a container (either pond or regular
plastic pots I have punched holes in) of gravel.

when you break up the plants later, just shake the gravel out and reuse
it.... pea gravel is just fine.

rs

"Harriett Wright" wrote in message
hlink.net...
I potted several small Trudy Slocum water lilies in a container 7 inches
deep and 24 inches in diameter. I used a light weight potting mixture from
Lowe's and put a layer of sand on top. About a week later I looked at my
pond and the whole container was floating upside down! Not quite all the
soil and lilies had fallen out yet but most of it did when I turned the
container over and pulled it out of the pond. What a mess! I had potted
my other lilies the same way, but in 7" by 18" containers, and they seem to
be OK. I always pot my lilies this way, but this is the first time I've
used such a large container.

I called the local pond supply and they told me I should have put rocks on
top instead of sand. Would this have made a difference? I don't like to
use rocks because it makes it so difficult to insert fertilizer tabs.

Unlike the 18" containers, the 24" container was actually sold as a small
pond, not as a plant container. Can I use it? What can I do to prevent a
repeat of this disaster?

Thank you for any suggestions and/or words of wisdom.

Harriett