Pygmy Water-lily

Pygmy Water-lily Care

Nymphaea Tetragona

What is the plant

Nymphaea tetragona is a variety of pygmy water lily, and is therefore ideally suited to growing in a small pond or even a container feature, as it will thrive in water as shallow as 15cm deep. It bears small, slightly fragrant, cup-shaped white (sometimes red or purple) flowers from June to September. The shade cast by the leaves helps to check the spread of the algae, and also provides shelter for aquatic insects and larvae, such as tadpoles.For best results grow Nymphaea tetragona in still water – avoid planting near a water fountain or pump.

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Humidity

High

Lighting

Full Sun

Hardiness zone

4 - 10

Difficulty

Easy

Hibernation

Cold Period

How to Care for the Plant

Water
Water lilies flourish in still water, so do not plant them near a pond pump or fountain, particularly where the water can splash onto their leaves.
Pruning
Pruning:Deadhead flowers. Remove yellow leaves as necessary.
Sunlight
All tropical Water Lily species will need to over-winter in a heated area!If your pond or tub freezes solid in winter, you will have to lift the pot and store it indoors for the winter.

Disease diagnosis

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Soil
Boggy
Temperature
Remove all dead and dying foliage. Lift the planter from the pond and store the entire pot in a plastic bag, in a cool area. Optionally, you can remove and clean the rhizomes and store them in moist peat moss at 40°-50°.
Container
These waterlilies are potted up (using a suitable aquatic compost) into 1-litre aquatic pots. These pots are made of a fine mesh, which allows water to circulate through the compost, providing the plants with both oxygen and nutrients. As they are already potted, all you need to do is to place the pot into the pond, but this young plant will need potting up into a larger aquatic pot within a few months. Initially the pot should be placed on a stack of bricks so the leaves float on the surface of the water. As the plant matures, remove one layer of bricks at a time, gradually lowering the plant deeper into the pond until the desired depth has been reached. If you are placing this water lily in the autumn or winter when it has died back, place it at a depth of 50-60cm. Then in the spring repot it into a larger pot and lower as the plant grows.