Water Lilly

Water Lilly Care

Nymphaeaceae

What is the plant

Water lilies (Nymphaea) and lotus (Nelumbo) are jewels of the aquatic world. Symbolic in both ancient and modern times, they are celebrated for their beauty and immortalized in art and religion. Many of them are easy to grow and reward the gardener with fragrant and sumptuous blossoms from June until October. Both plants are best planted in spring. Water lilies start faster and typically have a faster growth rate than lotus, which are notoriously slow to start and need warmth and plenty of sun to flower.

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Humidity

High

Lighting

Full Sun

Hardiness zone

4 - 10

Difficulty

Medium

Invasive

Weed

How to Care for the Plant

Water
Strike a balance between plants and the surface area of the pond; plants should cover approximately 65 percent of the surface area. Pay attention to depth when you are planting your aquatic plants. With new plantings, initially place the pot just below the surface and gradually lower it as the plant grows. Once the plant is established, the pot can remain at the desired depth.
Pruning
Each flower on the water lily lasts three to five days. They open during the day and close at night (unless they are nocturnal). Once the flower is finished, it will slowly sink into the water. Seed pods form, and the ripe seeds fall into the soil below. Seed production is costly to the plant. To ensure many blooms, cut the dying flowers as they sink below the surface. Follow the stem down as far as it goes; either cut it or snap it off with your fingers. Also, clean off dead or dying leaves in the same manner.
Fertilizer
Fertilize your plants with tablets that you press into the soil around the plant. Do not fertilize directly into the water, as you will change the pH of the water and harm both plants and fish. Fertilize plants once a month. Tropical waterlilies are heavy feeders and should be fertilized generously throughout the growing season.

Disease diagnosis

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Sunlight
Make sure your waterlily or lotus gets enough sunlight; at least four hours, ideally six hours or more. Some lotus will not flower unless they get six hours of sunlight daily.
Soil
Always use topsoil that is free from herbicides and pesticides. Do not use potting soil, which has elements that will float. The containers should be large enough to allow the rhizome room to spread. Since the rhizomes creep across the surface of the soil, a wider pot is preferable to a deeper one.
Temperature
Lotus and hardy water lilies will be hardy if their tuberous rhizomes do not freeze. Plant the containers so that the soil line is below the freezing mark in your pool. Lotus flowers are late to emerge in the spring, as they prefer warm weather and will start to grow once the water temperature has risen above 70 degrees Fahrenheit.Tropical water lilies can be stored over winter by lifting the plant from the container and storing the rhizome in a plastic bag full of damp sand or a mix of damp sand and peat moss at 50 to 55 degrees.