5 STEPS TO DIVIDE WATER LILLIES

Home » Home and Family » Gardening Join Sign in EzineArticles - Expert Authors Sharing Their Best Original Articles Search Brett Fogle Expert Author | 47 Articles Joined: December 26, 2004 United States 5 Simple Steps To Dividing Your Hardy Water Lilies By Brett Fogle | Submitted On January 04, 2005 Recommend Article Article Comments Print Article If you missed the springtime window of opportunity to divide your hardy water lilies, don't worry, it's not too late. Although springtime is the best time, you've actually got the entire normal growing season to get it done. The reason for dividing your water lilies is that they eventually run out of room in their existing pots and need more room for the roots to spread out so the plant can flourish. Not only is this relatively easy to do, but you end up with more plants as a bonus! Step 1 Remove the plant from the pot and gently rinse the dirt from the root system. Step 2 Cut the older growth from one end of the tuber, and the newer growth from the other. If there are new "eyes" along the tuber you can snip them off and pot them if you wish. Step 3 Take a sharp knife and cut the tuber back on the 'growing' part. On small plants you can safely cut the tuber down to 2-3 inches. Keep it at around 5-6 inches for larger plants. You should also cut off new buds and any older leaves so the plant can stay focused on growing a new root system. Step 4 Plant the tuber in good quality garden soil that has been poured into a pot that is suitable for water gardening. Potting soil is not the best choice so make sure that the package says 'garden soil'. Insert the tuber into the soil placing it next to the wall of the pot rather than in the center of the pot. Insert a couple of aquatic plant food tabs about halfway into the soil and then pack the soil around the tuber so it will stay in place when the pot is submerged. Finally, pour a layer of pea gravel over the soil to keep it from washing away. This also discourages your fish from digging in the pot. Make sure that you do not cover the crown of the tuber with gravel. Step 5 Slowly submerge the pot into your garden pond. Don't be alarmed if some dirt residue mixes in with the water. This is normal and it will soon settle to the bottom and the water will clear. Keep your new plants in water that is no deeper that 12" until you notice at least five or six new leaves. Once the plant is established you can place it in deeper water if you wish. There, you're done. Now your old plants will have more room to grow and you'll have new plants to keep or share with friends. Wasn't that easy? ************************************************** Brett Fogle is the owner of MacArthur Water Gardens and several other pond-related websites including MacArthurWatergardens.com and Pond-Filters-Online.com [http://www.pond-filters-online.com]. He also publishes a free monthly newsletter called PondStuff! with a reader circulation of over 9,000. To sign up for the free newsletter and receive our FREE 'New Pond Owners Guide' visit MacArthur Water Gardens today! ************************************************** Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Brett_Fogle/1902 0 Comments | Leave a Comment Did you find this article helpful? Happy Face1 Sad Face0 Viewed 901 times Word count: 441 Article Tools EzinePublisher Report this article Cite this article Stay Informed Subscribe to New Article Alerts: Home and Family: Gardening Brett Fogle Email Address Subscribe We will never sell or rent your email address. Gardening Article Feed Gardening Article Feed Find More Articles Search Similar Articles Building a Successful Koi Pond Water Garden 5 Popular Water Garden Pond Plants Water Garden Mosquito Control How To Choose Water Garden Plants Ponds, Fountains, and Garden Decorative Items - The Complete Guide to Installing a Water Feature Growing Water Lilies Pond Plants Are a Beautiful Addition to All Water Gardens How to Choose Between Goldfish and KOI What Everybody Ought to Know About Choosing Aquatic Plants Ways to Control Lily Pads in a Pond Recent Articles With Spring Upon Us, Time To Make Garden and Landscaping Plans 4 Small Shade Trees That Are Perfect for Any Yard Gardening - The Hardest Vegetables to Grow Herbicides to Use Against Invading Water Chestnuts When Is the Right Time to Start Getting Rid of Lily Pads? What Is Sustainability for Preppers? Children Love to Garden Plant and Prune Between Rainy Days in February in Southern California How to Hire the Best Gardeners Plant Fertilizers: Importance of Micronutrients EzineArticles.com About Us FAQ Contact Us Member Benefits Privacy Policy Shop Site Map Blog Training Video Library Advertising Affiliates Cartoons Authors Submit Articles Members Login Premium Membership Expert Authors Endorsements Editorial Guidelines Terms of Service Publishers Terms Of Service Ezines / Email Alerts Manage Subscriptions EzineArticles RSS © 2017 EzineArticles All Rights Reserved Worldwide