Along with the Lotus flower, the Water Lily is also the most beautiful flower in the aquatic plant world, praised in many works of art. In addition to their always shining beauty and strong fragrance, they are also extremely easy to grow and care for because of their strong vitality. However, if it is grown in fields or ponds, what about the technique of growing plants in pots at home? Is it really that simple? Below are the basic technical steps for growing water lilies in the simplest pots for your reference.

Planting pots

Because the water lily plant is easy to grow and spreads, you need to choose a relatively large pot with an appropriate diameter of 30 cm x 45 cm and 15 cm x 25 cm for depth. Containers may or may not have holes. If there is a water hole in the container, cover it with a layer of tarpaulin to keep the soil in the container. The soil that drains out will cloud the water in the pond, making it difficult for the plants to grow fat and become stunted and ugly.

Planting land

The most suitable soil for water lilies is mud. However, you can also use nutritious garden soil. You should not use loose soil such as humus or seedling soil. The soil will flow out of the container. You can soak the soil for 7-10 days before planting. Avoid mixing soil with pebbles, vermiculite or peat as these can easily leach out of the container. 

Techniques for growing Water Lily plants

First you need to put soil into the pot. If you want to add more nutrients to the soil to help plants grow better, we can add some pelleted fertilizer to the soil. Then use scissors to cut off the roots and old leaves for the water lily tuber. Plant the bulbs close to the pot with the leaves facing up, creating a 45-degree angle toward the center of the pot. After planting, cover the ground with a layer of gravel or rocks to prevent mud or soil from spilling out, and also create a beautiful foundation for the pot. Next, we fill the pot with water and then take the pot outside so the plant can catch light and photosynthesize.

Take care of

Caring for water lilies is as simple as planting them. Just regularly prune old, rotten leaves to prevent contamination of the water and help the plant have more nutrients. For small containers, fertilize the plants once every 1-2 weeks. For large containers with lots of mud, fertilizing once a month is appropriate.

Ways to get more flowers

The blooming characteristic of water lilies is that they bloom during the day and close down at night. Each Water Lily flower will stay fresh for three to five days. After the flower fades, it will slowly sink below the water’s surface. In order for the plant to have many blooms, cut all the dead flowers as they sink, follow the flower stem to cut close to the base of the stem, and at the same time remove all dead or wilting leaves.

How to preserve and nurture water lily bulbs in winter for propagation

When winter comes, the water lily plant will wither, leaving only the tuber underground. At this time, take the tuber out of the pot and cut off the old leaves and roots. Let the tubers dry and put them in a plastic bag to maintain a moderate temperature to avoid the cold, but remember to still ensure moisture for the tubers so they don’t wither. Or you can also preserve it by incubating the water lily tuber in peat mixed with moss at a temperature of 40 – 50 degrees F. After winter ends, you can continue to plant the tuber.