Make a Cheap Storage Closet Pond

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At the end of the season, I had too many water hyacinth and water lotus. Not wanting to throw them into the mulch pile, I decided to make a new pond.

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I happen to have a plastic storage closet that I was ready to chuck. This gave me an idea! I popped off the shelving and the door.

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Then I filed down the rough edges from screw holes and removed any screws.

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xxxI found a nice sunny place and laid the storage closet on its backside.

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Then I lined the closet with 4 mil. black plastic sheeting and cut it to size.

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In the process of helping my husband line the new "cheap" pond, I stepped over a pile of lumber and stepped down on a huge nail! I learned my painful lesson, DO NOT wear crocks in a construction area!

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.A day and 1 hospital visit later, I hobbled out to the pond and finished the job. It looks great! All I need to do is add some goldfish or minnows for mosquito control and I'm all set. In the cold winter months, I will attach clear plastic sheeting to the fence to protect the plants from frost. I can also lower the water level and drape the sheeting right over the pond for protection.

How to Grow Water Lotus from Seed

Water Temperature
Growing water lotus from seed is easier than you might think. Water lotus seed should be started in the late springtime when the water temperature is at least 70° F warm.
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STEP 1 - Where to Buy Seeds
Water Lotus seeds can be purchased on eBay. If you purchase on eBay be sure to purchase from a seller inside the United States. American seeds have a higher germination rate. Most eBay seeds come from Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. From my experience, half of these seeds end up being duds. I call them "floaters" because that's all they do... float and then rot.

Buy American
It is possible to get FREE WATER LOTUS SEEDS from the Garden Web online. All you need to do is pay for shipping. Make sure your seller is actually a water gardener with American grown seeds. I say this, because seeds from Asia have been on the shelf for an extended period of time and their germination rate is low. Also, there is a good chance that although your seller might be from the United States that he/she could have purchased imported seeds. Contact me for more American sources for seeds: gail@pondplantgirl.com

What to look for when shopping for water lotus seeds

1. Look for the lotus "crown" in the picture if possible. This will let you know if the seller knows the difference between a water lily and a water lotus. (see pic on left)

2. If picture has a flower and leaves floating on the water surface then it is NOT a water lotus plant. It is a water "lily" plant. If the picture does not appear to be a lotus but a lily plant instead, then the seller does not know his/her plants and probably buys in bulk from Asia.

3. If the ad states that you will receive 100 seeds for a low dollar amount, then it is NOT water lotus seeds.

STEP 2 - Preparing your Water Lotus Seeds
The weather and water temperature is warm and you are ready to plant your water lotus seeds. The first thing you will need to do is to scar your seeds. This involves filing off the pointy tip of the seeds down just 1 layer. I use a large 12" metal file - which seems to work best and is the easiest method. Scarifying the lotus seed is important, because the seed will not grow otherwise and will possibly rot. After the seed has been scarred, soak the seed in a tall container of water - such as an empty clean plastic soda bottle. Change the water daily until you are ready to plant your water lotus sprout.

STEP 3 - Day 1 to 3
After the first day of soaking your water lotus seed, it can swell to almost twice the size and resemble a black olive.


STEP 4 - Day 4 to 5
On Day 4-5 you should see some green growth sprouting from your water lotus seeds! Continue to change out the water each day, but be careful as to not disturb the growth. Continue the process until your seedling is about 6 inches long.

STEP 5 - Day 12
Pick a Pot: A no-holes 3-5 gallon lily pot is the best choice. You can also use a black 3-5 gallon bucket. Black is important, because it helps to retain heat and helps to keep the seedlings warm.



STEP 6 - Planting Outdoors
By this time your water lotus seedling should be large enough to plant outdoors. You must wait until the weather outside is warm and the water temperature is at least 70°. It is possible to start water lotus seeds indoors in an aquarium located in a sunny window. Only use small minnows in the water as gold fish will eat young sprouts.

STEP 7 - Anchor the Seeds
Before planting the lotus seeds, it is a good idea to form an anchor so they will not float to the surface of the water. This is easily accomplished by wrapping regular modeling clay lightly around the seed. Do not use Play Dough. Modeling clay that does not dry out (the kind that comes in a brick) should be used. Gravel can be used over the top of the soil medium, but it is not as effective.

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STEP 8 - Potting
Planting medium should be 2 parts regular clay soil mixed with 1 part river sand. Do not use concrete sand. Lotus needs little soil to grow. Allow for about 6 inches deep of loamy soil. Carefully lower the pot into shallow water no more than 18" deep. I grow mine in 6 inches of water. In cold weather zones, deeper water might be necessary for frost and freezing control.

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This is how your baby water lotus will look once it is planted. The large round leaves are the lotus. The small are frogbit.






STEP 9 - Fertilize After One Season
Do not fertilize during the first year of growth. No matter how good of a fertilizer you have, this will fry the tender sprouts. There is enough in the large seed itself to sustain healthy growth for the first season of growth. During the second season, fertilize with a good quality "water lily" fertilizer tab.


This is a pic of a second season lotus that is ready to bloom. Lotus that is allowed to grow wild will grow up to 4 feet tall. This lotus is smaller, because it is potted in a small container.
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For more information about fertilizing, lotus care and how to mix loam see:

- http://www.pondplantgirl.com/water-lotus.htm

- http://www.pondplantgirl.com/lily-care.htm

Water Lily & Water Lotus Care

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The Best Lily & Lotus Fertilizer
Highland Rim, 10-26-10 fertilizer tabs designed to promote healthy growth ~ Designed to promote flowers ~ Large tablets and easy to use. Highland Rim is the best profesional grade fertilizer to maintain your aquatic garden investment. Cheap fertilizer offers cheap results. For the best quality, I highly recommend Highland Rim for beautiful blooming pond plants. Use for water lilies, water lotus, and all blooming pond plants.

A good all around fertilizer is the green label 14-14-14 Osmocote...
It can be put it in the pot in the spring and it can carry you thru the summer season. If you want your lilies to be big bloomers, then fertilize them every 10-14 days. Alternate between Osmocote and 1 Jobes Tomato spikes every other week. When the lilies begin to bloom increase the tomato stakes to 2 spikes and you will soon be rewarded! Caution: Osmocote has been known to burn water lotus plants!

Fertilizer tabs or spikes are great for the lilies...
But if you want to fertilize your hyacinths you can always pull them out and soak them in a bucket of miracle grow solution. Mix it up per the directions and then just soak them in there for a few hours. Rinse the roots before putting them back in the pond. Do not add Miracle Grow in the pond. This will drastically increase algae growth. Osmocote can be added directly to the pond water to fertilize water lettuce and water hyacinth. It does not burn the roots and will not promote the algae growth.

Gail Gates

Over wintering lotuses-
Lotus tubers need to be protected from freezing during the winter. They need to be moved to deeper water, where they cannot freeze. If you cannot move them to deeper water you must store the tuber in a place where they will not freeze. Gently wash the tuber off after it has died down for the winter, and treat it with a fungicide. Then place it in moist kitty litter in a bag or container, making sure not to damage or break the growing tip. Place it in a cool location for the winter. Repot it in the spring. Divide at least every 2 years before the tuber comes out of hibernation.

Over wintering Your Tropical Water lilies
As winter nears, you should stop fertilizing your tropical lilies. This will help slow their growth and prepare them for over wintering as tubers. After your first light frost or two, (I know it will be cold!) pull the pot out of the water. Feel around in the soil and find all of the hard nut-like tubers, called corms. You will find them just below the crown of the plant. They will normally range from the size of a pea to the size of a golf ball, but may be larger. Take all of the tubers out of the soil and rinse them thoroughly with a strong jet of water. Trim off any remnants of roots or stems from the tuber. I roll my corms in Captan, a fungicide. I store them in plastic bags. They must be stored in damp (not wet) peat, sphagnum moss, or sand. The temperature must stay above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Replant in the spring when the water temps allow planting, usually above 70 degrees.

Another way to over winter tropical lilies...
Is to keep them in tubs that can be kept warm and get at least 4 hours a day of sunshine. Last winter I had plants in tubs in the greenhouse that did well this spring. The temperature in the greenhouse was kept above 45 degrees at night.

Frank Matherley

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Dead Pond Plants & Water Garden Flowers

Why are my water lilies brown?

Hi, I have a koi pond and my water lilies are turning brown. My koi are doing very well. My water is very clear. I use Barley in my pond. Can you give me some advice.

Thank you, Mike R.

Hi Mike

Lilies grow best in water that is 18"-30" deep. If planted in water that is too shallow the leaves will dry out. In the correct water depth and during the growing season, water lily leaves will turn brown and then will produce new leaves again. Lilies do go dormant in the fall and then come back again in when the weather warms in the spring time.

Lilies need to be fertilized in the spring and summer. In order to produce new leaf growth and flowers, lilies need to be fertilized once per month with 2 good quality fertilizer tabs throughout the season. If the wrong fertilizer is used or if fertilizer is used incorrectly this will burn the leaves and the entire plant.

There are not any pests that can turn the leaves a brown color. The most common pest is the garden slug and snail. This is evident by the nibble marks on the leaves. Koi will also munch on the water lily pads, but I do not think this is why the leaves are brown.

Try taking your lilies out of the water to make sure they are not rotting for some reason. This is evident by a pungent smell. If this is the case then repotting is needed.

Garden Blessings, :-) GAiL

Please visit my website! http://www.pondplantgirl.com/

How to Pot Water Lily

Hardy water lily can grow in both very hot climates and in very cold climates too.
Select a sunny location in water that is at least 18 inches deep. In water 2-3 feet deep or more, lilies will grow until their lily pads read the water surface.

ALL Lilies purchased from The Pond Plant Girl are "pond ready". They are fertilized and ready to simply drop in the pond. Your water lily will be very large and will need to be repotted into a larger container.

Potting Bare Root Water Lily

Most water lily purchased online is sold bare root. This means that most of the leaves have been cut back and the thick tuber has only a few roots attached. The picture on the left shows the thick cigar-like black water lily tuber. The roots are white. There is a single water lily leaf in the upper right hand corner of the picture. This is a healthy lily that was donated to the Pleasant View Elementary School pond project in Porterville, CA. Before bringing it to the school and planting in their pond, I am growing it in my 18" holding pond until it is large enough to grow in their large 5 foot deep pond.

Mixing Soil Medium for Your Water Lily

Water Lily Soil can be purchased at OSH Hardware Store and Menard's Hardware or you can mix your own water lily soil! If sterile soil is not an issue for you, you can choose soil and sand from your yard and local river or you can go to a sand and gravel yard like I did.

DO NOT USE REGULAR POTTING SOIL because it will float to the water surface!

1. Mix 2 parts clay soil with
2. 1 part river sand (not ocean sand)
3. Add 1 part pea gravel (optional)



Choose a pot that is large enough to allow room for your water lily to grow.

A 1 gallon water lily pot will work for a small lily. I chose a 3 gallon wide mouth black bucket with a rope handle from The Dollar Tree Store because I will be planting this lily in a deep pond. This pot is the perfect size and the handle makes it much easier for when the pot needs to be raised up for fertilizing. A plastic handle is also a good choice, but stay away from metal handle buckets. A black bucket is best to retain warmth and for appearance purposes.

An alternative to potting is to allow your water lily to grow wild. This is a good choice if you have a very large and deep pond. However, if you need to maintain your water lilies or thin them out, it can be very labor intensive... especially if you need to go diving!
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Before Planting and Transplanting your Water Lily

Add fertilizer at the bottom of the pot. You can purchase water lily time released pellets or water lily fertilizer tabs or stakes, or you may add green label Osmocote fertilizer. Lay paper towel over the fertilizer and cover with the water lily soil mix. In 10 days, push in a Jobes tomato fertilizer spike. Fertilizing should be done every 10-14 days during the blooming season - alternating with Osmocote and then the tomato stake 10-14 days later, etc. The easiest method is to add time released lily fertilizer instead, however it can be very costly if you have a lot of lilies.











Fill your water lily pot half full of the soil mix and lay your lily in the pot.

Gently cover your water lily with the remaining soil but be sure any water lily leaves are sticking out of the soil. Lightly cover the surface with pea gravel. BEFORE placing in the pond. Wet down the water lily soil to minimize any floaters escaping from the soil.












This is how the water lily looked a week after receiving in the mail. I will update new pics as the lilies grow.







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The picture above (left) is what you will receive from me. All lilies weigh 10 pounds after draining excess water. All water lilies ordered from me are pond ready and have buds ready to bloom. The other picture above (right) is the average bare root you will receive from other sellers. It weighs about 1 pound at most.

Winter Water Lily Care

Option 1

DO NOT LET THE WATER FREEZE SOLID.
This is the key to keeping your hardy water lily through the winter. A good rule to keep is to submerge your water lily at least 2-3 feet deep and allow them to go dormant. It is okay to allow the leaves to die back or you may also cut them back. In the springtime when new growth appears, remember that your lilies will need fertilizing and might need repotting. If your lilies are growing wild, press fertilizer spikes (if possible) down into the soil.

Option 2

1. Remove the water lilies from the pond and cut back all the leaves and flowers.

2. Store in a Rubbermaid tub inside an area (such as a garage) where the tub of water will not freeze...

3. OR Store wet in a sealed black garbage bag. Without any light, the lilies will go dormant for the winter.

4. Change out the garbage bag once per month during the winter season.

5. When the weather warms the lilies will begin to sprout new leaves and will be ready to be divided, repotted, and fertilized. If the lilies are not busting out of the pot, they may also be placed straight back in the pond without repotting. Fertilizing is necessary to promote healthy growth and new flowers.

HAPPY PONDING!

For more winter care ideas see: Gardening in Alaska - Build an Easy Greenhouse

Make a Rubbermaid Pond