How old does your plant have to be. Mine has 6 small leaves about 2-3" across. Will it bloom this year. Thanks Txsdar
When do water lilies Bloom
make sure you are fertilising them and they should
Yes I have been fertilizing them once a week. That is good news thank you. Txsdar
i wouldent do it once a week, it might burn them,
i do mine about once a month (if i remember) lol
absolutely...you are fertilizing tooo much. about once a month during the warmer months is all you need...also most of them do need sun to bloom well !
Gets lots of sun, I have fertilized with Schultz, put a straw on the eye dropper and put the straw down into the soil and then squirt about 5 drops into straw into soil. It has picked up growth since I started fertilizing that way. The leaves are getting bigger and bigger. Thanks Txsdar
thats probably okay but I assume you mean liquid fertilizer and I think that is frowned upon because it has the capacity to "escape" into the water too easily.
You would probably have lots better results with some type of "hard" fertilizer. Folks have lots of opinions on that....some use job tomato stakes in little pieces, Pondtabs if you can find them is always good and easy and I think Lowes and Home Depot carry some type of aquatic fertilizer that might not be quiet as good but will be easier to manage.
They are out of pond fertilizers at HD, Lowes and WM. Bummer I have looked so out of desperation I used Liquid Schultz. They are looking better and leaves are bigger.
People use many things and I have seen some great arguments over which is the best. Personally, I take everyones advice into account and use what I want to :) The liquid most likely will help but I fear that it might not be the best "bang for your buck" because the liquid will quickly leach out of the pots and "fertilize" all the water....might be just fine..but you may end up with a slimey algea mess. If you dont have fish or too many lilies...you can probably get some jobes tree stakes...(the big ones) and beat them into smaller chunks...(about sugar cube size or smaller) and put one deep into each pots. They are great for the lilies and you only have to use them once a month but I wouldnt overdo with them if you have fish.
Thanks I have some of those. Will try that. Great Idea! Txsdar
just one a pot should be okay..assuming you have the lily near the middle..put the fertilzer near the side/edge of the pot.
Its a done deal. Broke off a piece about the size of sugar cube and buried it in the soil. Hope I have a bloom in a month or so. Txsdar
Never heard of anyone using liquid on WL. I fertilize every two weeks when using pond tabs. But wait until there are at least 6 good sized leaves before doing it that often. This year I am using slow release 13-13-13 purchased at the feed store (20# for 8.00). Then bundle a one tablespoon for lilies and two for lotus in cut up old panty hose. Actually I know people that fertilize every week especially their lotus and tropical WL. The big tropical night bloomers like Red Flare and Texas Shell Pink really bloom there little hearts out with heavy feeding. This is strictly my opinion and my personal experience but I doubt if you would burn your WL's since the fertilizer gets so diluted and to get a good show it takes heavy feeding. The more the beeter, full sun all day is the best for lots of blooms. As for algae I use hydrogen peroxide to control hair and string algae so the fertilizer is'nt really an issue. With enough surface cover and the right plant combination green water is minimal. Your hardy WL's will quit blooming around the second week of September, that's why you need to grow tropical WL too. They bloom until the frost. Here is a picture of a pond, not mine but a friend, with WL being fertilized every week or so.
Edited for easier understanding
>
This message was edited Jul 2, 2005 9:24 AM
