Just bought my first water lily

Hi All....!

After much contemplation, finally bought it online. Will be here in a couple of days from now, unless if the seller decided to ship it next monday instead.
Now, what should I have on hand to prepare for its arrival? It'll be shipped bare root.
Currently, my half barrel pond has 6 water hyacinths, 1 gal. pot of horsetail plant, and 2 small goldfish.
Will the water lily need to be planted in a pot with soil and all, just like the horsetail? I bought the horsetail a little while ago in a local nursery, so it came in a pot and all, and I I gotta do just put them in the barrel. So, this will be my first attempt planting a water plant.
What kind of soil should I use? I know that there's soil especially for water plant, the one that won't cloud the water. Any suggestion which one? How do I plant this thing? Put the soil in first, insert plant, etc, never done this before, so I really have no clue how to do this.
Just want to be ready so once the water lily gets here, I'll have things prepared.
One dumb question, I can't just put the water lily in the barrel without soil, can I?
Thank you very much for all your tips and suggestions!

Here's a picture of my barrel at the moment....

You need to plant it in garden soil in a pot. Do not use the garden mix sold at the outlet stores as it has a lot of organic matter that will rot and some ingredients that will float which will create a headache for you. Try to find a pot that is wider than it is tall to allow the roots to spread. :)

Thanks tatleytuna!

So using the special soil for water plants isn't suggested then?

What kind of fertilizer is safe for the fish? Maybe anyone can suggest a brand. I read that water lily is a heavy feeder. Saw some fertilizer pellets in PetSmart, they didn't say if they are safe for fish or not, but I assume since they sell them in a petstore, they should be safe. Couldn't really find anyone knowledgeable enough over there.

Should the pot have holes, no holes? When I was reading around, some suggested pot with at least one hole, the other article suggested pot with no hole. Which one is better?

Thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it!

hi Bk, When i plant a lily..from bareroot..i used both types of pots,,,your common old black one with the one hole in the bottom, specially made those mesh type pots for water lilies, either one worked well, i still have the lilies 6 years now. Now they have grown through the bottom of their containers into my "mud" bottom pre-formed ponds, and are thriving...the plant tabs for water lilies are great,, read the small print, most are safe with fish...i like the ones that have a sort of point at the bottom, then you can push them into the soil. When i plant a lily, i dig up plain old soil in the yard, set the lily in the center, fill up with soil to the crown..where the stem starts the leaves, leave about an2 or 3 above the dirt. I now put in any river pebbles i have on hand gently sprinkling them over the soil, (about an inch layer or even 2) now take your garden hose and gently run the water till the soil stops "leaking" above the gravel. and pours out the bottom of pot,,,.some will leak even as you gentlylower the plant into your barrel. You need to set an overturned flower pot and possibly some bricks to bring your plant closer to the surface...i have put them at the bottom of my 18" ponds and the leaves seek their own level...some junk from your soil will surface, just skim it off with a little net or your hands...soon you will see all the leaves turn the way they are supposed to, and new leaves will grow. (prune any really damaged ones).always an exciting time for me. Hope this was helpful..you can put in your fertilizer tabs according to directions when you plant it. whew...sue

Thanks for coming to the rescue, Sue...! I am completely clueless about water gardening, but don't mind learning a thing or two, of course.
The water lily should be here by Monday. I'm preparing the stuff for it over the weekend. Exciting! :o)

So, I plant this just as planting regular plants, fill pot with soil a bit, set the water lily, put more soil on top of it, gravel, and water, right? Sorry for the super newbie question. LOL.

I bet yours bloom many times already since you have them for so long, isn't this the season for them to bloom, this time of the year?

That's about it! There is no reason why you can't use soil made for aquatic plants! You just don't want the peat moss causing algae and the perlite floating to the surface to make a mess, in reg. pottong medium.. The gravel is important as it keeps your soil from floating to the top, put a good layer and when you lower it into the water do it VERY SLOWLY..so as not to disturb the soil...it can make a mess!At the beginning of this spring..i bought a tiny container from lowes's for a dollar, just to try it, popped it in the pond with no ceremony "Queen of Siam" blooming beautifully!! No fertilizer. I have 2 Coloratas nice Blue ones blooming. Because the ponds are small i prune alot of their leaves to leave space for the fish to feed. In Fla. they bloom early spring to Nov. if the weather stays hot! Then the leaves start dying when they go dormant, i leave them in the ponds and next year they come back..they are tropicals not hardy. In Cal. i would think you have the same...? Always keep your new lily wet and in shade before potting. You will do fine...it is amazing how fast they start growing..i expect to hear emails of delight soon! sue i wish i could post pics of them..no matter how long i have them it is a delight to have blooms.