How to grow water lilies at home?

Each one of us is obsessed with different kind of plants and flowers. And why shouldn’t we? After all they are so fascinating, colourful and have so many different variations. One such variation is that plants can grow both on land and in water. What could be better than having some beautiful flowers floating in pond in your Garden? Water lilies are pretty easy to grow and look magnificent and soothing to the eyes. So, let’s learn how to grow them.

Location

The first and foremost thing to do is to choose where you are going to place these flowers. You can make a small pond in your garden or you can use beautiful water containers to grow them indoors. Make sure that they get a sunlight of 6 to 8 hours.

Container

This is very important for growing aquatic plants successfully. Choose a container which is atleast 16 to 18 inches in diameter and 10 to 12 inches deep. Drainage holes are optional.

Soil

Well, even aquatic plants need a substrate or soil to grow upon. Fill 3/4^th of the container with clayey soil along with some slow releasing fertilizers. Slow releasing fertilizers release small amounts of nutrients in specific intervals which will help in nourishing your plants and will also avoid any fungal or microbials infestations. Then add some large stones and small pebbles, leave some space for sowing seeds.

Planting time

Flowers usually blossom during spring season and so do lilies. In that scenario it is best to plant them during February and March.

Sowing the lilies

After all these preparations, it is now to time to sow the seeds. You can get some tubers or some plantlets of lilies for this purpose. If you get tubers, plant them by keeping the pointy tip upwards and towards the center of the container at 45-degree angle. Remove any kind of old thick roots or leaves from the tubers if present. If you feel your container is too deep, take a small pot and plant your tubers in it so that the tips remain near the surface.

Add water

As we know it is an aquatic plant, water is must. After completing all the steps that are mentioned above, fill your container with water upto the brim. If you feel the water in your area is hard, it is better to use filtered water as lilies don’t survive in hard water.

Which type of lily is best suited for India?

There are two types of lilies available – one is tropical and another one is hardy. Hardy ones are good for places where temperature is freezing or it gets too cold like in mountains. For rest of the country, tropical lilies work best. They are available in amazingly attractive colours and can be found in local nurseries. When you buy a lily make sure its crown is healthy and in good shape.

Care and maintenance

One of the major problems these plants encounter is mosquitoes. As water is stagnant then it is but natural that mosquitoes will breed in it. So, to avoid this, you can add some fishes (like guppies) in your small ponds or containers. You also need to add some fertilizers like DAP in an interval of 3 to 4 months if you are not using organic slow releasing fertilizers.

Once you get used to seeing these beauties bloom and blossom, there is no turning back. They are super attractive and will make you feel happy and full of joy at the same time. Trust me, planting lilies will give you the best adrenaline rush as a plant parent.

Happy water lily gardening folks!

Written by
Antra Thada