• Amused
  • Angry
  • Annoyed
  • Awesome
  • Bemused
  • Cocky
  • Cool
  • Crazy
  • Crying
  • Depressed
  • Down
  • Drunk
  • Embarrased
  • Enraged
  • Friendly
  • Geeky
  • Godly
  • Happy
  • Hateful
  • Hungry
  • Innocent
  • Meh
  • Piratey
  • Poorly
  • Sad
  • Secret
  • Shy
  • Sneaky
  • Tired
  • Results 1 to 17 of 17

    Thread: Joyce's Lily and Lotus Potting FAQ

    1. #1
      Swimming Jewel's Avatar
      Swimming Jewel is offline Queen of the Jungle
      This user has no status.
       
      Feeling:
      ----
       
      Join Date
      Aug 2004
      Location
      Southold, Long Island
      Posts
      15,196
      When I repot in the spring, I use pots without holes, (or you can line pots with black garbage bags) and throw in about a half cup of Osmocote Pellets per 18" pot on the bottom of the pot before I add the soil (I use compost...composted cow manure works best for me).
      Osmocote is a micro-coated fertilizer, using the osmosis process in conjunction with the temperature, the nutrients inside the micro-coated pellet pass through the micro-coat, the warmer the temps, the faster it is released. This corresponds to the lilies (or lotus, or any pond plants) needs for nutrition. As it warms up from Spring to Summer, your plants grows faster, needs more nutrition...more food. Osmocote can NOT dissolve all at once like fertilizer tabs or spikes can, so it is virtually impossible to burn your plants with Osmocote (unless you don't follow directions and dump WAYYYY too much of it in the pot). There is a chart on each container of Osmocote that tells you how much to use per diameter pot.
      Fool proof I say...but they are famous last words aren't they.
      Common sense comes into play here too.
      Think about what water lilies grow in, in their natural habitat, at the bottom of a natural pond.

      Do they grow in sand?
      Do they grow in Kitty Litter?
      Do they grow in Gravel?
      Do they grow in topsoil?
      Do they grow in coco fiber?
      Do they grow in clay?

      'NOPE' to all of the above.

      Water lilies grow in the composting, rotting muck at the bottom of natural ponds. This muck is a combo of dead plants, dead animals, dead insects, and all the other organic debris that naturally gets into a pond and settles out onto a layer of sediment on the bottom. TONS of micronutrients in this muck too, not to mention beneficial bacteria, and yes, anaerobic bacteria. There are no 'holes' in the bottom of natural ponds. No need for holes in pots either.
      Another good aspect to pots without holes is that the nutrients and fertilizer has to seep upwards into the water lily roots (or any pond plant roots) and can not leach out through the bottom holes. This way your lily gets ALL the nutrition.
      If you use pots with holes, the fertilizer (and soil nutrients) leach out and will cause algae blooms.

      So by planting your lilies in compost, it's the next best thing to what your lily really wants...natural pond muck! And by adding Osmocote, you can have at least 4 months of gradually released supplemental nutrition for your lilies, and all pond plants.
      And you wont get any fertilizer burn.
      But you will get bigger lilies, more blooms than you've ever had, and have a lot less maintenance!
      (not to mention Osmocote saves you money in the long run)

      And another copy/paste:
      Here is another 'secret' I use: I stick a small walnut sized wad of plain steel wool on the bottom of my pot....keeps the lily (or any plant) from getting chloritic. (yellowing from lack of iron)
      Also, I mix Mosquito Quick Kill granules (it's all natural, uses Bacillus thurengensis aka BT) into my Compost. It innoculates your plants soil with BT, killing the caterpillars that eat your lily leaves, and it will of course kill mosquitos. Completely fish safe, pet safe, human safe since it uses a bacteria that gets into the bugs digestive system, disrupts it and causes the caterpillars (and mosquito larvae) to starve to death.
      When mixed into the soil, it seems to 'time release' and last all summer.

      Pondly...Joyce

      PS: One word of warning, if you buy conposted cow manure, it should look and smell like high quality compost...NOT COW POOP!
      It should not be moldy, stinky, or nasty in any way. If you do open a bag and it's nasty, funky, stinky.....use common sense and DON'T use it!
      ...Joyce

      www.peacefulponds.org

      “Guilt is always jealous.”
      John Ray


      “Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature.
      It will never fail you.”

      Frank Lloyd Wright


      “There is only one good; knowledge, and one evil; ignorance” ...Socrates

      'When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross.' ...Sinclair Lewis

      No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy ... USMC



      • Remove Ads
        Advertising from Google
        Promoting Koi and Pond
        keeping since 2007

         

    2. #2
      sworley's Avatar
      sworley is offline Senior Member
      is Still loving my pond!
       
      Feeling:
      Annoyed
       
      Join Date
      Jul 2007
      Location
      North Carolina
      Posts
      7,308
      Great tips, Joyce! Thanks! I didn't think about the "natural" medium for lilies. I've seen Osmacote at Lowes but didn't realize it is a time-release fertilizer. I've been using tomato spikes, which are hard to find here. When I repot my lilies again, I'll definitely use some "Black Kow". Have you used that?

    3. #3
      Swimming Jewel's Avatar
      Swimming Jewel is offline Queen of the Jungle
      This user has no status.
       
      Feeling:
      ----
       
      Join Date
      Aug 2004
      Location
      Southold, Long Island
      Posts
      15,196
      Yes, I have used that. It's OK.

      You just need to make sure that whatever you use hasn't gone sour. Sometimes the bags are over a year old, and get funky.

      Has to be composted, not fresh manure.

      This year I used some of my own home made compost from kitchen scraps and coffee grounds. The lilies LOVE it!
      ...Joyce

      www.peacefulponds.org

      “Guilt is always jealous.”
      John Ray


      “Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature.
      It will never fail you.”

      Frank Lloyd Wright


      “There is only one good; knowledge, and one evil; ignorance” ...Socrates

      'When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross.' ...Sinclair Lewis

      No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy ... USMC



    4. #4
      aartwmich's Avatar
      aartwmich is offline Insatiably Curious Ponderer
      This user has no status.
       
      Feeling:
      ----
       
      Join Date
      May 2004
      Location
      South West Michigan
      Posts
      3,724
      As you are indeed 'Queen of the Jungle'
      I have copied your post to guide my water gardening efforts this year.
      My first year trying trops and lotus...and repotting my existing hardies.

      Hope you are doing well Joyce, I think of you often in several contexts.

      Anne (the 'e' is silent) the Armchair Ponder


      Judge no one by their outward appearance or where they work or live or worship........but by the content of their character displayed in the integrity of their actions.

    5. #5
      Archivesisis's Avatar
      Archivesisis is offline Senior Member
      This user has no status.
       
      Feeling:
      ----
       
      Join Date
      Nov 2007
      Location
      Gulfport, Mississippi
      Posts
      2,395

      Lotus: (dieffenbachia and black walnut, too.)

      F.y.i.
      Attached Images Attached Images  
      Oy! Koi.

      "I divide all readers into two classes:
      Those who read to remember and those who read to forget."
      (William Phelps)

      "You think [librarians are] just sitting there at the desk, all quiet and everything. They're like plotting a revolution, man. I wouldn't mess with them."
      (Michael Moore)

      "There is not such a cradle of democracy upon the earth as the
      Free Public Library,
      this republic of letters, where neither rank, office, nor wealth
      receives the slightest consideration."
      (Andrew Carnegie)

    6. #6
      aartwmich's Avatar
      aartwmich is offline Insatiably Curious Ponderer
      This user has no status.
       
      Feeling:
      ----
       
      Join Date
      May 2004
      Location
      South West Michigan
      Posts
      3,724
      Quote Originally Posted by Archivesisis View Post
      F.y.i.
      Good overview for seeding lotus

      Anne (the 'e' is silent) the Armchair Ponder


      Judge no one by their outward appearance or where they work or live or worship........but by the content of their character displayed in the integrity of their actions.

    7. #7
      Noahsnana's Avatar
      Noahsnana is offline Koiphen Admin -
      is KPOTY 2024
       
      Feeling:
      ----
       
      Join Date
      Aug 2004
      Location
      So. MD
      Posts
      43,628
      I did not repot 3 lotus pots and they were looking sluggish so I threw in a 1/4 c of osmocote in each.... they all perked up, grew a foot and I have a bloom
      The will of God will not take you where the grace of God cannot keep you. .....
      "I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle." -Winston Churchill Zone 7a
      I believe it can happen... Koi World Peace
      "The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money." - Margaret Thatcher
      KPOTY 2024

    8. #8
      aartwmich's Avatar
      aartwmich is offline Insatiably Curious Ponderer
      This user has no status.
       
      Feeling:
      ----
       
      Join Date
      May 2004
      Location
      South West Michigan
      Posts
      3,724
      I love osmocote...who was badmouthing?

      Anyone know a product that is slow release like osmocote but with a NPK formulation that is low-high-medium?

      Anne (the 'e' is silent) the Armchair Ponder


      Judge no one by their outward appearance or where they work or live or worship........but by the content of their character displayed in the integrity of their actions.

    9. #9
      Swimming Jewel's Avatar
      Swimming Jewel is offline Queen of the Jungle
      This user has no status.
       
      Feeling:
      ----
       
      Join Date
      Aug 2004
      Location
      Southold, Long Island
      Posts
      15,196
      I believe Osmocote has a formula for flowering plants that has a higher middle number.
      (Probably Nutricote and Multicote have the same formulas, they are different brand names, but pretty much the same product as Osmocote)

      There is now Osmocote Plus and Osmocote Total which are even better products than what I am using now, with iron, and trace elements, just can't find 'em yet around here.
      Remember, just because it has a higher middle number, does NOT mean you will have more blooms.
      Blooming is best when the plant is getting the proper sunlight.

      The best formula for all plants is the balanced 14-14-14 which provides the proper balance between foliage, roots and blooms.

      Here is a review online:
      http://www.epinions.com/reviews/Scot...oor_Plant_Food
      ...Joyce

      www.peacefulponds.org

      “Guilt is always jealous.”
      John Ray


      “Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature.
      It will never fail you.”

      Frank Lloyd Wright


      “There is only one good; knowledge, and one evil; ignorance” ...Socrates

      'When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross.' ...Sinclair Lewis

      No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy ... USMC



    10. #10
      Lotus-a-holic's Avatar
      Lotus-a-holic is offline Junior Member
      This user has no status.
       
      Feeling:
      ----
       
      Join Date
      Jan 2009
      Location
      SW Florida
      Posts
      11

      Another time release fertilizer option -- more than you want to know ...

      Osmocote is wonderful for saving time when planting, especially for terrestrial plants. Each little granule (technically called a 'prill') gradually releases its contents according to time. The different NPK blends and release rates are determined by the guts of each prill and how much coating each has -- the more coating, the longer it takes to wear off. (Hmmm ... that makes sense.)

      There is another brand of time release fertilizer that works a little differently. Instead of coating each fertilizer component particle to make a prill, it blends all the ingredients together and then forms them into prills -- so each prill has the same chemical composition. The coating it uses is also different; it releases according to temperature and time, not just time. This is very valuable for aquatic plants, which are so seasonal in their growth. The fertilizer is Nutricote and I found out about it from aquatic plant growers, who buy it wholesale in big bags. Luckily it's also possible to get it in smaller quantities at garden centers under the name Dynamite. (The prills are gray and irregular shaped.)

      It should be mentioned that both of these fertilizers are designed for growing in soil, not in water. So their dosages and release rates (90, 120 days, etc) don't really apply.

      Having said all that ... I love using Dynamite and add it to all my planting soil for lilies and lotus. I've even found a way to insert it into plants late in the season. (But that's another topic.)

      Aquatically Yours,
      Paula
      The Lotus: Know It and Grow It
      www.AboutTheLotus.com

      • Remove Ads
        Advertising from Google
        Promoting Koi and Pond
        keeping since 2007

         

    11. #11
      Swimming Jewel's Avatar
      Swimming Jewel is offline Queen of the Jungle
      This user has no status.
       
      Feeling:
      ----
       
      Join Date
      Aug 2004
      Location
      Southold, Long Island
      Posts
      15,196
      Welcome Paula!

      Actually, the coating on Osmocote prills is not designed to wear off. It is designed to function as an Osmotic Membrane (using osmocosis...water and water soluable fertilizers pass through the membrane), hence the name 'Osmocote' (and includes ALL the competitor lookalikes like Multicote, Nutricote, etc) These all employ the Osmotic Membrane...once again, not designed to wear off... but to osmotically release (based on soil temps) the balanced formula inside, which is the same balanced formula inside each pellet or 'prill'.

      By the way, the Osmotic Membrane works with the temperature of the soil, the warmer the soil, the faster the fertilizer passes through the membrane because the membrane expands as it warms, opening up small holes in the membrane which the fertilizer passes through.
      The membrane is soy based and breaks down well after all the nutrients have been released.

      All the above info can be found and read on the Osmcote Label of each container.

      But here are some links to read if you don't happen to have an Osmocote, Nutricote or Multicote label on hand.

      http://www.nrrbs.com.au/fertosmocote2.htm

      http://www.plantersplace.com/Products/FAQ.aspx

      Very good diagram in this link illustrating the osmosis process within each prill.
      http://www.scottsaustralia.com.au/In...Osmocote_works
      ...Joyce

      www.peacefulponds.org

      “Guilt is always jealous.”
      John Ray


      “Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature.
      It will never fail you.”

      Frank Lloyd Wright


      “There is only one good; knowledge, and one evil; ignorance” ...Socrates

      'When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross.' ...Sinclair Lewis

      No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy ... USMC



    12. #12
      Lotus-a-holic's Avatar
      Lotus-a-holic is offline Junior Member
      This user has no status.
       
      Feeling:
      ----
       
      Join Date
      Jan 2009
      Location
      SW Florida
      Posts
      11
      Hi All,
      < Actually, the coating on Osmocote prills is not designed to wear off. It is designed to function as an Osmotic Membrane (using osmocosis...water and water soluable fertilizers pass through the membrane), hence the name 'Osmocote' (and includes ALL the competitor lookalikes like Multicote, Nutricote, etc) ...>

      Thanks very much for the correction/clarification. This was one of my first posts and I wasn't being as careful as I should have. I was actually worried about being too wordy and technical (which HAS been known to happen.)

      My preference for Nutricote over Osmocote (which I originally used) is based on personal results in the 9-month growing season of SW Florida, where a steady release that lasts as long as possible is preferred. Then when commercial aquatic plant growers recommended Nutricote to me, I was sold. The final straw was a study of controlled release fertilizers in AQUATIC conditions done through the Univ of FL. (Reported in the IWGS Journal Vol 21:1, unfortunately not available online.) The Osmocote released its nutrients faster in completely submerged conditions, which is what my lilies and lotus have.

      Since I'm basically a lazy water gardener, I try to use very good rich soil, packed with long-term nutrients whenever I repot. That means I don't have to worry about adding fertilizer until late summer.

      The bottom line is that any good fertilizer, ideally with micronutrients, will provide the food that lilies and lotus need. The exact formulation and NPK ratio will depend upon the grower's preferences. And as Joyce said, getting lots of light (and warmth) are also critical to lots of blooms.
      Paula
      The Lotus: Know It and Grow It
      www.AboutTheLotus.com

    13. #13
      ladyb is offline Senior Member
      This user has no status.
       
      Feeling:
      ----
       
      Join Date
      Jan 2009
      Location
      texas
      Posts
      305
      Joyce , recently repotted the lilies in my pond, did the Colorado using your method and the others using the old way and water plant fertilizer tabs. the Colorado has put out loads of new leaves in just about 3 weeks and is putting out multiple blooms . 4 yesterday. The others are doing okay but nothing like the Colorado planted using your directions. The other 3 are Panama Pacific always a great grower and bloomer for me, ,an Arc-en Ciel, and a Mayla. am tempted to repot those 3 but,not sure if I should uproot them again. Jacki

    14. #14
      tnovak's Avatar
      tnovak is offline Supporting Member
      This user has no status.
       
      Feeling:
      ----
       
      Join Date
      Dec 2004
      Location
      N.E. Pennsylvania
      Posts
      11,226
      Now that I have my own fertilizer factory (2 mini horses and 1 pygmy goat) I'll be repotting all of my lilies, and into pots with hangers so that I can move them or get them out easier! I have a composting pile that's been cooking for over a year! And it's ready!!!
      TINA
      Indian Echo
      [URL="http://www.worldwidekoiclub.org/index.php"]

    15. #15
      Swimming Jewel's Avatar
      Swimming Jewel is offline Queen of the Jungle
      This user has no status.
       
      Feeling:
      ----
       
      Join Date
      Aug 2004
      Location
      Southold, Long Island
      Posts
      15,196

      Talking

      Lady B, good for you! You just CAN'T beat Osmocote for results!

      Maybe try gently poking a holes into the dirt of the lilies that need a boost, filling each hole with a tablespoon of Osmocote, and then backfilling the holes with dirt and topping off the hole with a rock for a cork.
      Depending on your pot size, probably 2 holes per lily is enough.
      Try to get the holes as deep as possible.

      tnovak, I am using all home made compost this year too.
      Loks just like rich potting soil minus the perlite. A dark chocolate, almost black-brown.
      ...Joyce

      www.peacefulponds.org

      “Guilt is always jealous.”
      John Ray


      “Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature.
      It will never fail you.”

      Frank Lloyd Wright


      “There is only one good; knowledge, and one evil; ignorance” ...Socrates

      'When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross.' ...Sinclair Lewis

      No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy ... USMC



    16. #16
      rad michelle's Avatar
      rad michelle is offline Senior Member
      This user has no status.
       
      Feeling:
      ----
       
      Join Date
      Apr 2009
      Location
      california zone 10a)
      Posts
      274

      what i did

      what i did to add my osmocote to my already potted lilies was to take a funnel with a long neck, something for maybe adding oil to a vehicle, and a stick or longer screw driver...

      I poked my finger in the soil to make sure there werent any heavy roots, for the tropicals i tried to get kinda under the crown... and kinda wiggled my finger past everything to get to the bottom of the pot... then i followed with the long neck funnel with the stick inside it to keep the neck from filling with dirt as i poked the funnel to the bottom...

      then i pulled the stick out, added my dose of osmo, put the stick back in, and gently pulled the funnel back out while using the stick to push the osmo in the dirt instead of getting stuck in the neck of the funnel and pouring out as i pulled the funnel out. worked like a charm.
      Click for Bakersfield, California Forecast

    17. #17
      Tommygug's Avatar
      Tommygug is offline Senior Member
      is Happily Retired!!!
       
      Feeling:
      ----
       
      Join Date
      Jun 2009
      Location
      West Islip, NY
      Posts
      836
      Over the years I have read lots of advice for growing pond plants. Some good, most not so good. I have to say your lotus potting mix is absolutely amazing. Early this spring, I started a few lotus from last years seed pods. I gave 4 pots to friends and keep two myself. I planted 2 in regular soil with fertilizer tablets and 4 were done with composted manure with Osmocote. I can not believe the difference, two plants already have flower buds coming up. I have been growing lotus for years and I don't recall ever getting flowers in the first year. I can wait until I repot my other Lotus next spring!! thanks for sharing your knowledge!!!!

      • Remove Ads
        Advertising from Google
        Promoting Koi and Pond
        keeping since 2007

         

    Posting Permissions

    • You may not post new threads
    • You may not post replies
    • You may not post attachments
    • You may not edit your posts
    •