Step by Step Tutorial on Overwintering Tropical Waterlilies

Overwintering tropical waterlilies is a different kind of gardening activity. You can do it if you follow a few simple rules.

 Remove Roots From The Pots

Before the first frost, remove the roots from the pots.

Trim Roots

Trim off most of the leaves and roots so the roots will fit into a one gallon (roughly six inch) pot.

Repot in fresh soil.

Repot in fresh soil – heavy clay from your garden is perfect. Potting soil is too light and a great deal of it will float (perlite, bark etc)
waterlily barbara dobbins

Waterlily ‘Barbara Dobbins’

Put In Warm Water

Put in aquarium where the water temperature is never allowed to go below 68F

Use Grow Lights

Direct grow light lighting kept no more than six inches above the water line. Usually we’re looking for several hundred watts. In other words, at least two large bulbs or grow lamp tubes.

If They Don’t Grow Leaves But Form Tubers Instead

If the tropical water lilies do not grow but instead form walnut sized tubers, you can remove the tubers and store in water that goes no lower than 55 to 60 F for the winter.
Use an aquarium heater and thermometer to heat and monitor the water temp.
Alternately, you can keep them in wet vermiculite at these temperatures until spring.

Next Spring

When placed in small pots in the spring and installed in 72F water, they will (hopefully) 🙂 start to grow again.
Grow for at least one month in gallon pot before putting out into pond.

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Water lily Plants can be found here in many different colors

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