How to Grow Water Lilies at Home: Family Planting Methods and Care Tips

Water lily is also called Ziwu lily, pink water lily, wild water lily, dwarf water lily, pygmy water lily. Like the lotus in China, the water lily is regarded as an embodiment of holiness and beauty, and is often used as an offering to goddesses. In the New Testament, there is also the saying of “a holy thing that emerges from mud unsoiled”. Below we introduce the family planting methods and care tips for water lilies.

I. How to Grow Water Lilies at Home

1. Flower Pot

When choosing a container, try to choose one that opens outward; leaves grow better with an outward-opening container than an inward-opening one. The larger the opening of the container, the larger the flowers will grow, and the depth will also affect the interval between flowering; the shallower it is, the shorter the interval.

2. Soil

Choose soil with a relatively high clay content; soils like Yangmingshan soil and clay are both fine. Then put a little root fertilizer at the bottom of the pot, add soil in an amount of one quarter to one third of the container, then press the soil down firmly, and bury the bud point of the bulb into the soil. Its flowering time will be affected by the burial depth, so if you want it to take longer to flower you can bury it deeper, and vice versa bury it shallower.

3. Planting

If you want to plant two bulbs or more than two bulbs together, they must be planted together; otherwise, if planted separately, when the stronger-growing side meets the weaker-growing side, the weaker side will die because it is blocked from the light. If you insist on planting them together, plant those of the same color series; dark-colored ones grow more vigorously than light-colored ones.

4. Flowering

The flowering period of water lilies is generally 3-6 days; as time goes on, the growth will gradually become curved, and finally bend down into the water.

5. Overwintering

When overwintering, water lilies enter a dormant state because the temperature is too low. At this time, it is best not to disturb it; let it go dormant on its own, and just replenish the water.

6. Transplanting and Bud Division

Transplanting is generally done before the Mid-Autumn Festival. When dividing buds, be careful not to injure the buds, and the bulbs must not be too tight; they should be looser, otherwise the leaves will become smaller and fail to flower.

7. Asexual Reproduction

Some water lily varieties reproduce asexually. If a bud core grows in the middle of a leaf, you can leave it alone; when the leaf begins to turn yellow, simply cut off the leaf stalk and bud core together and place them in a flower pot for two weeks, and then they can be planted normally.

II. How to Care for Water Lilies in Autumn

1. Change the Water Amount in Time

In summer, water lilies bloom relatively vigorously and brightly. But by autumn, the flowers have gradually faded; you only need to fill the water to the top and leave it there without moving it.

But by the end of autumn, that is, around the Cold Dew solar term, the stems and leaves of the plant have all become withered and yellow. At this point you can pour out all the water, then place it in the sun to dry, let the surface moisture evaporate, and store it in an environment of 4 to 6 degrees Celsius.

2. Stop Fertilizing

During the previous growth period, fertilizer needed to be applied once every one and a half to two and a half months to ensure growth. But starting from September in autumn, do not apply any more fertilizer. It has already entered the dormant period by then, and adding more fertilizer will cause root rot.

3. Pruning

In autumn, the flowers have already faded and fallen one after another. The withered and yellow leaves and flowers also look unattractive. At this time, after flowering, promptly remove the spent flowers and withered leaves. This can also reduce the wasted consumption of nutrients.

The above are the methods for growing water lilies in water. The water lily is a plant that does not require much management; it can be placed in a sunny spot at home, and it needs frequent water changes. Daily care must be done properly every day, and attention should be paid to the prevention and control of pests and diseases. Besides being ornamental, water lilies can also be eaten, and they have various uses for everyone to try. Finally, remember that water lilies must be ensured sufficient light conditions, otherwise they will not grow well.