How to grow water lilies

Seed propagation

Pour the seeds into a container of water and place them in warm water at 25℃-30℃ for germination. Change the water every day and they will generally germinate in about 2 weeks. When the seedlings grow young roots, move them into small pots for planting. After planting, put the small pot into a water tank with the water depth being enough to submerge the young leaves by 1 cm. When the temperature rises to 17℃ in April, it can be moved to open-air cultivation. Repot 2-3 times as new leaves grow, and finally plant in a tank or pot with a diameter no greater than 35 cm.

Potting method

For potted plants, choose a pot or tank with an inner diameter of 40 cm and a depth of about 60 cm, and plant it in late March to early April.

When planting, put 3-4 cm of river mud at the bottom of the pot. Do not fill it with too much soil. Usually, 20-25 cm of water injection space should be left at the top. Then bury the cut rhizomes with the top buds facing upwards under the soil surface, and then cover it with soil slightly. The depth of the covering soil should be such that the top buds are flush with the soil surface. Plant 5-7 sections per pot.

Do not water too deeply when first planting, 2-3 cm is appropriate to help increase the water temperature. Then place the pot in a well-ventilated and sunny place for maintenance. Later, the water level will be gradually deepened as the plants grow.

In summer, the irrigation depth should be about 25-35 cm, and this depth should be kept constant at all times. After flowering, remove the dead flowers and leaves in time to prevent nutrient consumption and keep the plant clean and beautiful. Add fertilizer 2-3 times as appropriate during the growth period.

Pour out the water in the pot before the Cold Dew Festival to prevent it from overwintering in a cold room at around 3°C. Just keep the soil in the pot moist and free of ice. Around the Spring Equinox, change the pot and soil, and apply an appropriate amount of decomposed bean cake juice as base fertilizer.

Daily management and maintenance

Water lilies are long-day plants, so the planting place should have sufficient light and good ventilation. Water lilies have different water level requirements at different growth stages.

Initially the water level is slightly above the edge of the pot. As the leaves grow, gradually increase the water level. In the early stage of growth of potted water lilies, base fertilizer should be sufficient and no top dressing is needed. During the flowering period, quick-acting potassium dihydrogen phosphate should be applied.

Precautions

During the entire growing season, pay attention to removing weeds, dead leaves and algae on the water surface in the pot. If there are too many algae, you can spray 0.3-0.5% solution once every half a month. Repeated spraying can have a certain control effect.