How to care for water lilies in Minnesota

Water lilies are a favorite pond plant!  Here are some quick tips on getting the most from yours this season!

Water lily care:
 Lilies are heavy feeders!  This means they need a good supply of fertlizer during the growing season to make flowers.
To feed your lily, purchase some aquatic plant tablets: slow release, fish safe fertilizer tabs.
Once a month, gently poke your finger into the soil near the water lily base.  Push a fertilizer tab into the hole. (The tablets tend to fall apart in water so you can't just set it on the soil surface.)

Lilies also prefer full sun.  They would prefer 10-12 hrs but will bloom with less sun too, just not as often. 

Trim any dead or yellow leaves from your lily to keep it looking sharp. You can pinch the stem below the water or use scissors to remove the dead leaves.

Occationally, water lilies become lunch for aphids.  If you see small black or greenish tiny bugs on the leaf surface, you can wash them off with pond water.  This usually knocks down the aphid population sufficiently in an outdoor pond.

If your lily is crowded, you can lift the pot and split the tubers or discard pieces.  Replant any tubers (big chunks of root like stuff) that have small white roots and green shoots attached.  Plant them in pots of soil at a 45 degree angle.  After replanting the tubers, put a layer of sand or small gravel across the soil surface to keep pet koi fish or goldfish from digging the roots up. (Pond fish tend to nibble on plant roots.)

When water lilies are happy and healthy, they will bloom and grow!  
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To purchase your own hardy water lilies, please visit our plant ordering page!

For tips on overwintering hardy and tropical water lilies, click here.