Planting Instructions for Aquatic Plants
Along with providing you with the most diverse selection of pond plants available anywhere, we want to help you grow the very best water garden plants in your pond or water feature. Listed below are some tips and advice as to how to plant your pond plants. There are a list of DO's and DON'TS as well.
- DO notify us upon the arrival of your pond plants, if anything arrives in a stressed or damaged condition. We will try to rectify it at once.
- DO NOT fertilize your lotus until you have aerial leaves growing out of the water (see Lotus Planting Guide) To fertilize too early will kill your lotus plant.
- DO follow planting instructions, we have been growing pond plants for a number of years, we will give you the correct way to plant your pond plants for the best results.
- DO take the advice of our sales staff if they should advise you that the water or the weather is too cold for tropical plants. Under natural conditions, tropical plants grow in warm water and very warm temperatures (70 plus degrees). We grow our tropicals in warm conditions and when you purchase them too early and plunge them in cold water, you will kill the plant. To experience an algae bloom in early spring is natural. We don't recommend putting tropical hyacinths and tropical water lettuce in cold water to take up the algae, we recommend hornwort (an oxygenator) or snails to help with the uptake of nutrients in the water until your waterlilies and other plants come out of dormancy and begin to grow in the spring.
- DO feed your waterlilies (annual and perennial) as waterlilies are very heavy feeders and need fertilizer to grow and bloom.
- DO NOT overfeed your fish! Overfeeding is the Number 1 cause of poor water quality and algae blooms! In nature, fish eat naturally occurring algae and mosquito larvae. When you overfeed them, the fish waste adds too many nutrients (nitrogen) to the water and upsets the balance, often causing an algae bloom or some other mayhem.
- DO follow moisture and sunlight requirements for your plants. Plants that need moisture will not thrive in dry conditions and blooming plants will not bloom without the required sunlight.
- DO follow recipe for heavy loam soil. Heavy loam soil may be used for almost all of your aquatic pond plants.
Listed below are the instructions on 'How To Plant Your Pond Plants', if you have any questions, take a look at our videos on "How To Plant Your Waterlily", How To Plant Your Lotus", and how to plant pond plants. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to seek assistance by emailing us! PondQuestions@gmail.com
Tropical/Annual Waterlilies
Annual Waterlilies require consistent temperatures of 70 degrees or warmer, if tubers are to survive the winter, they must be removed from the pond in colder climates.
Start off by purchasing a large, wide container for your waterlily. A two-three gallon container is fine. If you use a larger pot, your waterlily will grow larger.
Heavy Loam Soil Recipe
2/3 Loam Topsoil ($2-3)) at your local Lowe's or Home Depot
1/3 Pool Filter Sand
Topsoil can be purchased in your local hardware store and should not contain any compost or additional material. Moisten the topsoil before mixing with Pool Filter Sand. Pool Filter Sand can be purchased wherever they sell pool supplies. Pool Filter Sand has larger granules than regular sand and is pre-rinsed!
This heavy loam soil that you have created should have a clumping quality when you moisten it and squeeze it, it should form a ball in your hand when you grab it!
Once you have your heavy loam soil, you will be filling the bottom 2/3 of your waterlily container with the soil you have prepared along with Landon Granular Fertilizer. We recommend 1/2 the recommended dose for newly potted waterlilies, to be mixed into the soil. Press down on the soil to remove any air in the soil, do this again when filling the container to about 4" from the top of the pot.
Do not mix Landon fertilizer in the top portion of the soil you will be adding to the top of the planting container. Add two inches of heavy loam soil to the top of the pot with no fertilizer in the mix. Landon Fertilizer is hot and may burn new plants. Leave 2" at the top of the planting container.
Some DO'S and DON'TS regarding aquatic soil:
DO mix 2/3 loam topsoil with 1/3 Pool Filter Sand, adding a little water to the mix as you go. The mixture should form a ball in your hand when you grab it!
DO NOT use 100% calcined clay as it has no nutritional value.
DO NOT use Potting Soil as it has organic material that will rot and foul your water. It is also very light and will float right out of the pot!
DO NOT add stones or pebbles to the top of your planting container as they will inhibit plant growth and may kill the plant! Plants do not grow in rocks and stones in nature.
DO NOT purchase API Aquatic Planting Media or Microbe-lift Aquatic Planting Media as these products are NOT suitable for waterlilies, lotus and most other aquatic plants. These products are for submerged grasses ONLY!
Bog Plants (Wetland Plants) prefer poor, acidic soil.
NEVER top your container with stones or pebbles, you may use pool filter sand to top off your container, if you wish.
Remove any dead or spent leaves, damaged leaves or old blooms from the waterlily tuber Place the waterlily tuber in the soil, spreading the roots out and placing the tuber upright in the container, keeping the crown of the plant exposed, with the top of the plant even with the soil. We recommend adding 2-4 Waterlily World Pond Tabs to the top of the soil to help feed your plant until i the roots of your waterlily reach the Landon fertilizer at deeper levels of the soil in the bottom portion of the container.
At this point, your waterlily is almost ready to be gently submerged into the pond. Depending on the variety of waterlily you have purchased, deeper depths are for more mature plants. Place your waterlily in more shallow water until it is established. Once your waterlily is established, you can place it at the maximum depth for your waterlily specimen. (Pads on your waterlily have air in them, waterlilies will often float right out of the pot when newly planted, as the air in the pads acts like a hot air balloon and lifts your plant to the surface. If this happens, simply cut off a leaf or two, before replanting and submerging your waterlily back into the water.
Make sure you have placed your waterlilies where they will receive at least 5+ hours of sunlight. Waterlilies will not bloom if not given enough sunlight.
The Landon Granular Fertilizer should feed your plants for about 60-80 days. If you notice that your plant is turning yellow or not thriving, add a couple of fertilizer tabs to the top of the soil by gently pressing them in the soil, not the root of the plant. You can feed your plants with Waterlily World Pond Tabs every three or four weeks as needed.
If you would like to give your waterlily a dose of Landon Granular Fertilizer, just make an envelope with a 10" x 10" piece of newspaper, place a Tablespoon or two of Landon Fertilizer in the center of your 10" x 10" paper, and fold it like an envelope and gently slip the envelope down the side of the container of your waterlily.
Waterlilies are very heavy feeders. We recommend and sell Landon Granular Fertilizer and Waterlily World Pond Tabs + Humates. These products help your plants get off to a healthy start and to maintain vigorous growth and robust bloom!
Hardy/Perennial Waterlilies
To plant your hardy waterlily, follow the same recipe for HEAVY LOAM SOIL in the tropical waterlily instructions.
After you have mixed the soil in the right proportions you may add it to your planting container.
Use a 2-3 gallon container, it should be at least 16-18" wide. Fill the container 2/3 full with heavy loam soil. Add Landon Granular Fertilizer to the soil mix in your container, being careful to mix it in thoroughly. We recommend half the recommended dosage for new waterlilies.
Take your waterlily tuber and remove any dead, damaged or spent leaves from the tuber. Gently place the tuber on the inside of the pot next to the side of the pot, rather than in the center. Once you have spread out the roots, fill the container the rest of the way, using your heavy loam soil mix WITHOUT the Landon's fertilizer. Do not cover the crown of the plant, leave it exposed. Leave about 2" at the top of the pot. Gently press down on the soil to remove any air that is trapped in the soil. At this time you may gently press 2 or 4 Waterlily Pond Tabs + Humates into the soil. These pond tabs will feed your plant until the roots are mature enough to reach the Landon fertilizer deeper in the container.
Gently place your waterlily in the pond at a shallow depth, deeper depths are for mature plants. Your waterlily should receive at least 5+ hours of sunlight. If your waterlily should float out of the pot, simply cut off a leaf or two and replant. Air is stored in the lilypads of your waterlily and when you submerge it, the leaves may pull the plant to the surface.
The Landon Granular Fertilizer should feed your plant for 60-80 days. If your plant needs more fertilizer, simply add more fertilizer tabs to the top of the soil in the container or add Landon granular fertilizer by cutting a 10 x 10 piece of newspaper, place a Tablespoon or two of Landon's fertilizer in the middle of the newspaper and fold it into an envelope. Gently slide the envelop down the side of the pot of your waterlily. You can insert 2 or 3 envelopes with Landon Granular Fertilizer. Just follow dosing directions.The newspaper will decompose and the fertilizer will reach the roots of your waterlily as the roots run around the pot.
Waterlilies are very heavy feeders! We recommend and sell Landon's Granular Fertilizer and Waterlily World Pond Tabs + Humates to help get plants off to a healthy start, for vigorous growth and robust bloom!
Marginal Plants
Marginal plants that are placed inside the pond should be planted the following way. Plant in fabric planting bags or containers with holes in them to allow access to oxygen at the roots. Always use heavy loam soil and fertilize with Waterlily World Pond Tabbs when necessary. Plants like Papyrus, Dwarf Umbrella Palm, Hibiscus, Canna, Iris, Sedge or grasses and almost any other marginal plant from Water Celery, Yerba Mansa to Lemon Drops may be planted in pots or fabric planting bags and placed in your pond with an inch or two of water above the top of the pot. Fertilize when necessary with Waterlily World Pond Tabbs + Humates to keep your plants looking their best!
Marginal plants planted outside the pond should be planted in this manner. These are your bog plants that do well in moist soil rather than shallow water. Keep soil moist and fertilize when necessary with slow release fertilizer mixed into the soil.
Iris
Iris may be planted inside or outside of the pond, depending on the variety.
When planting inside the pond, we recommend planting baskets or fabric planting bags as they allow your plant to have access to oxygen at their roots. This helps your plants by allowing them to grow larger and healthier and helps to eliminate algae from your pond as well.
When planting iris outside the pond, choose a moist, bog area to plant your iris. Dig holes twice as large as the rhizome and add compost to the hole. Plant with tips pointing up and roots facing down. Tips of rhizomes should be level or slightly above the top of the soil. Water once planted and water during dry periods. Divide as necessary every few years.
Oxygenators
Oxygenators like Jungle Vallisneria, Hornwort, Anacharis, Red Ludwigia, Cabomba and Lemon Bacopa may be tucked into the substrate at the bottom of the pond. The may be planted in small containers using clay planting media or sand or they may be weighted with small weights to keep them from floating into the skimmer.
Lemon Bacopa and Red Ludwegia may be planted in small container and placed on shelves in your pond as they are oxygenators and well as emergent plants and will grow above and below the water.
Floating Plants
Floating plants like Mosaic Plant, Water Poppies, Water Snowflakes, Frogbit as well as others, look as though they are magically floating on the surface of the water. These plants should have their roots planted in small containers using heavy loam soil and placed on the shelves of the pond. Fertilize with pond tabs as necessary.
True Floating Plants
True floating plants require NO planting, simply place on the surface of the water with roots facing down!
The following are considered True Floating Plants:
Azolla
Duckweed
Salvinia
Water Hyacinths
Water Lettuce
Fabric Aquatic Planting Bags are an excellent choice as these pots fold down to the required height needed, come in different sizes and most importantly, allow plants to receive oxygen at their roots! (This helps reduce the algae in your pond and your plants will grow larger and healthier in containers that allow oxygen at the roots)These bags are convenient, easy to use and ship easily.
Landon Granular Fertilizer and Waterlily World Pond Tabs + Humates are the best fertilizers for aquatic plants. That is why we recommend and sell them. Landon Granular Fertilizer was developed by Mr. Ken Landon, Hybridizer and Director of the International Waterlily Collection in San Angelo, Texas. Landon Fertilizer has proven itself among the thousands of waterlilies that he has used
