General Care

• 1). Grow water lilies where they will get five or more hours of direct afternoon sunlight.
  
  
• 2). Remove yellowing, dying lily pads from the pond -- at soil level -- to encourage new growth. This will also keep decaying material from building up in your water garden.
  
  
• 3). Use the right soil when potting lily tubers. Clay-loam soil taken from the garden is best. According to Springdale Water Gardens, bagged soil should only be used if it is designed for use with aquatic plants.
  
  
• 4). Grow water lilies in 10-inch pots, wider than they are deep.
  
  
• 5). Position lilies away from waterfalls and beyond the reach of fountain spray and space them 5 to 10 feet apart so they have room to spread out.
  
  

Dividing Water Lilies

• 1). Divide water lilies when they become pot-bound or about every two years. Smaller lily pads and fewer flowers are indicators that the plant has multiplied and is outgrowing its space. Your goal is to establish one plant per pot.
  
  
• 2). Remove the lily tubers from the pot and rinse away the soil so you can examine new growth. New growth will look like a knob with its own roots attached to the main taproot.
  
  
• 3). Separate new growth from the taproot with a sharp, clean knife.
  
  
• 4). Plant each new bud in a 10-inch pot half full of soil. Place the cut edge against the side of the pot so the roots are pointing down and the new shoots face the sky. Pack soil tightly around the rhizome -- the root -- and leave the shoots exposed. Cover lightly with pea gravel, as the Topeka Area Water Garden Society recommends.
  
  
• 5). Stick fertilizer tablets directly into the soil. The number of tablets will depend on the variety of water lily. Saturate the soil in the pot and lower it into the pond.