overwintering a lily

[b considine]

Due to HOA rules, my stock tank/pond must be taken down every winter. I purchased a lily from Homestead Gardens this past spring for no small price, and I'd like to be able to keep it alive until next summer.

When I get around to tearing the pond down (usually when I remove the fish, which is next free weekend, what should I do?

Been told to:
remove it from the water and bag it and place it in a cool spot
must keep it submerged, even in the basement
remove tuber from substrate--don't remove it from substrate

What do you lily/lotus keepers do for the winter?

Blaise

 

[chriscoli]

is it a tropical or a hardy lily?

Mine are all hardy. I pulled my lilies and lotus into the garage. Small pots, I put into a big fish bag, large pots went into a trash bag. The garage did freeze, but I didn't lose much. Ideally, if you can keep them cold but not frozen and moist to wet but not submerged, they'll be fine. The other thing is to keep an eye on them in the spring to see if they break dormancy early.

Some people will also store them in a styro in a shed or garage. I think you can also keep them in the fridge.

In a perfect situation, you'd drop the pots to the bottom of a pond below the frost line. I don't have that either.

 

[b considine]

is it a tropical or a hardy lily?

I'm not sure. I have the tag around somewhere. Does it matter much?

 

[chriscoli]

it does. it's likely you've got a hardy (not a tropical).

 

[zendog]

The quickest way to determine is based on the flowering. Tropical hold their flowers on stems out of the water, while hardy lilies have their flower floating at the waterline. Now sometimes in a tub or shallow pond some hardy flowers will wind up out of the water, but if you google a few for images you'll be able to get a good idea to compare against how yours flowered. Topical lilies also tend to have narrower petals, but there has been so much breeding work among hardies that I'm not sure that is still always true.

As it gets colder, most hardy water lilies will also set leaves down near the surface of the pot, which is a good sign they are settling in for winter. Tropicals just keep growing and flowering until the cold gets them.

Christine, did you already put your lilies in the garage? I would expect they aren't really dormant yet, but I've never tried overwintering them out of the water.

 

[chriscoli]

I have not put them in the garage yet, they're still all out in their tubs. Last year I left them out until we got some nights in the 20s and I was worried about more than just a thin film of ice on the top of the tub.

 

[Becca]

I have not put them in the garage yet, they're still all out in their tubs. Last year I left them out until we got some nights in the 20s and I was worried about more than just a thin film of ice on the top of the tub.

Your tubs don't crack when they freeze?

 

[chriscoli]

depends on the tub. The big stock tanks and 35 gal round Beckett tubs can freeze solid according to the manufacturer. It's probably not great for them over time, so I do drain any that are above ground. The small plastic 1/2 barrel tubs get emptied, I leave the lily or lotus in its pot in the bottom, and drag them into the garage. Wrap the whole thing in a trash bag, and stack them with plywood between to allow stacking.

 

[FishEggs]

I left one of those home depot 27g though totes out last winter as an experiment to see what over wintered. The bin froze solid and was flexible enough that it didnt crack.
I didnt have any lilies or lotuses in it but some hornwort came back from that.
I'm sure as the months go by the sun will degrade it enough where it will split easily. This year I got some lilies and will over winter them in their pots in a black trash bag in the coldest spot in the basement.
Rachel O'Leary is working on breaking down her outdoor bins and has some videos up on how she does it.

 

[Leffler817]

I still have to break my tub down. I put my lily in the garage in a Rubbermaid bin with all my plants. Last year I added an inch or two of water and left them. All of my plants did ok but my lily didn’t bloom over the summer, it’s second summer with me. Now that I think of it, it’s never bloomed since I bought it!!!!

 

[FishEggs]

I still have to break my tub down. I put my lily in the garage in a Rubbermaid bin with all my plants. Last year I added an inch or two of water and left them. All of my plants did ok but my lily didn’t bloom over the summer, it’s second summer with me. Now that I think of it, it’s never bloomed since I bought it!!!!

Do you feed it? Maybe low on ferts?

 

[Becca]

I kill lilies :-(

 

[Leffler817]

I kill lilies :-(

Thank you! I don’t feel as bad. I use Flourish for ferts.

 

[chriscoli]

Lilies are heavy feeders. Also, if they do freeze, it can set their blooming back for the next year or two.

 

[b considine]

So, remove lily from stockpond, place in trashbag (does it matter if it gets no light?), and store in garage. Am I missing anything?

Blaise

 

[Becca]

Thank you! I don’t feel as bad. I use Flourish for ferts.

I got some of the lilypons tabs, and still killed mine. Mine came back from last year but died over the summer. I may go out and get one before they close for the season and try fertilizing it well from the start of spring to see if that helps. The one I had was a sprouted root I'd purchased in a plant buy, but maybe if I get a potted lily that they've done the advance care for, I'll have better luck.

I do have a lot of the purple taro plant I got from them a couple years ago. If anyone wants off shoots I can bring them to the next meeting. It spread from my tub to my pond this year and so I'm going to see if it winters (probably not) in the pond at all. I'm debating whether or not to haul it back into my office, which is where I usually winter it.

 

[zendog]

So, remove lily from stockpond, place in trashbag (does it matter if it gets no light?), and store in garage. Am I missing anything?

Blaise

As long as it is dormant and the place you are putting it is cold enough to keep it that way, you should be good. If you're talking about putting it in the garage now, with temps in the 80s... I'd be worried about it just rotting inside the bag as it continues trying to grow in the dark.

 

[b considine]

I'm going to take the pond apart Monday, so I can get at the fish. I will keep the plants outside until frost.


Another question: When I do put the plants away for the winter, should I cut back the leaves?

Blaise

 

[chriscoli]

I leave them be until we've had a couple of really cold nights. I also leave the leaves alone. Mine die back all except a few little ones right at the soil surface. Then I bring them in.

So, I took my tubs apart a few weeks ago to pull the fish out and then I filled them back up and put the plants back.

The truly tender plants will need to come in before a frost, but I bring the hardy ones in after a good frost. I want to be sure they're dormant.

 

[DiscusnAfricans]

Any interesting developments fish-wise from breaking down the tubs?