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Planting Deep Water Plants
Some plants should be planted in deep water. Chief among these are the water lilies that can stand depths of up to 4’ depending on the variety (check the label). Even if the label says to plant in deep water it is important to do it gradually. Start off with the plant in shallow water where the leaves can reach the surface. Give it a chance to establish at this level and watch as the leaves spread out, then after a couple of weeks you should be able to lower it by 6 to 12” and the leaves will come closer together but should remain on the surface. Repeat this process regularly until the plant is at the required depth. You can use a stack of clean bricks for this and just take off one layer at a time. Putting the plant straight down to its eventual depth immediately will usually result in it sending out one or two solitary leaves on very spindly stalks in an effort to get to the surface. This drains the plant of energy before it has had a chance to thrive. In subsequent years you can usually just leave them to their own devices but if you re-pot at some future time then you should go though this gradual planting process again. It is a good idea to feed your water plants, especially lilies, and the easiest way to do this is with an aquatic plant fertilizer tablet. These are inserted into the pot near the roots and release their nutrients slowly. Don’t use a garden fertilizer as these always contain nitrates which will add to any green water or algae problems. Check out our pond planting section.for everything you'll need to get started. Now that you know about floating
plants, why not have a look at one of our other guides: |
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