3“Creating backyard havens.”2 Pond & Garden

FeaturesTucson Pond Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 38

Are You a Culturist? The Nitrogen Cycle

by Ray Giacobone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 46

Nebraska Pond Contest Winners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 50

Gone to Pot, Repotting Water Lilies by Paula Biles . . . . . . . . . .pg 58

Pond Renovation and a Woodland Stream

by Carolyn Wiese . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 62

Conifer Nuts and Coneheads, Dwarf Conifers

by Sandra McLean Cutler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 74

Readers’ ServiceNational Club Directory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 80

Retail Source Listings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 85

Shopping Martp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 90

Advertiser Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 95

Subscription Order Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 96

Departments/Columns/ShortEditorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 4

Seasonal Pondkeeping –Opening the Pond by Scott Bates . . . . .pg 6

Dividing Plants – Clump Growers, Scirpus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 8

Dividing Plants – Running Growers, Cattails & Pickerel . . . .pg 10

Fish-Toxic Plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 11

Potting a Lotus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 12

Dividing Plants – Sweet Flag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 13

Ask the Plant Man – Fertilizing, Cannas, Water Lettuce by Steve Stroupe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 14

Tending Spring Fish Health Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 16

Victoria Update— Lean and Mean (Vic Seedlings) by Kit Knotts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 20

The Enabled Gardener by Josh Spece . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 22

Artificial Respiration for Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 24

Pond Splash, Thinking Spring by Steve Katona . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 26

Algae Remedies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 28

Hot-Selling Aquatics to Buy Early . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 30

Native Landscaping, Nymphaea odorata by JoAnn Gillespie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 32

Frequent Water Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 33

Construction Ideas: Making a Tree Well . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 34

Garden Adventures—Bringing Tropical Lilies Out of Storage by Joe Summers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .pg 36

c o n t e n t sPond&GardenMarch - April 2001 • Volume 2, Issue 6 March - April 2001 • Volume 2, Issue 6

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Cover Photo: Koi pond ofSteve Cannon, President ofthe North Texas Koi andWater Garden Club in Dallas,TX. Photo by H Nash.

4 Pond & Garden

Editor: Helen NashManaging Editor: Marilyn Cook

Distribution: Heather L. AndersonComputer/Web Services: Joe Cook & Rich Barker

Art Director: Rich BarkerStaff Photographer: Ron Everhart

Prepress & Printing: Graessle Mercer CompanySeymour, IN

Contributing Writers& Photographers: Gail Barnhart, Scott Bates, Paula Biles,

Sandra McLean Cutler, JoAnn Gillespie, Ray Gioacobone, CarleneHuesgen, Stephen P. Katona, Kit Knotts, Linda Siler, Josh Spece,Steve Stroupe, Joe Summers, Carolyn Weise.

Portrait of Helen Nash by Ilona Royce-SmithkinAdvertising Director: Angeli Coover

105 Seminole Dr.New Ulm, TX 78950phone: 979-992-3870fax: 979-992-3871

Pond & Garden is published bi-monthly.

Post Office of Origination: Zionsville, Indiana 46077.

Postmaster: Send address changes to Pond & Garden,1670 S 900 E, Zionsville, IN 46077.

Subscription Rates: US: one year (6 issues) $20.00; 2 years (12 issues) $35.00. Canada and U.K., payable in U.S. funds,base rates plus $7.00 per year.

Address all correspondence regarding subscriptions, distribution, and editorial matters to:Pond & Garden, 1670 S 900 E, Zionsville, IN 46077; phone: 317-769-3278; fax: 317-769-3149.www.pondandgarden.com

©2001 Helen Nash’s Pond & Garden is published by Pond &Garden, Inc. No part of Pond & Garden may be reprinted without per-mission.

BP (before ponding)

Iused to welcome the sunshine of Forsythia anddaffodils as the sign spring was finally shooing

away winter. AP (after ponding), it’s the frogs andtoads that bring spring smiles to my days…andnights. The chirping of spring peepers and the trillsof chorus frogs and toads are the beacon that pullsme into the crisp glow of morning to greet thereturning red-wing blackbirds, the cruising fish, andthe green spikes erupting from barren pots in thewater. It’s time to tuck away the winter quilting andsee if geraniums will still grow under my fingernails.Now, if I can convince Dave to dig me just one morehole….happy spring!

6 Pond & Garden

SEASONALPONDKEEPING

by Scott Bates

Finally, spring!

With only the memories of ice and snow,we can now prepare for the new season.

Monitor the water temperatures, as it changesfrom day to night in the early spring. After thesoil warms up, the temperature stabilizes. Whenthe water temperature rises above 50 degreesyou can resume feeding your fish. Begin byfeeding leafy vegetables and high carb floatingfood. With small appetites, their digestive sys-tems are still sluggish. Feed them as much asthey will eat in 5-10 minutes once a day, and noteven every day at first.

Now is the time to transplant aquatic plantsthat had filled their pots at the end of last sea-son. Remove the hardy plants from the pondand set them aside while you tend to pondcleaning chores. Use a swimming pool skim-mer net to remove any leaves and debris thatsettled into the pond over the winter. Folkswith gravel or stone in the bottom of the pondmay need to drain the pond and wash the grav-el to remove the silt, if this wasn’t done in theautumn. Built-up silt on the pond bottom,especially silt trapped between and underrocks, is a haven for anaerobic bacteria thatproduce fish- and bacteria-toxic sulfides.Disease and parasites also hide out in thismuck to attack your winter-weakened fish.With the pond bottom clean, do a partial waterchange. 15-25% is normally sufficient to dumpsome nutrients and replenish vital mineralsthat have been depleted over the winter.

You can now divide and repot the plants.Clean all plants of old foliage that will onlyadd to the water’s nutrient level. Fertilize allplants, whether repotted or not, and returnthem to the pond. They can be placed at theirappropriate depths or set in shallow water toencourage quicker growth, sinking them asgrowth returns and the water warms. Bepatient with lotuses as they require a lot ofheat and light to get motivated. If I saw a lotusleaf up before the first of April in Michigan, Iwould either check my calendar or consider ita heat wave. Don’t rush the return of tropicalplants to the pond until the danger of frost ispast and the water has warmed to seventydegrees.

Your last pond-opening chore is to fire upthe pump and inoculate the biological filterwith a good biological culture. A bacterialactivator helps the bacteria to establish.

Be patient if you notice a touch of stringalgae followed by some green water. If the pondis not over-stocked with fish, the condition istemporary. Summer is just around the corner –time to drag out the lawn furniture!❧

Scott Bates and parents, Gary and Rosemary, ownGrass Roots Nursery in New Boston, Michigan. Scott can be reached at 734-753-9200. Visit theirwebsite at www.grassrootsnursery.com.

Growing in a dense clump, the Scirpusfamily is easily divided.

8 Pond & Garden

Dividing PlantsCLUMP GROWERS – SCIRPUS

Aquatic plants are tough. Don’t be afraid to use a strong hos-ing to wash away soil and reveal the roots you will divide.

Removed from its pot, wiry feeder roots windaround the outer soil.

With the soil hosed away, the roots are fin-ger-combed to clearly reveal the clump.

Use a sharp knife to cut the clump intosquares of roots and top-growth. The squaresare planted in the centers of their new pots.

10 Pond & Garden

Cattails (Typha spp.) and Pickerel(Pontederia spp.) send up growth along

shallow-soil running roots. So long as rootshave developed to support the emergentgrowth, each growing point can be potted as anew plant.

Dividing CattailsBecause of their running habit, cattail rhizomes circle close tothe soil’s surface within their pot. After removing the plantfrom its pot andhosing away thesoil, the plant ispulled apart.

Dividing PlantsRUNNING GROWERS – CATTAILS AND PICKEREL

Potted in a squat mum-type, no-hole container, the soil is cov-ered with gravel to prevent the soil from leaching into thepond’s water.

DividingPickerelRemoved from itsold pot and hosedfree of soil, the pick-erel root mass dis-plays a dead mass oflast year’s root growth in the center, with fresh growth emerg-ing from the live portion of the running rhizome.

Use a sharp knife to cut segments of emergent growth withtheir accompanying root support. Each can be potted in thecenter of its new container.

Nurseries and garden centers arevirtual candy stores in the

spring. Starved for anything greenand flowering, it’s hard not to buyone of everything in sight.Landscaping around the fish pond,however, should consider fish-toxicplants. Plant the following some-where else away from the pond.While the aquatic plants on the listare commonly grown in water gar-dens with fish, take the precautions ofkeeping the plants pruned and well-potted and monitoring fish for signsof stress that might warrant movingthe plants to another pond.

Azalea and Rhododendron, leavesBaneberry, berries (Actaea)Bird of Paradise, seeds (Strelitzia)Black Locust, bark, sprouts, &

foliage (Robinia)Boxwood, leaves and stems (Buxus)Buttercup, sap (Ranunculus)Calla lily, leavesCaladium, leavesCastor bean, leaves and beans

(Ricinus communis)Cherry tree, bark, twigs, leaves, pits

(Prunus)Daphne, berriesDatura, berriesDelphinium, all partsElephant’s ear, leaves, stem (Alocasia

macrorrhiza)English ivy (Hedera helix)Holly, berries, leaves (Ilex)Foxglove, leaves, seeds (Digitalis)Water Hemlock, all parts

(Cicuta maculata)

Horse Chestnut, nuts, twigs(Aesculus)

Hydrangea, flower budsBlue Flag Iris, bulbs (Iris versicolor)Juniper, needles, stems, berries

(Juniperus virginiana)Lantana, immature berriesLily of the Valley, all parts

(Convallaria)Lobelia, all partsMayapple, all parts except fruit

(Podophyllum peltatum)Mock orange, fruit (Philadelphus)Monkshood, leaves, roots

(Aconitum)Morning glory, all parts (Ipomoea)Mountain Laurel, all parts (Kalmia)Narcissus, bulbsOak, acorns, foliage (Quercus)Oleander, leaves, branches nectar

(Nerium oleander)Philodendron leaves, stemPrivet, all parts (Ligustrum vulgare)Skunk cabbage, all parts (Lysichium

americanus)Snow-on-the-Mountain, all parts

(Euphorbia marginata)Sweet Pea, seeds and fruit

(Lathyrus odoratus)Virginia Creeper, sap

(Parthenocissus quinquefolia)Wisteria, all partsYew, needles and seeds (Taxus)

Source: See KOI USA’s Practical KoiKeeping, Volumes 2 & 3. The Practical KoiKeeping books are compilations of articlespublished in KOI USA over its 25 years ofpublication. Call 888-660-2073 for subscription and book information.

Fish-Toxic Plants

Both the green and the variegated forms of sweet flagdisplay a surface-to-very-shallow soil running habit

with new growth emerging oppositely along the rhizome.The dwarf form, Acorus gramineus, grows similarly but ina tighter, fanlike habit.

12 Pond & Garden

Potting a Lotus Dividing PlantsSWEET FLAG, ACORUS SPP.

Lotus blooms are spectacular in the August pond. Until theybloom, elegant dinner-plate leaves provide texture and designinterest. Lotuses are perennials, available bare-root only inthe early spring. They bloom well in full sun within 70 to 90degree temperatures. Bloom is inhibited by higher temps.

Lotuses grow fromrunning rhizomes,often called “bananashaped”, with grow-ing nodes spaced along the runner. Handle with great care asthey are brittle and easily broken (producing death of the plant).Divisions should include two growing points for success.

Give this vigorous grower as large a pot as you can handle. Onemethod moistens the shallow layer of soil first, gently lays thetuber on the surface, and carefully scoops a shallow layer ofmud over the tuber,keeping the growingtips free of soil.

Another method is to place the lotus tuber on top of dry soiland then hold it in place with a flat rock, again kept free of thegrowing tips.

Fill the lotus tubwith water so that 2or 3 inches of watercovers the rhizomeand cover the potwith plastic. Thiscreates a mini-greenhouse to sup-ply necessary heat for speedier growth. Keep the pot in asunny location outside the pond until growth has established.

Within three weeks, the lotus displays ample growth and isready for moving into the pond. So long as you monitor thewater level within the lotus tub, it can also be kept outside thepond as a mini-lotus pond.

Each side shoot along the rhizomecan be severed with a sharp knife asa plant division. Be sure the severedshoots have supporting root growth.Exposing the rhizome to water forseveral days encourages roots todevelop, if necessary, before youdivide the plant.

A standard one-gallon nurserypot proves inadequate for aseason’s growth of sweet flag.The plant’s running surfacehabit allows it to easily jumpfrom the pot. If set closely toanother potted plant, the wan-dering sweet flag will move into complicate your mainte-nance and possibly overpowerthe neighboring plant.

Use a wide-mouth, shallow container for the sweet flag division. Set thedivision close to the pot wall to allow maximum growing room across thepot. Anchor the roots within tamped soil, allowing the rhizome to sit at thesoil’s surface. Cover the soil with gravel and place the new plant in thepond with an inch or two of water over its crown.

Cannas, water lettuce, and fertilizing

Q: Should I fertilize my plant divisions atthe time I repot, or should I wait a few

weeks before feeding them?

A:No big deal either way. It’s more conve-nient to fertilize when potting, and you

can distribute the fertilizer more evenly thanwhen fertilizing after a few weeks. The down-side is that a lot of fertilizer will be released andnot be utilized by the plant until feeder rootshave regrown. Ideally, you could fertilize whenpotting with a sustained release tablet or gran-ules such as Aquatic Tabs ™ ; after the plant isactively growing, you could hit it with fastrelease tablets such as Highland Rim ® orPondtabbs ®. When we grow specimen showplants, we employ a fertilizer combination simi-lar to what I’ve just described.

Q: I’ve had trouble growing water lettuce.It always turns yellow and dies. What

can I do?

A:Water lettuce can be temperamental.Some folk report success by placing the

lettuce in some shade. I’ve found that lettucedisplays some nutrient sensitivity with chemicalfertilizers; it prefers a sustained release fertiliz-er with micronutrients rather than a straightNPK formula. Use a test kit to determine pH

14 Pond & Garden

and hardness. Also, try potting a few and see ifthis helps.

Q:What’s the difference between ‘watercanna’ and the cannas sold in nurseries

for my terrestrial beds?

A:It depends on what you mean by watercanna. In our industry, the ambiguous

term is applied loosely to any member of thegenus Canna which can be persuaded to grow inaquatic environs. Some cannas are true aquat-ics, such as our only native, Canna flaccida, andthe Longwood Cannas hybridized using Cannaglauca.

Terrestrial or garden cannas sold by Dutchbulb companies, but usually grown inOklahoma, can be successfully grown as aquat-ics using the following process:

Plant the dormant rhizome in standard pot-ting media, keeping it in a warm, sunny location.Late spring is the best time of year to do this.When 6 or 8 leaves appear, gently shake the pot-ting soil off the roots and transplant to an aquat-ic pot. The water temperature of the pond needsto be at least 70 degrees or higher, or the cannawill not grow and may even rot. Cannas grownin this manner should be treated as annuals asthey seldom over-winter successfully.

Steve Stroupe is co-author of Aquatic Plants & TheirCultivation (Water Plants for Ponds, in soft-cover) andnow handles outside sales for Maryland AquaticNurseries and represents the Americo company, man-ufacturers of filter media.

Ask thePlant Man

by Steve Stroupe

16 Pond & Garden

With several parasites and bacteriaactive in water between 45 and 55

degrees, awakening fish inspring are vulnerable toproblems since theirimmune systems donot become activeagain until tempsrise over 50.

In coldwater, fishh u d d l etogetheron theb o t t o m .If thepond bot-tom is covered witha parasite- and disease-harboringlayer of silt or organic debris, the fish aresleeping with the enemy. This is especiallytrue with rock-bottomed ponds that were notthoroughly cleaned in the fall. Parasites anddisease quickly spread under these conditions.

Stress increases your fish’s vulnerability.Do not handle or disturb your fish in temper-atures below 50 degrees. Avoid intestinal irri-tation by not resuming feeding until the watertemperature has read above 45 degrees for afull week before introducing leafy vegetablesand soaked grain-based feed. Do not feedprotein foods until the water has stabilizedabove fifty degrees.

Since early treatment can save the fish,watch your fish closely for signs of problems:flashing, shaking or quivering of fins, hangingat the surface, floating with head or tail down,

awkward swimming, clamped fins, gatheringat water inlets, accelerated breathing, a fish

remaining by itself, fish resting inupper water levels and

spaced equidistancefrom one another,

white or bluishcoating onskin, reddishor yellowcolor to nor-mally white

skin, patchesof white fur-

like growth onskin, opaque

white lumps, andslightly protruding

eyes or distended abdomen.

BACTERIAL PROBLEMSAeromonas bacteria cause hole-in-the-side

disease. Ever-present in the pond, the bacterialive in the fish’s intestines and multiply duringthe fish’s winter dormancy. Intestinal irrita-tions allow the bacteria to spread through thefish and damage vital organs. Usually fataldropsey or pine cone disease may occur as thefish becomes boated, displaying protrudingeyeballs and raised scales.

Bacterial gill disease is like viral pneumo-nia in humans. Often death is the only “symp-tom.” Ammonia presence and over-crowdingencourage the disease. A clean pond can pre-vent this—no suspended solids in the water,no muck on the pond bottom. The most com-mon indication of the disease is the equidis-

tant stationary spacing of a group offish in the upper water levels withrapid breathing, frayed gills, andexcessive mucous production bysome. You may need to disinfect thepond with Chloramine-T followedby antiobiotics added directly to thewater (25 grams of active ingredientper 1000 gallons). In the past twoyears, LymnoZyme™, a blend ofnaturally occurring beneficial bacte-ria, enzymes and micro-nutrients hasproven effective in reducing gramnegative and gram positive bacteriato non-threatening levels. Some fishkeepers routinely start the seasonwith medicated food such asTerramycin, Furazolidone orParazan as a precaution.

PARASITES Parasites often cause problems in

early spring. Costia is a free-swim-ming protozoa which feeds on theskin and gill cells, thriving in waterbetween 45 and 55 degrees.Chilodonella is another protozoa thatmultiplies during the winter. Notfree-swimming, it spreads by contactand generally is most prevalent inMarch. Another protozoa,Trichodina, is weakly free swimming,attacking the gills and skin. Althoughnot usually fatal, its irritation canresult in bruising that incur sec-ondary infections, often fatal. All ofthese protozoans cause death by

SPRING FISH HEALTH PROBLEMS

destroying or suffocating the gill cellsand through secondary bacterial andsaprolegnia (fungus) infections.

Barely visible gill flukes or dacty-logyrus can cause extensive damageto gills, promoting bacterial gill dis-ease. Larvae hatching from eggs inwinter and spring are free swim-ming until they find a host. Infectedfish display rapid breathing, listless-ness, clamped fins, often gatheringnear waterfalls where oxygen levelsare higher.

ABRASIONS AND INJURIES

Usually, a fish with an openwound or abrasion is removed fromthe pond for a topical treatment.Sedation of up to ten drops of oil ofclove in a gallon of water, the fishthen being “walked” back to fullalert may be required. A sedated fishis not rendered unconscious butmerely lists to its side. Tincture ofIodine cauterizes and sterilizes anulcer, the seven percent solution rec-ommended to cauterize sores andulcers. Because iodine is caustic,make only one swab at the wound.Panolog®, available from your vet, isa topical antibiotic like Neosporinthat is swabbed onto wounds 1-2times daily. MelaFix, a proprietarymix of tea tree oil, seems to speedhealing of wounds and abrasionswithin the pond itself.

18 Pond & Garden

MEDICATING SICK FISH

Whether you treat within small tanks orwithin the pond itself, accurate measurementof the water’s volume is critical. Overdosescan be fatal and underdoses ineffective.

Gallons in a pond for square or rectangularponds: L x W x D x 7.48 = gallons

For circular ponds: R x R x 3.14 x 7.48 =gallons

For free form designs, divide the pond intoseveral calculable sections and add themtogether.

The most accurate measurement is rendered by using a water meter when thepond is filled.

Many dosages are given in parts per million(ppm). This equals one unit of weight in onemillion units of solution by weight (1 lb per999,999 lbs of water = 1 ppm)

One part per million (1ppm) = 3.8 mg/gal=0.0038 gm/cubic foot=1 oz/1000 cubic feet of water

TREATMENTSSalt – A .3% salt solution can be used to

treat Trichodina (Japanese Trich requires0.6%),

Costia, Chilodinella, and Ich. (Ich requiresthree days’ treatment at 78 degrees.) The saltsolution also inhibits the uptake of nitrites byfish and reduces water influx into stressedfish. Always use non-iodized salt and add thesalt one-third at a time for three consecutivedays. Adding one teaspoon per gallon in eachtreatment equals a total dose of three tea-spoons per gallon. One pound per one hun-

dred gallons over three days equals a totaldose of three pounds per hundred gallons.Dissolve the day’s dose of salt in a bucket ofpond water and pour it evenly around thepond or into an area where the fish are notswimming. (Dumping the salt dose to dissolveon the pond bottom can burn the fishes’ tum-mies.) Protozoan infections require 2 to 3weeks of treatment.

Methylene Blue – Used to treat fungus andexternal protozoa in doses of 1.5 to 2.5 ppmdaily for one week. If a 10% solution (13.5 ozof crystal in 1 gallon of water) is prepared,dose with one drop per gallon or 2.5 fluidounces per 1000 gallons. The blue color indicates the chemical’s activity. Chemicalkills filter bacteria.

Malachite green – Used to treat externalprotozoa and parasites, bacteria, and fungusin a dosage of 0.15 ppm 3 times, 3 days apart;66 ppm for 10 to 30 second dip; 100,000 ppmapplied topically bi-weekly for 2 weeks forfungus. 1 ppm can be fish-toxic.❧

Allowing your fish to live in dirty water or with accumulations oforganic debris on the pond bottom or in the filter can result inparasitic attacks or disease. It will take more than a year for thisfish to regrow its tail, if it lives through treatment for tail rot.

20 Pond & Garden

Victoria Update

by Kit Knotts

Lean & Mean

Bringing Victorias through the seedling stageis something many of us have struggled with

for years. If they don’t damp off at the hastatestage, we’ve lost them after the first floatingleaves, usually to a malady we refer to as “melt-ing.” Otherwise healthy looking leaves just seemto disintegrate.

Since last year’s seedling season, we have dras-tically changed our thinking about their cultiva-tion. Problems with our adult plants last yearmade us really look at our soil/nutrient/waterconditions which now carries over to seedlings.As non-scientists, looking too deeply into soiland water chemistry is frankly beyond us, butwe’ve read everything we could understand.

In the past, we tried every combination of pot-ting media and nutrients we could dream up,convinced that our just-better-than-beach-sandwas inappropriate for Victoria seedlings since itlacks nutrients and, we assumed, is alkaline. Itdoes lack nutrients but, washed once, is nearlyneutral in pH. And out soil chemistry lessonshave taught us that sand doesn’t bind nutrients –we think it allows them to go straight to theplants, in our case probably at toxic levels.

We now join Nancy Styler who grows babies inpure clay (at the other end of the soil spectrum inthat it binds nutrients) who has always kept them“lean and mean” – no fertilizer at all in the earlygoing. We are now growing in sand dug from ahole on the dune on our ocean side, washed oncewith tap water and with no additives. We have had

NO damping off in the hastate stage and are los-ing many fewer older seedlings than in the past.

Even here in Florida, there are several monthsthat are just too cold for young Vic seedlings tobe outside, even heated and covered, so we haveaquaria in our sunny southern windows. In pastyears, we have lost seedlings with floating leavesto melting, especially in aquaria. We now thinkthis was due to the fertilizer we added to variouspotting media since it isn’t happening this year.And we don’t have an algae problem.

We still feel that while the plants are in theaquarium, a product called Cycle, multiple typesof beneficial bacteria, helps stabilize water quali-ty when added regularly. Addition of a dechlor-plus product protects against chlorine, chlo-ramines, and heavy metals that may be present intap water, and we do adjust the high pH of ourwater with a little vinegar.

The bottom line is, to borrow the term fromTrey Styler, that Victoria seedlings seem to dobest in a “bland” medium, whether sand, clay, orsomething else, with no additives. When werecently losst several seedlings to another sort ofproblem, we were really impressed with theirstrong root growth and the amount ofendosperm remaining in the seed. It seems thatnature has provided a food source far safer forthe little plants than what might be provided byanxious foster parents.

Having now achieved an aquarium full ofseedlings with healthy first floating leaves (a lux-ury we haven’t had in the past), we are faced withanother problem – how to assure that the nextleaves are equally healthy. The first aquarium weset up in the window had an opaque lid withlights and we decided to try it, both to preventevaporation and to supplement the natural light.The seedlings became unhappy.

Some second and third floatingleaves were smaller than the first andmany grew right up above the surfaceto blacken and die off. We really don’tknow what combination of factorscaused this but suspect that humiditylevels in the aquarium need to be bal-anced and that the opacity of the lidand supplemental light were somehowinvolved. What we are trying now withseemingly more success are hingedglass lids over about 75% of the tops.

Having just found a mini-hygrome-ter in a catalog and after havingdropped it in the aquarium before wecould read it the first time, it shows ahumidity level of 75% in the partiallylidded aquaria as compared with50%in the house and 77% outsidewith a seabreeze. This is a whole newfactor in the equation that may ormay not be relevant.

Only when the seedlings are readyto be boosted to larger pots (padsmore rounded than pointed andincreasing in size) are we starting tofeed them, also the practice of theStylers. We are putting one PondtabbJunior in the corner of our 4” secondpots with another Junior at three tofour weeks if the plant is growingwell. If the seedling is struggling, wedon’t feed it.

Though we think we’re on the righttrack for our conditions, much moreinvestigation is needed. We are feel-ing our way toward the best regimenfor adult plants as well as seedlings,thinking at the moment that less ismore. We welcome ideas and inputfrom everyone.❧

Wow…talk about jumping right into

something! I never imagined I’d end up

with my own column after just one article!

Those of you who read my article in the lastissue know that I was born with a form of

Muscular Dystrophy and use a wheelchair to getaround. My passion for plants started when Iwas very young by helping my mother in thevegetable garden. Soon I had my own raisedveggie garden that gradually became mostlyannual flowers. As my interests expanded, Ibegan designing beds around our house andyard, discovered the wonderful world of hostas,and installed our first water garden. Now, tenyears, close to 300 hosta varieties, and threeponds later, I’ve completed my AAS inHorticulture and my mom and I have opened agarden and gift shop specializing in, whatelse…hostas and water gardens!

Obviously, being in a wheelchair poses certainobstacles when it comes to gardening. Millions ofpeople, both young and old, have physical limita-tions due to aging, injuries, or as in my case, dis-eases, but there is no reason why they can’t enjoygardening in one form or another. Whether it’s asingle African violet on the windowsill or anelaborate raised pond in the back yard, with a lit-tle creativity, the possibilities are endless.

When I first took an interest in gardening, a lotof trial and error went into figuring out ways forme to do things that most gardeners take for grant-ed – things as simple as digging a small hole orwatering a new planting. As common as both dis-

22 Pond & Garden

abilities and gardening are, you would think therewould be more information available on handicap-accessible gardening. Even today, aside from a fewsites on the Internet, resources on accessible gar-dening are few and far between and on water gar-dening in particular are almost non-existent.

I am by no means an expert when it comes towater gardening and making it more accessible,but I do have a few tricks to share, and if youhave an idea to share or a topic you would likeme to cover, let me know. Hopefully, this col-umn will help everyone, regardless of physicalability, enjoy the relaxing world of water gar-dening to the fullest extent possible.❧

Internet Websites of Interest to the Physically Challenged:www.newhomemaker.com/family/elders/gardening.htmlwww.nwf.org/nwf/natlwild/1997/yardjj7.html www.mdausa.org/publications/quest/q31garden.htmlwww.gardening.about.com/homegarden/gardening/cs/msub119/www.gardenguides.com/articles/tools.html www.aota.org/featured/area6/links/link02c.aspwww.ag.ohio-state.edu/~ohioline/hyg-fact/1000/1642.htmlwww.gardenforever.com/pages/artenabled.htmlwww.hort.vt.edu/human/pub426020d.html www.bergen.com/home/horticult199909020.htmlAll of these sites can be found at Josh’s web site atwww.inthecountrygardenandgifts.com/jspece/gardening/accessible.html

Josh Spece lives with his family on a dairy farm nearIndependence, Iowa. He can be reached by E-mail at jspece@sbtek.net. His website is www.inthecountrygardenandgifts.com.

THE ENABLEDGARDENER by Josh Spece

24 Pond & Garden

palm of your hand with your fingers foldedaround it. You will see a small spot on thelower part of its head where the gills cometogether. Place your thumb on that spot andpress gently and slightly forward to force thefish’s mouth open, accepting water, and forc-ing it, in turn, out the gills. Relax the thumband then press again. The fish will release a

few bubbles from itsmouth if you are doingit correctly. Continuewith a rhythmic paceuntil the fish beginsbreathing on its own.Continue your gentleadministration, timingyour assistance to therate of breathing the

fish is beginning to display. If the fish issmaller than 12 inches, you can probably

do your artificial respiration one-handed. Ifthe fish is larger and requires two hands,you’ll still adminster the respiration with onethumb. Be careful not to bruise or injure thepatient! If the fish can be saved, it won’t takemore than a few minutes before it startsbreathing on its own.

Don’t release the fish yet. Lightly hold thefish upright in the water and guide its swim-ming until it has recovered its equilibriumand equanimity. Because it is more difficultfor the fish to breathe in deeper water, youwant to be sure it is strong enough to takeoff into the pond.❧

During spring spawning, it’s not unusualfor one of your fish to end up pond-

side. Even if the fish doesn’t seem to bealive, so long as it’s not dried out, you can tryto revive it. Should the fish still be moist, donot wash off the slime coat; it protects thefish and is produced in greater quantity dur-ing times of stress. (Belly-up-out-of-water =instant stress in fish.)

Especially if the fish is not breath-ing, do not “toss” it back in thepond. You’re going to have toplay EMT. Yes, get the fishinto water asap, but staywith the finned one.Due to shock, even abreathing fish mayexperience a disrup-tion of its equilibri-um. Proper swim-ming, upright withwater flowing into the mouthand out the gills is essential.Gently loosen your hand around the fish tosee if it can swim properly. If it has trouble,cup your hands loosely around its body andguide it forward through the water. Thisforces water into the mouth and out the gills.Within a few minutes, the fish should recov-er and can be released.

So long as the pet hasn’t turned into fish-jerky, even if it is not breathing, you mightstill be able to save the fish. Time to dig outthe Red Cross Life-Saving Badge andadminister CPR! Return the fish to waterimmediately and turn it upside down in the

Artificial Respiration for Fish

26 Pond & Garden

Thinking spring…

Now that the winter blahs are almost over,it’s time to start up your water garden.

Many people have successfully run their pumpsthrough the winter with careful monitoring ofice buildup. I used to argue this but havelearned of the success of continual operation.The pond re-establishes a working, warm-sea-son ecosystem as soon as temperatures allow ifthe pump was never shut off. I have noticed dor-mant biological bacteria becoming active earlyon in the spring, leading to an earlier balancedpond. If your pump was shut down in the winter,start re-circulating the water through your filterby fifty-degree water temperature. Add a bene-ficial bacteria culture to “beef up” the biologicalactivity in the pond. Since this bacteria breakdown the pond’s poisons or wastes and turnthem into plant food, you need lots of plants touse this food and keep it from nourishing algae.

When planting or replanting a water garden,consider arrangements just like you do with cutflowers or in a landscape. Work with height dif-ferences, textures, and colors. The pond is yourcanvas and you hold the palette. During the sea-son, potted plants can be moved around to painta picture. They need only maintain the sameproper planting depth. There is a perfect bookavailable today to help you learn about andchoose your water plants: Aquatic Plants andTheir Cultivation (Water Plants for Ponds inpaperback), written by our own Helen Nashwith Steve Stroupe.

Don’t forget about the area surrounding yourwater garden. Landscaping tucks the pond intoa natural setting. One area I always focus on isthe pond’s perimeter. Sometimes it takes a cou-ple years, but ground covering plants betweenand over the perimeter rocks soften the edgeand break up the pearl necklace effect. Mosses,lichens, and perennial ground plants are excel-lent gap-fillers. These plants lead to taller andtaller plants surrounding the pond, but site thetallest plants on the far side to keep fromobstructing your view of the pond. Again, workwith height, texture, and color. Picture a darkleaf canna in the pond set off by a backdrop ofcattails and green leaf canna in the surroundinglandscape, the structure of the canna leavestying together the design. Don’t forget terrestri-al, ornamental grasses blend beautifully withaquatic plants, also stitching together yourdesign. Likewise, extending rocks outward inoutcrops or a large boulder away from the pondbreaks up the linear line of the pond’s edge andanchors the pond within its setting.

Detailing your pond brings it to life andreflects your personal interests. Add a frogfountain, or how about an art piece? A bronzesculpture adds a classy perch for a songbird tosing along with your new wind chimes. Relax onyour new garden bench and enjoy the peace andserenity of your creation.❧

Steve Katona is an owner of North Hills WaterGardens at 1615 Babcock Blvd. in Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania. He can be reached at 412-821-6525.

Pond Splash

by Steve Katona

adding nutrients to the water. Manypeople include barley straw as amedia layer in the bio-filter where itis out of sight.

Shading the WaterMany botanical gardens attack

algae by depriving it of sunlight withwater dyes. These dyes shade thewater in either blue or black.Especially in the early spring, suchshading inhibits the growth of aquaticplants. Move them closer to thewater’s surface until they are estab-lished and can survive at normaldepths.

Shade can also be supplied withsurface-covering plants such as waterlily leaves and floating plants likewater hyacinth. Remember, however,that the pond’s primary source of oxy-gen is at the water’s surface. Toomuch surface coverage can result inlow oxygen levels, your fish advisingyou of the fact by gasping or gather-ing at the surface and at waterfallentries. You’ll need to provide addi-tional aeration and/or reduce theamount of fish in the pond, if youmaintaining extensive surface cover-age.

Yet another way to shade the pondsurface is with a canopy of shadeclothor lattice. Koi pondkeepers often usethis method that also protects thekoi’s colors and shields them fromview of overflying predators.Northern water gardens find thismethod inhibits the growth of manyflowering aquatics, while Southern

water gardeners find the partial shadeof lattices protects flowering aquaticsfrom excessive heat and oppressivesunlight.

Mechanical Algae Removal

Twirling a stick or brush in thewater is the best way to rid the pondof string algae. Shutting down thewaterfall and using a scrub brush(with no soap or chemicals) satisfiesfastidious pondkeepers.

Ultra-Violet light kills free-float-ing, green water algae as the cyclingpond water flows past it. The algaecells are damaged by the light and diewithin the pond. Cleaning their debrisfrom the pond bottom prevents it

from feeding future algae blooms.UV lights also kill the free-swimmingstage of many parasites, as well as anybacteria in the flowing water. To pro-tect the beneficial bacteria in thepond, the UV light is set up after thebio-filter in the pond’s plumbingscheme.

Chemical Controls?Do not use chemicals to kill the

algae since most algicides are basedon one of two chemicals: copper sul-fate or simazine. Copper sulfate alsoaffects other aquatic plants in thepond, particularly submerged grasses,floating aquatics, and more sensitivewater lilies. Simazine is not recom-mended in the presence of fish.❧

28 Pond & Garden

Algae is a green plant, albeit microscop-ic, that needs sunlight and nutrients to

survive. Controlling this pondkeeper’s banerequires deprivation of either light or food,or both.

Be Patient…Even if your pond is not overstocked with

fish, spring often brings a touch of string algaefollowed by green water…until the pond’s plantshave fully reawakened. Patience is the key; waitit out as the pond balances on its own. Ofcourse, performing a partial water exchangemay temporarily alleviate the algae bloom, butuntil the pond plants are awake and out-com-peting the algae for the pond’s nutrients, thealgae bloom will return.

A Clean Pond If fish wastes and particulate organic matter,

commonly known as silt or muck, accumulateon the pond bottom or in gravel pockets withinthe pond, you may as well incorporate your ownalgae business. These organic wastes, throughtheir decomposition and role in the NitrogenCycle, supply a continual source of nutrients tothe water…fostering continual algae bloomsand slimy, string algae. Regularly vacuuming thepond bottom in conjunction with partial waterexchanges prevents such build-ups and theirresultant algae problems, as does the use of bot-tom-drain systems.

Eco-BalanceAlthough many sources cite a list of quanti-

ties of various types of aquatic plants to be

stocked in the pond to achieve ‘eco-balance,’even a full-sun pond can remain free of algaewith only enough submerged grasses or floatinghyacinths to out-compete for the nutrients. Onebunch per square foot of water surface of sub-merged anacharis, Elodea, or coontail (free-floating-but-submerged Ceratophyllum demer-sum) will keep the pond water free of algae aslong as the pond is not over-stocked with fish.Northern ponds should use Elodea canadensiswhich is more tolerant of cold water than theSouth American native, anacharis. Elodea oftenbreaks dormancy and begins removing nutrientsfrom the water at the same time as traditionalalgae blooms. It is possible with the properamount of Elodea to not experience an algaebloom at all.

Water Wych®

Another way to remove excess nutrientsfrom the pond water is the new Water Wyche ®.Its natural media absorbs the water’s nutrientsso long as the water’s pH is in a neutral rangebelow 8.0 pH. Remaining effective for 3 to 4months, the Water Wyche ® naturally removesnutrients created by fish that nibble away yoursubmerged aquatics.

Barley StrawAn effective prevention of algae growth is

the use of barley straw. Generally most effectiveat prevention when used from Novemberthrough spring, it seems to keep the algae at bayduring the season with the assistance of aquaticplants. The straw should be removed from thepond before it starts to decompose and begins

Algae RemediesDEALING WITH THE PONDKEEPER’S BANE

Unless you have access to a dedicated watergarden nursery, you may discover that by

mid-June the plants you most want to buy foryour pond are already “sold-out.” In checkingwith Linda Siler, manager of O’Quinn’s Orchidsand Water Gardens in Springfield, Missouri, wecame up with a list of the hottest selling plants –ones that should be purchased early in the sea-son if you want them this year.

Two plants that sell out very quickly are thetropical mosaic plant and, surprisingly, waterhyacinths. “Anything variegated!” Lindaadvised, along with water forget-me-not andblack taro. Blue water lilies, especially the oneswith variegated foliage are difficult to find bymid-season, as are dwarf hardies such as ‘LittleSue’ and ‘Helvola.’ Dwarf lotus, too, especially‘Momo Botan,’ ‘Chawan Basu,’ and the diminu-tive ‘Angel Wings,’ are all but impossible to

30 Pond & Garden

find. A new plant intro-duced by SuwaneeLaboratories in Florida issure to sell out immediately;it’s a multi-colored taro,Alocasia araceae, featuringsplashes of lavender, yellow,white, and pink in its leaves.Since many Alocasia are notaquatic, this plant could bea gem if Florida’s cold win-ter doesn’t limit the quantityavailable.

Now is the time to callnurseries and place yourname on a waiting list forthe special plants you want.

HOT-SELLING AQUATIC PLANTS TO BUY EARLY

The Colocasia family offers several lush varieties in hot demand – Colocasia antiquorum,the Imperial Taro, with dark green foliage overlaid with velvety black between the veins andColocasia esculenta ‘Black Magic,’ shown above. ‘Fontanesia’ is the violet-stemmed taro,and ‘Rubra’ the red-stemmed taro. All are tropical plants.

For many people, dwarf lotuses are the only ones manageableinto and out of the pond. ‘Momo Botan’ has long been afavorite for its four-day blooms, double petals, long hours ofdaily openings, and charming dwarf seedpod used in driedflower arrangements. Although not blooming until August,you’ll have trouble finding one in a nursery in June.

Linda Siler says the mosaic plant was the hottestselling aquatic plant in 2000. Nurseries were vir-tually begging each other for starts. Potted andgrown at water-lily depth, the brittle stems pro-duce a colonizing mosaic of red and greenacross the water’s surface. Difficult to winterover, most people simply replace the tropicalplant each year.

Commonly known as dwarf sweet flag orJapanese sweet flag, growing to 18 inches,Acorus gramineus offers a white variegated formand this striking ‘Ogon’ with yellow variegation.Reliably hardy to zone 6, it needs protection inzone 5 during hard winters.

Unlike hardy water lilies, day-blooming tropicallilies offer a full range of blue and purple blooms.Many varieties offer maroon-splashed leaves thatadd color when the flowers are not in bloom.Shown here is N. ‘Leopardess.’

32 Pond & Garden

Newcomers to water gardeningmay think the only time water

is added to the pond during the sea-son is to compensate for waterevaporation. Koi keepers know dif-ferently. If our water gardensinclude fish, whether goldfish orkoi, we can learn some lessons fromkoi keepers. Goldfish, after all, produce wastes in the pond, andgoldfish benefit from healthy waterconditions.

When we talk about frequentwater changes, we’re not talking afull pond draining – just a five totwenty percent freshening. Thewater change is so small that condi-tioning chemicals may not be need-ed, especially if the additioninvolves less than 10% of the pond’swater. Performing this exchangebenefits the pond and its inhabi-tants in several ways.

Nutrients (nitrates) are diluted.Fish wastes and organic debris joinin the Nitrogen Cycle with the end-product being nitrate… and nitratesfeed algae. (See Nitrogen chart on p.48.) Several solutions may resolvethe problem: reducing the numberof fish in the pond, increasing yourfilter’s capacity, and using moreplants in the pond to remove theexcess nutrients. (See AlgaeRemedies on p. 28.) The conditionscreating excess nutrients also createunhealthy conditions for your fish,

as well as make the pond smellbadly.

If the water exchange is per-formed as part of a bit-by-bit pondvacuuming routine, particulate mat-ter is removed on a regular basis,keeping the pond clean and healthyfor the fish, as well as sweet-smelling for you. Removing thissediment as it is deposited preventsstagnant and toxic, anaerobic condi-tions from developing on the pondbottom. If you’ve built your pondwith a bottom drain, much of yourpond cleaning is performed auto-matically.

Depending on how much fishmass is in the pond, how much andwhat you feed them, and what sortof pump/filtration system you haveoperating, you may wish toexchange a small percentage of thewater once every 7 to 14 days.Particularly if your filter foamrequires frequent cleaning, themore frequent exchange removesparticulates the fish are stirring intothe water. (A lighter fish loadand/or a larger filter might be nec-essary if the cleaning and waterexchanges do not decrease the fil-ter’s work.)

In the heat of the summer, play-ing with the pond is cooling andrefreshing…and it just might saveyou a lot of work in the fall whenthe water turns cold!❧

FREQUENT WATER CHANGES

by JoAnn Gillespie

Nymphaea odorata, white water lily

The delicate balance of life in a wildlife gar-den depends largely upon the plants. The

pH of the water and soil, the nutrients in thewater and soil, and the climate determinewhich plants will survive and thrive in a givenarea. All these factors in turn determine whichanimals, birds, insects and amphibians will beattracted to the plant life. This balance is anever-changing process. Observing thesechanges allows us to decide which plants wemight choose for our wildlife garden. Also, wechange our perspective when looking at a plantfor wildlife. We look at the plant as one whichwill live in our garden year round.

We begin by choosing plants for the variouszones in the water garden. Our first choicethen should certainly be a water lily. Thenative water lily Nymphaea odorata is white incolor. It lives in fairly deep water, usually twoto three feet deep. The root of this plantstrongly resembles a submarine. It must befirmly anchored in the bed of the water gar-den. This interesting plant attracts all forms ofwildlife, as well as the gardener. He enjoys theplant for its sweet, pungent scent. Since theplant is a perennial and is winter-hardy, it isplanted only one time.

Beginning with the large root, anchoredfirmly in the soil, to the large circular leavesand waxy flower, each part of the plant servesa function for wildlife. The white, scentedflower of Nymphaea odorata is pollinated

by flies, beetles,and other smallinsects. Somefeed upon thenectar.

Its leaves are useful to many creatures in thewater garden. They provide shade on sunnydays. Most leaves serve as a platform for frogsor dragon flies to rest upon as they go abouttheir daily lives in a water garden. Fish can hideunder them. Some small insects attach them-selves to the leaves’ undersides, while othersuse them as a surface on which to deposit eggs.Some insects chew on them for food.

As with most perennial, native aquaticplants, the plant dies back in autumn, storingits food reserves in the root for another season.The dead, decaying parts of the plant are actedupon by microscopic insect life. Thus each partof the plant is used by some species of wildlife.

Perhaps Nymphaea odorata will be your firstchoice of an aquatic plant for your wildlife gar-den. Its selection brings many wildlife guests toyour aquatic landscape.❧

JoAnn Gillespie is a respected wetland and nativeplant consultant from Wisconsin.

NATIVE AQUATIC PLANTSFOR WILDLIFE GARDENS

34 Pond & Garden

Whether by design as a woodland streamor as a compromise to install a pond

without harming existing trees, a tree well con-struction allows both trees and water features inthe landscape.

Construction IdeaMAKING A TREE WELL

Photos by Carolyn Wiese, courtesy of SuburbanWater Gardens. See their article on constructionof a woodland stream on page 62.

Trucked-in topsoil allows terrain variation for the windingwoodland stream. Spread and rake the soil as desired.

Backfill soil against the boxed tree well and landscape to hide the well.

Build a retaining wall to keep the soil away from the tree’strunk. Use wood treated to prevent rotting.

Excavate a well back down to the original soil levelaround the tree. The well should be wide enough tokeep the mature tree trunk free of soil contact.

GARDENADVENTURES

by Joe Summers

Bringing Your Tropical Water Lilies Out of Storage

If you followed the steps for wintering yourtropical water lilies that I gave you in P&G’s

September/October 2000 issue, then you are nowready to bring your lilies out of storage.

Start your water lilies 6-8 weeks prior to thedate when you plan to move them into the pond.Of course, the actual date to begin sprouting yourlilies varies by where you live. You won’t set trop-ical lilies into the pond until you are certain thewater’s temperature will not fall below 72 degrees.At Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, thisusually occurs the first week in June.

Step OneUse a 10% bleach solution to disinfect your

sprouting tank, which can be a 10-gallon aquarium.If you have lots of tubers, you’ll probably needmore than one aquarium or an even larger sprout-ing tank. Rinse the tank with plenty of water aftercleaning. Place the tank in a greenhouse or verybright window, and fill it with water to within a fewinches of the top. Place an aquarium heater intothe water, setting the thermostat no lower than 72degrees. I prefer eighty degrees. Allow your tankto sit overnight to raise the temperature to theproper level. This also allows chlorine in the waterto dissipate. (Plan to include grow-lights over thetank, if you don’t have a greenhouse.)

Step TwoSelect tubers of the varieties you wish to display

in your pond this summer. They should be very

36 Pond & Garden

firm. Discard any soft or rotting tubers. Gatherold flower pots or other plastic containers that are5 times as large as the tubers. For example, if thetuber is one-inch across, you need a five-inch con-tainer. Plan for one container per tuber. I like con-tainers without holes to keep my work area andthe sprouting tank cleaner. Disinfect the contain-ers, again using the 10% bleach solution.

Step ThreeTo plant your tubers, start by placing several

inches of sand in the bottom of each container.Place each tuber on the sand, growing-side up.The smooth side of the tuber is the bottom, whilethe pointed or rough end is the top. Continue fill-ing the container with sand around and over thetuber. Ideally, the top of the tuber will be aboutone inch below the surface of the sand. Plant onlyone tuber per container and write a label for each.I have found a pencil lasts the longest under water.

Step FourPlace the planted containers into the sprouting

tank holding at least 72-degree water.Three weeks is about the longest for a viable

tuber to begin to grow. Usually, the new plantspouts within ten days.

Step FiveWhen there are two to three floating leaves,

use your thumb and forefinger to locate the root-like growth connecting the young plant to thetuber. Follow this growth down and carefullypinch it off just above the tuber. Remove the plantwith its attached roots, but leave the propagatingtuber in the container. Think of this process as cut-ting the umbilical cord.

Step SixPlant the young plant immediately to prevent it

from drying out. Pick any size contain-er that you want, but I use a six-inchcontainer for each lily. A heavy clayloam soil is best for your transplant. Fillthe container with soil, and gently sep-arate the roots of the plantlet. Set theplant in the soil, covering its roots andmatching the soil level in the new con-tainer to that of the original. The origi-nal depth of the transplant can bechecked visually, making certain thelighter, discolored area where the rootzone joins the base of leaves is at thesame level after being planted as it waswhile still growing from the tuber.Lastly, add a thin layer of sand to thetop of the new container to keep soilfrom floating out.

Step SevenReturn the newly transplanted con-

tainer to the sprouting tank, if spacepermits. You may need to set up anoth-er tank, following the original proce-dure and assuring a water temperatureof at least 72 degrees

Usually, within two weeks the origi-nal tuber will send up another plant,which can also be removed and trans-planted. You can repeat the transplant-ing process up to five times before thetuber is allowed to retain the last plant.Repeat the process for each tuber.

Step EightAdd fertilizer tablets every 21 days

at a rate of five grams per every sixinches of container. As leaves fade,trim them off at the soil surface.

Step NineOnce your pond water has risen

above 72 degrees, move your lily to the pond.

Step TenEnjoy and share the wealth. After

you have successfully wintered andsprouted your tropical water lilies, youwill enjoy them even more. Probably,you will now have too many plants!Share them with family and friends.Take extras to your local water gardenclub and trade them for new varietiesto add to your collection. Now that youknow how easy it is to winter thesetropical beauties, they’ll become thequeens of your water garden.❧

Share your success stories with Joe. Write him atMissouri Botanical Garden, PO Box 299, St Louis,MO 63166. Joe is a horticulturist at MBG andpresident of the St. Louis Water Garden Society.