HOW TO GROW WATER LILY FROM SEED
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Growing water lilies from seed is a great way to beautify your garden pond without spending a lot of money.
It’s also very satisfying to grow the plants from seed instead of buying them already established.
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In this article I’ll show you how to plant water lily seeds in your pond or water garden.
Water lilies (Nymphaea spp.), are one of the most popular flowering pond plants.
They’re part of the Nymphaeaceae family and produce round green leaves and stunning flowers that sit on the water.
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Hardy water lilies can tolerate cool conditions and frost, but tropical varieties are only suitable for warm climates.
Hardy water lilies need a period of cold weather to go dormant for proper growth the following year, while tropical water lilies prefer warm temperatures year round.
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There are over 80 species of tropical water lilies that can grow and flower in temperate climates.
Water lilies produce large, sweet smelling flowers that can be pink, white, purple, red or yellow depending on the species.
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Put the seeds from the bottom of the container and plant them straight away or wrap them in a paper towel and keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to plant them.
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Planting water lily seeds
Water lily seeds can be planted in a container filled with heavy topsoil or clay soil.
Avoid using regular potting mix because it’s too light and will float to the top of the water when you place the pot in the pond.
Press the seeds gently into the soil using your finger.
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Water lily seeds need warm soil to germinate so place the pot in a warm, sunny spot and fill it up to the top with water.
It can take the seeds three to four weeks to germinate depending on the variety and the weather conditions.
When the seedlings are about 2 inches (5 cm) tall you can transplant them into separate containers.
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Caring for seed grown water lily plants
After the seeds have sprouted and the first leaves have begun to appear you can place the pot in a shallow part of the pond.
You may also like to add a layer of gravel or small pebbles to help keep the soil in the pot when it’s submerged in the pond.
As the plants grow you can move the pot to a deeper part of the pond.
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Fertilizing
Fertilizing water lily plants will help to produce strong plants with lots of flowers, but wait until the plants have a few leaves on the surface of the water before you start fertilizing them.
Water lily plants grown from seed usually only produce foliage in the first year but by the second year you should have an abundance of beautiful flowers on the surface of your pond.
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