Subject: Re.: Water Gardens
From: "Bill Robinson" <roseguy@flash.net>
Organization:
Date: Mon, 01 Jun 98 17:46:25
Message-ID: <MOD$980601.10635@rec.gardens.ecosystems>
Caligney Hoffmann wrote:
>Does anyone have any suggestions on how to fertilize
>water lillies?
Van Ness Water Gardens in Upland, California @ 800-205-2425
market an Aquatic Plant Fertilizer based mostly on chicken quano
and mined mineral products. It is a 7.5-7.5-3.5 mix that we have
used with good results.
There is a quotation in Hugh Johnson's "The Principles of
Gardening" that seems important:
"The water in a pool or pond is just as full of activity and
varied in its population and components as any soil sample.
It is not just a simple see-through medium but a living system,
composed of water, gases, mineral nutrients (solid and
dissolved), plants and animals. . . . but unlike soil, water
rapidly becomes foul if something is missing from the system."
This is particularly true when you have a closed system and
are trying to grow water lillies in something like a tub or
pot. We have a couple of large tubs that we use to grow water
plants and other water plants. We keep the water plants in their
own plastic pots. Evry Spring, we change the water in the
tub, give the tub a good scrubing, and feed the water plants.
Specifically, we take the plants in their plastic pots out of the tub,
sprinkle about out a teaspoon of the fertilizer over the top soil
surface and then bury the fertilizer under an inch or so of washed
sand (to keep things in place) and put them back in the tub the
same day. We use bricks under the plastic pots to adjust the
depth of the plants.
We garden in Southern California where we don't have any real
problem with cold so we put in several goldfish and some
mosquito fish. (We have a dog so we dodn't have any problems
with racoons going after the fish). When it starts to get super hot
in the summer, we put in a tray or so of ice cubes to keep things more
reasonable for the fish.
We grow a variety of water plants and in time we seem to end up
with a balanced system with water plants, snails, a bit of algae, the
fish, etc. and we have the tubs placed with about 5 - 6 hours of sun.
We don't have circulating water nor do we have an air pump. (Water
lillies do much better in still water). The water plants seem to give
the fish all the air they need. We feed the fish about once a week
and they, in turn, do a fair job of feeding the aquatic ecosystem.
I wouldn'T have a clue as to fertilizing water lillies in an open
system like a brrok.
Bill
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