Understanding Tropical Water Lilies

There are a number of beautiful water lily breeds, and we can divide them into two groups – hardy and tropical water lilies. The tropical water lilies hold prestigious advantages over the hardy ones, which is often the reason they are preferred. 

Understanding Tropical Water Lilies

The tropical water lilies‘ unique characteristics are the following:

They will bloom several times, depending on how often they are properly fertilized. In order for your tropical water lilies to bloom, you will need to fertilize them twice the rate as the hardy ones. They will also bloom later in the season, opposite to the hardy water lilies.

Tropical water lilies grow from tubers. The blooms of tropical water lilies always stand up out of the water on long stems. Often the flower is quite high out over the surface, unlike the hardy water lilies. The bloom is up to 13” in diameter.

The day-blooming tropical water lilies come in astonishing deep, gentle or light shades of white, pink, and yellow, to purple, blue, and red. Their attractive colorful blooms bring an even more vivid and wild look to any water feature. They will bloom from morning to the late afternoon.

The night-blooming variety of the tropical water lilies will open their flower cups in the early evening hours. The bloom will stay open until the mid-morning. When you get up to work they will be there to greet you and when you get home, they will open up to you yet again.

Most of the tropical water lilies, especially the ones that will bloom in your water garden or pond in daytime, are highly fragrant. The unique aroma that delicately fills the air around the water feature is something the hardy water lilies do not have. Rarely the aroma of the hardy water lilies are as strong or present at all.

The leaves of the tropical water lilies are round and shiny. Often they have crinkled and textured edges. The colors vary from green to maroon or green mottled leaves with dark shades.

A Few Tips On Tropical Water Lilies Planting & Care

Tropical Water Lilies are not hard to care for. Just follow these steps and you will continue to have beautiful water lilies.

Tropical water lilies are viviparous and propagate by division in the autumn. Their growths are located in the joints of the stems and the leaf. Separate the leaves and leave them floating in warm water (75-80◦F) until they develop a root system. When they develop the root system put them in a pot to winterize and make sure you give them enough access to sunlight.

The primary thing you should remember when planting them in your water garden or pond is that they should be planted when the water warms up in late spring or early summer.

Plant your water lilies in the center of a large container (best size – 2 to 3 gallons pots) with just the crown of the plant showing. You can also plant them on the side of the pot with the plant angled so that root system will spread out across the soil. Water lilies must be planted in still water 6 to 18 inches deep over their tubers.

When planting Tropical Water Lilies, make sure they are in a position that will give them at least 6 hours of full sun, if you want them to bloom well. Water lilies need to be fertilized regularly to be beautiful and strong. To ensure excellent results, we advise you to use the selected fertilization products from our online store.

Tropical water lilies are usually treated as annuals except in Zone 10. They can be overwintered in a greenhouse once temperatures drop. If you do not have a greenhouse, here is what you can do to winterize your water lilies:

With the end of the season approaching, you should stop fertilizing your water lilies. Once the temperature drops to 60◦F remove the water lilies from the pond. Remove all leaves and growth from the crown.

Fill a container with moist sand, put the water lily tuber and cover it with few centimeters of the sand. Cover the container and store it in a cool, but not cold place until the temperatures outside are warm again and pond reaches a temperature of at least 70◦F.

Always ensure your Water Lilies are properly illuminated with natural sunlight and their soil is fertilized monthly during the growing season. Mr. Fish’s aquatic soil, rapid growth fertilizer, and plant containers guarantee great looking plants. Here at Mr.Fish, we have over 40 years of experience with aquatic plants and we have always been committed to offering the best products and consultation to our clients.