Controlling the size of a tropical water lily

Pond owners often look to tropical water lilies to add a tropical vibe to their water gardens. Typically after the addition of one tropical water lily comes the desire to add another. Tropical water lilies have the ability to adapt to the size of the water garden or pond. They do not do this on their own but you can easily help them onto the right path.

A general guide:

• Container water garden: quart-sized pot
• Preform / small water garden: gallon-sized pot
• Larger water garden: 2 gallon-sized pot or bigger

With that being said, depending on the growth that you see you may opt for a slight smaller or slightly larger pot.

Prior to Utopia Aquatic, as a hobbyist I began with a 160 gallon preformed pond from the Home Depot. In this pond I grew between 5 and 11 varieties of tropical water lilies. I grew them in one gallon pots and the amount of weekly maintenance depended on the number of tropical water lilies–many water lilies meant high maintenance–a few water lilies meant minor maintenance.

An extreme occurrence: I once grew an N. Albert Greenberg in a 2.5 inch clay pot. The bloom was about 1 inch across!

Filed under: Cultivation, Tropical water lilies