Plants, like most living things, simply love to eat, and water lilies like to eat a lot. They are almost gluttonous in their appetites for food, especially when grown in small pots, or very root-bound. Regular fertilization of your water lilies will encourage more frequent blooming, larger flowers, and healthy leaf growth.

Fertilizer may be in either tablet or granular form, consisting of a readily-available instant release formulation, or a time-release formula, which releases nutrients at a fairly consistent rate over a given span of time (usually varying from 30 to 360 days). A combination of both fertilizers works best.

At the time of planting, time-released granular fertilizer mixed into the soil at the bottom of the pot or plant pocket is a great way to fertilize water lilies. Any other time, however, it tends to be messy and inconvenient. That’s when water lily fertilizer tablets like Pond Plant Fertilizer work great. Whichever fertilizer you use, DO NOT put it in direct contact with the plant’s roots! This will burn the roots, possibly killing the plant.

When fertilizing water lilies, the idea is to encourage root growth throughout the pot or plant pocket. If you’re using tablets of fertilizer, push the tablets against the sides of the pot, away from the plant’s roots. If you’re using granular fertilizer, use it only at the bottom of the pot or plant pocket. As with any fertilizer, follow the directions on the label for the best results. 

Be sure to only use fertilizer that is intended for use with aquatic plants! Other types of fertilizer could harm the plants or the wildlife in your pond. 

Here at Garden State Koi, our plant guru, Abel, advises that the best thing for your lilies is to put fertilizer tabs in the center of your pots, once a month.

To make your pond look its best, plant hardy lilies in shallow sections. You can even add a few tropical lilies in the deeper sections of your pond to spice up the colors. Make sure you check out the day blooming and night blooming tropical lilies selections we have at Garden State Koi on your next visit!