I now have an official "least favorite thing" about ponds....

[sissy]

wouldn't yours still flower mmathis .I know i have a bud on mine ready to open .I fertilized them about a week ago and just noticed the bud today

 

[Timothy]

I just haul out the lily plants, trim off everything but the very new, very small new growth, then unceremoniously dump them all in a laundry bag with a stone in it, and sink them all. They're three feet deep and spend the whole winter under two-three feet of ice and snow from essentially November through March. All of the "gradoo" goes into the wheel barrow and into the woods.
I am considering stripping all of the "green" growth from the bog leaving several root systems and flushing/cleaning it out before the cold weather sets in.

 

[bettasngoldfish]

What is a pot grabber?

I don't know what addy uses but I use this grabber and I have come to really appreciate it for work in and around the pond.

 

[Timothy]

I just use a couple of hoes and hook the blades under the pot rims and lift them out.

 

[bettasngoldfish]

I just use a couple of hoes and hook the blades under the pot rims and lift them out.

That's a good idea and would work much better for the heavier stuff.

 

[Lisak1]

I just use a couple of hoes and hook the blades under the pot rims and lift them out.

Ok - that made me LOL. You and a couple of hoes... haha!

 

[Timothy]

Sorry Mmathis.
Between the hoes and a couple of "pot" grabbers this thread is quickly turning "R" rated.

 

[addy1]

What is a pot grabber?

I will need to get the name at home. Once we head home again. I have had it for over 20 years. It has attachments, net, cutter, pot grabber etc. Last time I looked it up they still made them. You put the grabber on the pot rim, pull the rope and drag the pot in. I like the fact it goes out around 18 feet that is the length I need to reach all my lilies.

@Gemma I keep my lilies around 18 inches deep for the winter, we don't freeze deeper than that, usually, then in the spring put them all as shallow as possible to get a good dose of sun and warmth. Then as they start to grow I push them deeper. I don't have any lilies deeper than about 3.5 feet. I had one in the deeper end over 4 feet, it did not do as well as the others.

 

[morewater]

Thanks for giving me hope!
They are now 4 1/2' deep, a foot and a half deeper, than they used to be, you think it's too deep?

I think that 4.5' is too deep for lilies.

The ideal depth seems to be 2.5' - 3'. Hardy water lilies will survive the winter at that depth as well, meaning that you never have to move them.

 

[Mmathis]

I will need to get the name at home. Once we head home again. I have had it for over 20 years. It has attachments, net, cutter, pot grabber etc. Last time I looked it up they still made them. You put the grabber on the pot rim, pull the rope and drag the pot in. I like the fact it goes out around 18 feet that is the length I need to reach all my lilies.

Do you do anything special to your pots that makes them easy to grab with the grabber? Do you have a wire or rope around the pot that the grabber hooks onto? I'm having trouble seeing what it would be like, pulling lily pots in with a grabber.

 

[addy1]

When you pull on the rope it closes the grabbing part.

 

[Mmathis]

When you pull on the rope it closes the grabbing part. View attachment 95065

Yes, but how do you keep the pot from tipping and spilling its contents?

 

[addy1]

Yes, but how do you keep the pot from tipping and spilling its contents?

It just slides across the bottom. I reach in and lift out

 

[sissy]

maybe the smooth bottom oil pans addy uses helps it slide better plus they are shallower than a regular pot

 

[Mmathis]

maybe the smooth bottom oil pans addy uses helps it slide better plus they are shallower than a regular pot

Same thing I use -- WallyWorld oil pan......