Koi proofing water lilies

[Tula]

I've covered my lilies for years in deer fencing with zip ties. It works, but is a lot of work to get the pot encased.

Yesterday I lifted the lilies from the pond and put them in a stock tank to work on today. I'm exhausted from prying off the algae encrusted netting and some of the tubers were embedded in it. I'm looking for an easier solution.

I read an article where a person drilled holes ( approx 1 inch ) over the bottom of a laundry basket and placed it over the lily pot and weighted it with a rock. The article said to look for a basket with openings that would be safe for the size of koi in your pond.

Any reasons this would not be a good / safe idea? Obviously I'd be looking for dark colored laundry baskets

 

[addy1]

The only problem I see, is some of the stems, leaves, buds might not find the holes drilled to make it to the surface. How about milk crates type containers, already have a lot of open spaces for the plant to grow through.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/6-Pack-St...ge-Box-Milk-Crate-Containers-Home/40590285#qa

 

[sissy]

never had any luck protecting mine and now they are in the lily pond .I have mine in mini milk crates and now need to repot them into bigger ones

 

[Tula]

Well, the more I looked at crates and baskets, I began to fret about one of the koi getting hurt / stuck. I decided to purchase some small creek rocks from a rock place i heard about. I took a big Rubber Maid tote, with rope handles to the place yesterday and learned I'd have to get them myself!

I wasn't prepared for that, but improvised I knew the tub would be too heavy to lift back into the car, once filled, so I used an old towel to carry them back to the car. Up and down I went, from this dirty, dusty, mountain of rocks......all the while big trucks coming in for huge loads of mulch and rocks....stirring up clouds of dust!

Oh and I kept smelling this offensive odor....come to find, there is a sewage treatment facility, across the street

I was so sore by the end of the day, that the finished pots are sitting in a stock tank! I think I'll leave them there awhile so they can establish, before putting them in the pond. I'm hopeful these larger sized rocks will be hard for the koi to mess with.

At 3 am this morning, I looked out my bedroom window and by the light of the full moon, I saw an orangey colored something flashing in the pond , so I quickly went to investigate. Recently I'd placed three empty floating pond nets in the pond for shade ( since we lost our two big trees) and one of my koi was in the net and couldn't get out!!

Ponding....it's always something

 

[adavisus]

Yup, a laundry basket would be a sound design to cage out the piggies from the lily basket

Another material that would work is chicken wire mesh, the 2" mesh could be made into any configuration and the dark green tone would not need masking. I use that stuff to make turtle traps and it is invisible under water, sturdy enough to cope with the largest brute turtle...