Pea gravel versus Kitty Litter

[j.w]

Yep forgot about the rocks on top to keep the messy fishy's outta all of it.

 

[fishin4cars]

I use kitty litter and River sand mixed 50/50, add about two tablespoons of osmocote, If planting where Koi can get to them then I plant the lily and place 3-5" round river rock across the top to keep the Koi from digging in them if no Koi I just leave as is or place a 1/2" of pea gravel on top just to keep the sand and clay form getting disturbed. For bogs I use pea gravel exclusively, pea gravel in my opinion does not allow any more flow through a pot over anything else, In a bog there is usually more flow being forced through the gravel and the roots tend to seek out the strongest flow and most nutrients.

 

[Sunshine]

I never see them digging in them, I think it's the swimming through the stems pull them out. I have quite a few lilies in there.

 

[addy1]

Lilies are buoyant, if there is more leaf mass then root mass they just nicely float up and out. I have had fully grown plants float out of the pot when there is a bunch of leaves.

 

[Sunshine]

Lilies are buoyant, if there is more leaf mass then root mass they just nicely float up and out. I have had fully grown plants float out of the pot when there is a bunch of leaves.

ahhhh I do have a lot of pads. I can't leave it floating over winter, can I?

 

[addy1]

nah you don't want the tuber to freeze, that will kill the lily. The tuber floats too.

Stick it in a net bag with a rock sink to the bottom, if you don't want to mess with it until spring.

 

[Sunshine]

Guess I better repot it soon before the water gets too cold. The older I get, the colder the water gets .. lol

 

[addy1]

I have some that seem to always float, others behave themselves. I put in a new lily last year, fall, tiny little thing from ebay, I had to put a rock on the roots to keep it in the pot. By spring it was nicely anchored and I could remove the rock.

I did three bare root, they didn't do good at all. Minimal growth, no blooms. So all in kitty litter now.

 

[tbendl]

Thanks all, it sounds like it's just a matter of preference then and the kitty litter weighs less. The good news is I have 2 bags full at the house.

 

[j.w]

T just make sure it is the 100% clay w/ no additives of any kind. I buy it at Wal-mart but other places have other brands also for cheap. Comes in a blue or red bag at Wal-mart.

 

[tbendl]

That's what I got jw! Thanks to you. I bought 2 bags when you and Addy were helping me with the Lilly planting.

 

[slakker]

I don't have too much to plant, but make my own "silt". Its a combo of sand, pebble, high clay content dirt around my yard... so far it seems to be working well for the stuff I've planted. I line the pots with garden fabric and top the "silt" with pea gravel to keep the material in place when I submerge the pots.

 

[tbendl]

So to revise this thread, I use the kitty litter for my lilies and it does really well but I have some bog style plants I'd like to put on milk crates in the pond, (in either the oil pans or just plastic flower pots with holes. Would these type of plants do better with the gravel?

 

[HARO]

Personally, I'd mix kitty litter and heavy soil 50/50. I've had good results with it.
John

 

[tbendl]

Really? For bog plants like pickeral and rush and such? I'm willing to try it of course, this is just a new mix I hadn't heard before. Do you plant them in pots with holes or no holes? I'd like some additional green height in some areas and my water level can fluctuate, sometimes the tops of the pots/pans are right at water level and sometimes they are below depending on rain, would I have to worry about the dirt flowing into the pond and mucking it up?