The water lily is a tuber and you are going to plant it on it's side.. lengthwise in the pot.. where you have growth on the lily is your crown. This should be potted in the center of your pot.. the other end should be tucked against the side of the pot, the lily likes to planted in this way.. and encourages growth. Clay soil will work, but I would get smaller stone.. even kitty litter will work if it is the non-clumping type and odor free... (kitty litter is baked clay and works fine in aquatic pots... slowly lower the pot to the growing area. Because the lily is a flowering plant, fertilize with an aquatic plant food pellet, once a week.. once the temperature is around 80.. fertilize every week. Pellets work best in the pond, because they are pushed down into the soil and will not float around in the pond. In the fall, cut back the plant and sink the pot to the bottom of the pond until next spring. Next spring when things start to come back to life, lift your lily out and set it on a pond shelf where the water is warmer, yet the pot is still submerged, this will encourage the plant to send out new growth.. as the water continues to warm lower your lily to the bottom once again. Ideally the lily crown should be 20-24 inches below the water surface. Replant every two to three years. Cat tails can be invasive... keep in a pot to keep them from overtaking the pond. They also work well in a bog garden area.

Sorry, I'm having problems getting my photo from photo bucket. Anyway, the spots are irregular and tan. I don't see any aphids or beetles.

Why do you think it died because of how you timed the watering? What exactly do you mean by splitting? Do you mean that the new leaves are expanding through the older, drier leaves? Division during the fall is highly irregular behavior for Lithops, although it is possible that the meristem produced new bodies instead of a flower bud which would explain the unusual occurrence. Pictures would be very helpful. Lithops need water more regularly for a period of several months, after the new bodies have emerged and the old leaves have pretty much dried up completely. Depending on the species, the hot summertime should be relatively dry. The next period of watering is late summer or fall when the flowers are developing. After flowering is over, watering should be withheld again. Growth is still active, but the plant gets water from the old leaves. Extra water is needed only occasionally, and lightly, until the old leaves are all dried up. A few species behave a little differently. For example, L. optica flowers very late in the fall and prefers light frequent watering and does not do well in very hot areas. L. comptonii comes from a winter-rainfall regime. But for the most part, spring and fall watering will suit the majority of Lithops species. x

Brenda, my pond is 2' at the deepest and goes up to 18" and is about 750 gallons. Alpiner, I hear ya about the aquarium maintenance.......not my favourite job either. I've got a couple koi and some larger shebunkins that I would worry about, so I'd have to bring them in for sure. But the regular goldfish could be guinea pigs! My biggest concern is that our pump isn't exactly reliable. We've been going through a couple each summer(good thing for warranty!), so I have my doubts as to whether this pump would make it all winter. Also, last winter was terrible here for power outages with so much ice on the hydro lines. I bet we had 6 or 7 days where the power had been out anywhere from 1 hour to 8 hours. The styrofoam sounds like a really slick trick too. I'll have to really sit down and think about over-wintering things out in the pond for this winter and talk it over with DH too. Thanks for the encouragement and the tips! Laurie