Are you talking about Hardy or Tropical lilies. I had my tropical lilies about 2 ft. deep last year and the pads were very small. I Sat them on milk crates and they started making very large pads. I don't think they will grow any larger after the pad opens up. They will open up as the size the always will be. You might try putting them closer to the surface and lower them a little at the time until they are at the 3 ft. level.

Hi pikecoe. Thank you for helping me out. I read your post earlier then went out to work in the pond. I moved the lilies up and fed them. I am hoping the new pads will be bigger, fingers crossed.

I was talking about hardy lilies and apologize for not mentioning it. I guess pond panic will do that to you. I think I may have put them down last fall for winter keeping and just forgot anything else I might have read about it. oops.

Thanks again. Hopefully you saved me from tiny embarrassing pads. ;)

They usually start of with small leaves and progress as the water warms up and the plant gains vigor.
"Horton"

Hello,
I just got a water lilly and don't know how we are supposed to fertilize it. It looks like it is opening some tiny pads, and it is in a 15" deep 26"diameter barrel. Do I just put fertilizer in the water? What kind? I just got these this weekend and really want to keep it alive.

Thank you, I am sorry to barge in like this.. Also, How do I know when you guys respond?

I don't fertilize so can't answer.

Just wanted to say that you don't know when folks respond if you are on someone else's thread.

If you start a new thread, you can check a box to have replies emailed to you.

PAIN IN THE BUTT, in my opinon...wish you could subscribe to threads to be notified!

Ok. So now I suppose I am a bit confused. LOL Will the pads continue to expand/grow now that they are open on the surface or will they remain their current diameter?

I did feed them and moved them higher. It's only been a cloudy day or two so if I need to slide them back down no one will be the worse for it.

Personally, I have no idea if they will still grow bigger, but does it matter a lot? Once you have given the lilies fertilizer, they will grow more lily pads like crazy, and the new ones will be nice and large! You are two zones ahead of us here in southern NH, and all we have so far is small, reddish lily pads. But, more every day! I have not moved our lilies up to a higher level yet - they are as far down as we can get them for the winter. We need to repot and fertilize them all, which will not get done until after Memorial Day, so to go in there now and move them closer seems double work - but, maybe. It's going to be nice this week, and I can always wear the waders.
The way you fertilize lilies, ftw, is, you push a lily fertilizer tablet or pieces of tomato fertilizer spikes into the lily container, deep in between the roots. That way, hopefully, the lily gets the benefit, but not the algae in the pond, which would turn the water green (or, greener). Haul the pot up, push in the tablet, close the opening your finger made, let the pot back down, done. Pretty easy, the real work is only when it's time to repot! You know it's time to repot when the lily is growing out of the pot, over the edge. And all of ours are... except the one our main fish has routed up (that one merely needs replanting!)

:) Mary

I had the same problem with one of my lilies during my first year of ponding. I had planted it in that mesh bag that it came with, and the pads were dinky, never really did any good and never bloomed. I ended up putting it in a pot with garden soil and plant tabs, and it did much better. I don't care much for those mesh bags.

If you don't want to lift the pot up and down to fertilize it, you can make one of these thingamabobs. They work great.

Get about a 4' section of 1" pvc pipe. Get a thin bamboo stake (or very straight thin branch), so that it fits down inside the pvc pipe, but is about a foot longer.

You position the pvc pipe on the spot in the pot that you want the tablet to go. Insert the pond tab into the pvc pipe, and then the bamboo stake, and push on the bamboo stake so it inserts the tablet into the soil. I don't worry about covering up the hole, and haven't had problems.
The only fertilizing problem I've had is when I accidentally insert a pond tab too close to roots, and it burns the growing leaves.

lol I use a pc of 3/4" pvc and a pc of 1/2" pcv about a foot longer. Just put some epoxy in the end of the 1/2, to close the open end off. Also sanded down the edges so they were smooth to keep from gouging the plants or roots.

Agreed keep the fert away from the roots. I like to go right down the side of the pot.

Ditto to what Mary said.
Also, as the water warms and with the right conditions, the pads will get larger. Lillies are like any plant, the roots develope as the season goes on and they will supply the nutrients to support larger pads and the blooms.
Good luck! :)

My experience is they start out small and get larger as you get into the warmer weather. Hardy liles are smaller than tropical ones. It's still early for water lilies, so give them some time.

Wow! Thanks everyone. That was so helpful. It is still blastedly cold here. Well as far as my summer longing heart is concerned it is cold.
Maryo, I too have the small reddish pads but because it is my first year with them I had no idea if that was all I'd get. I don't suppose it really matters if they get big but I prefer that look.

Catherinet and billingpa, great idea about the pvc fertilizer tube! Thanks

My final question...is it to much to ask for a little sun already?! ; ) lol