Sorting out pond plants

[Garden Manager]

Can anyone advise me as to the best time to sort out, repot etc pond plants growing in aquatic baskets.

I only planted my pond up in april/may time and did it in a bit of a rush (plants put in, in nursery pots or in too small a basket to save time). Consequently some plants have outgrown their baskets and in the case of a couple of plants that were put together in one big pot, they need providing with their own pots/baskets. I also need to thin out the oxegenator (elodea) which has gone berserk with growth.

Can I do this now/in autumn or should i wait until spring?

Thanks

PS: One of the plants is a Lilly which is desperate for a bigger basket

[Garden Manager]

[shirlton]

Hi there now is the time when I repot or split all my pond plants. Always have done for the last 30 years and have had no problem.

[silly billy]

I used to do the lillies in early spring sometimes the new shoots were just emerging.Its easier to do it in winter/early spring when they don't have any leaves.Very cold work though.

[tim k]

i always work on the marginals from now up until they start to die back lilies are spring and re pot every three years

oxygenator can be pulled out as often as you want. i use it as a mulch (kept all my acers and azaleas going through the hot spell) or can be used in a worm compost it produces an excellent feed i use on my bonsai, or you can make an acid type compost comes out at a ph of 6.8-7 i use it all the time and my acers are stunning! if i dig down 10"in my garden i hit chalk :o

atb
tim

[Garden Manager]

i always work on the marginals from now up until they start to die back lilies are spring and re pot every three years

oxygenator can be pulled out as often as you want. i use it as a mulch (kept all my acers and azaleas going through the hot spell) or can be used in a worm compost it produces an excellent feed i use on my bonsai, or you can make an acid type compost comes out at a ph of 6.8-7 i use it all the time and my acers are stunning! if i dig down 10"in my garden i hit chalk :o

atb
tim

Thanks Tim.

Just to clarify: Marginals anytime now, but wait until spring for the lilly?

One more thing; Am I right in thinking you have acers planted in the ground in chalky soil? 'Pond plant' compost must be good. I am on chalk too and keep my acer in a pot.

[tim k]

as soon as the leaves start to brown you can re pot or cut back marginals but lilies you wait for the buds in spring you can then divide them and re pot them

and yes i collect acers and azalea's the majority of which are in the ground i dig a 500mmx500mm hole 8" deep down to the chalk fill full of acidic compost normally the stuff out of my worm bins and then plant. a few of my gardening neighbours said it would never work on chalk but they have all flourished i use miracid feed and the mulch as described works a treat

atb

tim

[Garden Manager]

Tim K:  Thanks for the pond plant tips. Re: the acid lovers on chalk, I am impressed. Might even have a go myself! I love many acid loving plants, but due to my chalk soil grow them in pots of acid compost. They do Ok but are prone to drying out and need feeding or potting on regularly. If i could grow them in the soil I would. The only snag i can see with your method is what happens whe the roots hit the chalk, surely at that point they will start to suffer form chlorosis, nutrient deficiency etc  ??? Then there's  what i would call 'wash in' of lime from surrounding soil which would 'deacidify' the compost used to plant into, resulting in the same problem. I always understood the the best way to grow lime haters in the ground (rather than in pots) was in freestanding/isolated raised beds of acidic soil or compost.

But hey if you have found a way around it, that works, then by all means stick with it.

[tim k]

i have had no problems so far i picked up the method from one of my clients he is also on chalk and has some of the best acers i have seen some of which are 25 years old he also used the oxegenator as a mulch through the worst of the dry spell

it kind of makes sense when you look at the cell structure under a microscope it looks almost like cucumber cells full of water with a thin membrane dividing the cells. i should imagine when it breaks down it releases small amounts of water keeping it wet for days

atb

tim

[Garden Manager]

So you'd use the oxygenator fresh as a mulch then?

Back to the acid plants on chalk. Would it just be acers you'd use your method for or could you use it for others such as peiris (sp?) or fothergillia or even camelias? Or is only applicable for 'borderline' plants such as acers?

Cheers