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Dividing water lilies

Healthy water lilies grow rapidly and it's possible to get as many as 25 new plants from one large rootball - that's enough to transform your pond into a Monet-inspired artwork! The best time to do this is in spring because the leaves haven't fully developed, but there should be enough emerging green shoots to know which parts of the plants can be separated.

Which parts of the plant?

Water lilies spread by producing tuber-like rhizomes. These are generally underground stems that act as organs helping the plant to store water and nutrients. The rhizomes bear leafy shoots which can be split apart to make new plants.

What to do

How to propagate

• Before the flowering season in spring or early summer, lift the basket of water lilies out of the water and rest it on some plastic sheeting by the side of the pond.
• Then, gently pull the plant out of its container from the base of the stem.
• Using a large bread knife carefully cut through the roots. It's important to make sure there are small growing tips visible on each cutting. Aim to get as many cuttings as you can from each rootball.

• Line the bottom and sides of the new basket or pot with hessian. This will prevent the compost from draining away.
• Put a shallow layer of specialist aquatic soil over the hessian and carefully place the new plant into the middle of the pot.
• Holding the water lily with one hand, fill the pot with the remaining soil, making sure to leave the emerging green shoots at ground level.
• Avoid using garden soil to repot aquatic plants as the nutrients will encourage the growth of green algae.
• Fold the remaining hessian over the top of the soil and add some grit to the surface which will prevent the plant from floating away.
• Carefully place it into shallow water. The water lilies will grow best in a sunny, open position.

Aftercare

After a couple of weeks the new plants will need to be moved to a deeper part of the pond where they will continue to grow. From June, flowers will start to appear and should last throughout the summer. Remember to remove old leaves to prevent them polluting the water.