On 17/08/2014 15:57, Bob Hobden wrote:
"Spider" wrote
Thanks, David, that's a good tip. I've usually lined my aquatic pots
with torn up old tee shirts (there's a limit to how many dusters one
can use!), which keeps the soil in place, but I'll investigate cabbage
nets.
I'm not sure I'd want to eat and paddle in water I'd just soiled! At
least chick poo pellets are sterilised. I'll not be too worried, then.

A pet beef of mine is the pots they sell for water plants covered in
holes so the soil washes out. Do water plants need drainage holes? I
think not. Recently I have seen some lily pots that are solid so don't
need a liner at all, actually you could use a bin from a pound shop, I
have on occasion. For example RHS Wisley and others use half dustbins.



I know what you mean; it is rather frustrating. On one hand, I see the
roots growing through the mesh pots and am pleased the plant is growing
and flourishing; on the other, when I come to pot on that plant and have
to tear many roots to free it from the old pot, I am not so pleased.
I'd always assumed the 'escaping' roots were searching for oxygen or
food, and wonder if they could do that efficiently enough in a solid
pot. However, if you're seeing water lilies in solid pots, then it
makes me wonder.

My wee little water lily doesn't need anything like even half a dustbin!
It's a tiny one (Nymphaea Odorata Firecrest) to suit my tiny pond. I
also have a Nymphoides peltata and the ubiquitous Iris pseudoacorus.
Although the pond is on two levels, it's quite small, so I'm doing well
to get that much plant material in it. In the lower level, which is
very shallow, I have a few marginal/bog plants.

I do wish I had a huge pond, so I could have more fish and lots more
plants, but short of digging the house up, I'm not sure where it would go!

--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay