"HTH" wrote in message
...
I have been looking for something to pot plants in (esp water lilies)
that will not (with koi help) dump dirt into the water.

A year or two ago we talked about it on this group and it seemed that
using gravel without dirt was the way to go. The problem
with that it get ugly when it comes time to divide plants. The rocks are
hell on any knife, and even heavier then dirt. With many plants the
rocks and the boot ball become one mass and one has to hack through the
rock/root ball to divide the plant. That takes a lot longer then doing
the same with a soil potted plant.

In an earlier post Benign Vanilla talked about using Iris in laundry
baskets filled with river rock mixed with pea gravel. Do you have
problems with plant division? Also why add the pea gravel ?
snip

I usually pour some pea gravel on he bottom of the basket, and sit the root
ball tubor there. I then pour a bit more pea gravel and then the river rock.
The gravel helps to keep the root ball steady, and I figure the smaller rock
around the roots will help the roots to be treated more delicately and give
them time to establish themselves, but providing lots of nooks and crannies.

As for division. I have had no problems at all.

BV.