Well Folks,

I spent the weekend replanting my lilies back into dirt from last years
trial of using only pea gravel. I had concluded after the poor showing and
growth from lilies last year in the pea gravel, that I would replant them
like I had been doing for years. For me, this technique was a bust. While
repotting the lilies, I found sections of tubers that were rotting, a
condition that I have never experience before. I didn't loose any plants
totally and some were trying to grow this spring, but they were not doing
any better than they did last year.

I did get some extra plants from this effort this week, but hardly nothing
compare to past years. I will be saving them for a little a while, while I
decide if I will be putting any more lilies in my ponds. Another
observation that I made was the tubers were small compared to what they
usually are when they are cut.

So hopefully, I will be having the overpowering lily bloom and growth that I
used to this year. In fact, my lilies did so poorly last year that I took
my self off the pond tour we usually have for our town.

The only thing that I surmise since some of you got good growth from this
pea gravel technique is that my filter must be filtering out a lot more than
other people's setup. My ponds are always crystal clear. Even now with the
temps flucuating between mid 50's to mid 60's the ponds with all my fish in
them has only a tint of green, which will go away by next month when the
water temps will remain in the mid to upper 60s.

Just thought that I would keep everyone informed as to my decision and hope
everyone is having fun as our ponds thaw and become active.

Tom L.L.