I have three water lilies, recently purchased and planted in pots of
garden soil in deep buckets of water (yes, I know that's absurd, but
the pond won't be ready for several months at least, and at £1.99 each
in Morrison's, I couldn't resist them. In our local GC they're nearly
eight times that price).

They've started growing, but the old stems and new growth of one of
them is covered in a thick 'cloud' of fungus. Is this harmful, and if
so, what should I do about it?


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

Chris wrote ...
I have three water lilies, recently purchased and planted in pots of
garden soil in deep buckets of water (yes, I know that's absurd, but
the pond won't be ready for several months at least, and at £1.99 each
in Morrison's, I couldn't resist them. In our local GC they're nearly
eight times that price).

They've started growing, but the old stems and new growth of one of
them is covered in a thick 'cloud' of fungus. Is this harmful, and if
so, what should I do about it?

I suspect these poor plants have been kept in plastic bags for some while
and have started to ferment, always a problem with water plants in plastic
bags. Most water lilies should only just be in growth now so if they have
floating leaves they have been forced or are from a hotter climate abroad.
It's why it's always better to go to a proper water garden or water plant
specialist to by your plants fresh, and you also get better plants, better
varieties and more variety too. (I do not mean those separate bits in Garden
Centres!) The test is, are the varieties named? Or just sold as white, red,
pink and yellow?

You will have a waterlilly for life so why get something cheap and ordinary,
pay a good price and get something special. Look at the selection on
http://www.lilieswatergardens.co.uk/...e.asp?cat=A-2B and they have a
great deal more if you visit, like "Peach Glow" and the best yellow there is
"Joey Tomocick".

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
17mls W. of London.UK

On Fri, 21 Apr 2006 22:59:37 +0100, "Bob Hobden"
wrote:


I suspect these poor plants have been kept in plastic bags for some while
and have started to ferment, always a problem with water plants in plastic
bags. Most water lilies should only just be in growth now so if they have
floating leaves they have been forced or are from a hotter climate abroad.
It's why it's always better to go to a proper water garden or water plant
specialist to by your plants fresh, and you also get better plants, better
varieties and more variety too. (I do not mean those separate bits in Garden
Centres!) The test is, are the varieties named? Or just sold as white, red,
pink and yellow?

You will have a waterlilly for life so why get something cheap and ordinary,
pay a good price and get something special. Look at the selection on
http://www.lilieswatergardens.co.uk/...e.asp?cat=A-2B and they have a
great deal more if you visit, like "Peach Glow" and the best yellow there is
"Joey Tomocick".

They were in plastic bags, as you say, but wrapped in damp moss and
with no leaves. They are just now beginning to put out young shoots.
I'm sure your advice is sound, if unwelcome. At that price I wasn't
expecting top quality plants. They were named varieties, BTW: N. alba,
N. Odorata Sulphurea and N. Amabilis.

But you didn't answer my question. Is the fungus harmful, and if so,
what should I do about it?


--
Chris

E-mail: christopher[dot]hogg[at]virgin[dot]net

"Chris Hogg"wrote
after "Bob Hobden" replied

I suspect these poor plants have been kept in plastic bags for some while
and have started to ferment, always a problem with water plants in plastic
bags. Most water lilies should only just be in growth now so if they have
floating leaves they have been forced or are from a hotter climate abroad.
It's why it's always better to go to a proper water garden or water plant
specialist to by your plants fresh, and you also get better plants, better
varieties and more variety too. (I do not mean those separate bits in
Garden
Centres!) The test is, are the varieties named? Or just sold as white,
red,
pink and yellow?

You will have a waterlilly for life so why get something cheap and
ordinary,
pay a good price and get something special. Look at the selection on
http://www.lilieswatergardens.co.uk/...e.asp?cat=A-2B and they have a
great deal more if you visit, like "Peach Glow" and the best yellow there
is
"Joey Tomocick".

They were in plastic bags, as you say, but wrapped in damp moss and
with no leaves. They are just now beginning to put out young shoots.
I'm sure your advice is sound, if unwelcome. At that price I wasn't
expecting top quality plants. They were named varieties, BTW: N. alba,
N. Odorata Sulphurea and N. Amabilis.

But you didn't answer my question. Is the fungus harmful, and if so,
what should I do about it?


I doubt it will be fatal, you could try washing it off the rootstock etc and
changing the water but if they are still growing they should be OK and the
varieties you mention are quite robust anyway. One possibility is that it is
the start of blanketweed not fungus at all ?? :-(

N.alba is the common wild waterlily of ponds and waterways in the UK, Europe
& Asia. There are lots of varieties too.

N. "Odorata sulphurea" (Marliac 1901) is a yellow hybrid of N.odorata and
N.mexicana ( both American species) that retains the odorata fragrance,
spiky petals on 5 inch flowers which can get hidden amongst the robust
leaves.

N."Amabilis" (Marliac 1921) has very large (to10 inches!) spiky flowers of
salmon pink darkening to pale rosy red with age, the flowers are quite
scented and held above the water like the tropical lilies. Robust grower
that keeps it's flowers open hours longer in the evenings than most. (Nice
plant!)

So out of the three you did get one very nice plant, you did indeed get a
bargain Chris. :-)

We will be buying "Pink Pumpkin" in a month or so to go with "Gladstoniana"
and "Peach Glow" which has just thrown up a new leaf and two flower buds (in
April !!).
--
Regards
Bob Hobden
17mls W. of London.UK

The message
from Chris Hogg contains these words:

On Fri, 21 Apr 2006 22:59:37 +0100, "Bob Hobden"
wrote:


I suspect these poor plants have been kept in plastic bags for some while
and have started to ferment, always a problem with water plants in plastic
bags. Most water lilies should only just be in growth now so if they have
floating leaves they have been forced or are from a hotter climate abroad.
It's why it's always better to go to a proper water garden or water plant
specialist to by your plants fresh, and you also get better plants, better
varieties and more variety too. (I do not mean those separate bits in
Garden
Centres!) The test is, are the varieties named? Or just sold as
white, red,
pink and yellow?

You will have a waterlilly for life so why get something cheap and
ordinary,
pay a good price and get something special. Look at the selection on
http://www.lilieswatergardens.co.uk/...e.asp?cat=A-2B and they have a
great deal more if you visit, like "Peach Glow" and the best yellow
there is
"Joey Tomocick".

They were in plastic bags, as you say, but wrapped in damp moss and
with no leaves. They are just now beginning to put out young shoots.
I'm sure your advice is sound, if unwelcome. At that price I wasn't
expecting top quality plants. They were named varieties, BTW: N. alba,
N. Odorata Sulphurea and N. Amabilis.

But you didn't answer my question. Is the fungus harmful, and if so,
what should I do about it?


Not an answer to your question but just to mention I had N. alba in
quite a large pond (20' by 10'?) but after about four years decided to
get rid of it as it was too ramapant. The process of getting it out of
the pond was quite interesting. It involved my son lying on his stomach
on a plank and with various assistants to hand hacking chunks off with a
saw until it was possible to drag and then pull out the central crown.
It was an exhausting and very sludgy few hours.
Janet G