Extend the Life of Your Tropical Water Lilies

A brand new product is on the market that will extend the growing season for your tropical water lilies. The Thermoplanter is an innovative new tool for anyone who wishes to grow and enjoy tropical waterlilies. Whether you have a water garden in your back yard or a container on a patio, the Thermoplanter will make growing these wonderful plants easy. The Thermoplanter will allow you to place your lily outside 4-6 weeks earlier in the year than normally possible. In more southern climates the Thermoplanter will insure winter survivability only possible in the deep south. In the north the tropicals can be wintered in the Thermoplanter by simply bringing it indoors and plugging it back in, no difficult storage methods or techniques.
The Thermoplanter is available at Aquatic Connections Water Garden Center. It will be available for purchase online at www.aquaticconnections.com shortly.

Berry Producing Plants aren't Producing Berries!

According to P. Allen Smith, there a several reasons why a plant may not produce an abundance of berries or any at all. Some plants need a male and a female plant to produce berries. Maybe you have the female plant but not the male. Many hollies need a male plant within 300 feet of the female plant to produce berries. The male plant is the pollen producing plant. Another reason for lack of berries may have to do with the decrease in bees. Bees pollinate the flowers and if there aren't many bees there won't be many berries. This is a big issue in the news right now and it is affecting the farming community. Apparently, honey bees are disappearing and bee keepers are finding hives diseased and empty. And finally, sometimes plants just need a break. They need to rest and therefore produce less berries one year than they did in the past. P. Allen Smith reccommends using a slow release all purpose fertilizer AFTER the LAST freeze date in your area.

Winter Tips for Aquatic Plants

As cold weather approaches there are a few tips for trimming your aquatic plants. You can cut back hardy marginals to within 2-3 inches of the crown of the plant. Make sure the crown of the plant sits below the surface of the water. Remove any dead or decaying leaves. Take water hyacinths and water lettuce out of the pond so they don't rot and sink to the bottom. (Unless you live in an area of the country that does not experience cold winter temperatures) Remove dead leaves and stems from water lilies. Tropical plants need to be brought inside. If anyone has some success stories about overwintering tropical plants indoors, please post them here for others to read. Thanks.