Take the pots out. Were the water lilies hardies or tropicals? How deep did you have them? Also, how big are the koi? What planting media did you use? I know that this is a lot of questions but it is to help you better. You are in the same zone as I am but I live in Florida. I've never had problems growing water lilies except for insect pests invading them.

Happy ponding,
Scott

Sounds like you have a grasp on what to ask scottspond. Hopefully its a koi or something in the dirt not crown rot or something like that. But you should definitely remove them just in case. Coming from two different locations make me wonder if its a fish or something in the pond versus bad lilies.

I used to have a friend in Phoenix who grew spectacular tropical waterlilies and they did so well she sold extras online.

It is not too hot.

Koi will eat them.

Tropicals don't get crown rot.

They can rot if planted too deep.

I would buy bagged topsoil (not potting soil) if I was you. The caliche in your yard won't work well and kitty litter and aquatic potting soil aren't that great either.

The first 3 that I purchased were tropical. The 1 that I bought online is hardy. They are in plastic pots with holes at the bottom that are sealed with a mesh-like material. The hardy, I used rocks. I also placed 2 slow release fertilizer tabs in each pot. My pond is 30 in deep and my koi are about 4-5 in big. They are still in my pond. If I take them out, what do I do with them? Are they gonners?

Can you see any growth?

No growth.

How big are your pots? Are they those little things? If so.......2 fertilizer tabs may have been way too much for them. You also needed to remove the netting and repot them right after buying them. I've had several big leaves die when I fertilized too close to the growth.

sounds to me like they have a couple of problems.
Those mesh pots are worthless in my opinion. I've never seen a great waterlily yet that was growing in them. If anyone else has, post it in another topic here because I've not seen one yet.
A clay type garden soil is great for potting waterlilies, but a sandy soil will work just as well. Don't use rocks, that just isn't as good at all.
Pot your lily in a 2 gallon or larger nursery pot, line the pot with a page or two of newspaper to contain the soil. By the time the newspaper decomposes, the water lily will be well rooted enough to hold the soil in the pots. Don't pot the lily too deep. They grow kind of like a dandelion, they have a crown, and the crown should be above the soil very slightly because you have to put rocks on top.
Put a thin layer of gravel on top of the soil, or in your case since you have koi, lava rocks. They don't like to dig in the sharp rocks.
Fertilize only after you see new growth coming to the surface of the water, not at planting time.
Your lilies will be hard to kill then! But good luck when those koi grow. Mine is like a big "water hog" and he roots and roots into pots.

Should I use the tubers that I already have (that have decomposed)?

Hi landey,
Are they soft and mushy? If so, I'd throw them out. But if they are still firm, you could try to replant them. I'm thinking they are out of steam though. But it wouldn't hurt to give it one last try.

Hello catherinet,

They were soft and mushy. Then, fell apart. Now, there's nothing. I'm thinking about giving them one last try. I'd hate to give up on them. I'm going to research how tubers look when they are rotten. Would someone help me out and give me a link, please?

Hi landey,
I really think its the end of the line for them. Mush isn't good.

End of the line. I had to hear it from someone before I did anything. I'll get rid of them and try again in the spring. Thanks everyone for the advice and help.

If they are mushy then they are gone.

You don't need to wait until spring in Phoenix to try again.

The soil in Phoenix isn't sandy, it is very alkaline and gravelly clay called caliche. I would buy bagged TOPsoil.

Pot as already advised in big nursery pots. For hardy waterlilies plastic oil pans or dish pans work great because they grow horizontally and don't need deep root room.

There are tropical waterlilies available very cheap right now at the exchange site below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Aquatic Plant Exhange

Whan I mentioned mushy, I meant the stems and leaves. I'm going to check the tubers today.

So.. I am able to plant water lilies at this time? When using topsoil, should I fertilize immediately? The plastic oil pans, from auto parts store, right? Should I use gravel to hold down the topsoil? Did you guys have this much trouble with water liles?

RIP slimy water lilies.
I'm wondering why you've had such bad luck with them. Before you get some new ones next spring, be sure to read up on how to care for them. Just ask your questions here, and I'm sure you'll get alot of help. Better luck next time!

Thank you all for you help. I took the pots out and dug up the tubers. There was a bad smell, lots of black/grey stuff all around, and I didn't see any plant life. I'm going to keep on trying. I'm sure I'll get it right. I'll keep everyone posted.

YES, you are able to plant them at this time in Phoenix. Absolutely. Tropicals or hardies though I think you should go with Tropicals since you can and since they bloom more and easier and neater colors like purple.

Yes, fertilize when you plant. Get Jobe's Tomato Spikes and place them in the bottom of the pots on a layer of soil then put soil over them. Fertilize once a month. Except in winter.

Yes, put gravel on top to keep the fish out of the dirt. If you have koi, lava rocks work well. Topsoil should not float up like potting soil would. I believe I have read multiple people using the cheap stuff from Home Depot. Just make sure it is TOPsoil not potting soil. Earthgro is the brand.

Hardies do really well in plastic oil pans but you can use old nursery pots for tropicals. They grow differently.

Yes, I had some waterlilies rot when I first started out. It is easy to plant them too deep. The tubers (tropicals) and rhizomes (hardies) should not be covered up.

There are tropicals really cheap on the link I posted above. No, it isn't me. :)

Personally, I would try some hardies first. The tropicals are a little more tempermental when it comes to water temps, fluctuations, etc. The hardies are more forgiving. Colorado, Attraction, Denver, Marliac Carnea are some varieties that are pretty hardy and grow very well without much attention.

Use dish pans or oil drain pans for pots. Lilies grow across horizontally, not downwards. I use these oil pans. I get them at Safeway or Ace hardware.I like them because they have a nice wide rim on them that makes them easy to handle and they also have hole in the rim which is handy for tieing a label to.
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I highly recommend using the Earthgro TOPSOIL that you can get at Home Depot. Some other brands of top soil are very black and loamy and make a mess. This brand is just plain dirt and sand. Also buy yourself a bag of pea gravel to top the soil.
When you plant the tubers make sure the growing crown is above the soil and not covered with soil.
Fertilize with the Jobes tomato spikes and give the plants another spike every three to four weeks during your growing season. Push them down deep in the soil several inches away from the tuber.

If you still have problems getting them to grow then there is probably something else going on in your pond. Something could be leeching into the pond or there could be some other water condition present. Its also possibly that a disease simply wiped out your lilies.
I really don't think its a heat issue as I'm in the dry desert heat as well. The heat will burn the blooms up sometimes but not destroy the whole plant.

Alright. I bought some topsoil, oil pan, and gravel. Petsmart is having a sale on hardies and I stocked up. I'm going to keep on trying till I get it right. Crown shouldn't be covered by the soil, but what about the gravel? I think I planted them too deep and over fertilized. I'm following everyone's advice this time.

Just make sure the growing tip isn't covered up by the soil or the gravel. If you look at the tubers you have, you will hopefully see a small "crown" or two where the pads will start to form. You don't want to cover that up. Put your topsoil in the pan and dampen with water, make a super thick mud pie to about a half inch to the top of the pot. gently press the tuber into the mud in the center of the pot being careful to leave the crowns exposed. Carefully cover the surface of the mud with gravel. Doesn't have to be super thick, just enough to cover the mud and help hold the tuber down. Now you can slowly lower it into your pond.
The mud pie trick will keep you from losing alot of soil and muddying your pond when you lower them. Plus it helps prevent air pockets. Good luck!

Great advice. Mud pie, I can do that. I'm going to do it today. I'll keep everyone posted. Wish me luck!

For hardies, put the cut end of the rhizome opposite from the growing point up against the side of the pan so they have maximum growing space. Hardies grow horizontally.

I did it. 1 day have gone by and I see improvement. They are growing. I used a pan like the one pictured above and all the ingredients. Placed the rhizome at a 45 degree angle with the crown showing. They are placed apx 4-6 inches below the water's surface. Looking good!! I'll keep everyone posted.

Awesome!! Sounds like they are going to grow for you this time.:)

Just thought I'd update everyone from my last post. All off your advice has worked. My plants are doing well. I have used topper soil along with tomato spikes and my water lilies and lotus' are doing great. Another thing I believe helped was alowing my water to stablize. Lesson learned. A big thank you to all of you.

Any advice on a waterlogged water lily flower only 1 is like thus the others are blooming and flowering perfectly and beautiful thanks for any advice