choosing the best outdoor substrate for bowl lilies

[Giggletons]

I recently got a bowl lily and it's been living in a bucket with some terrac for a bit, and now it's outgrown the bucket.
I'm thinking of making a mini pond and I'm wondering about the substrate.
Would it be enough to just use terrac, or would adding some rocks be beneficial for it?

[coltin]

A bowl lily is essentially a water lily, typically grown in a smaller container. For substrate, you've got a few options - aquarium gravel, sand, or even potting mix work well. I've had success with a mix of gravel and terrac in smaller setups, like those plastic ice cream buckets. For a mini pond, you could use potting mix as the base and add a layer of gravel on top to prevent it from floating away. I also like to mix in some slow-release fertiliser or water lily root tablets to give the plant a boost.

[LacieB]

I personally go with cheap topsoil from Home Depot, works great for my water lilies and lotuses. I also use API aquatic plant tabs for fertilizer. One key thing to remember, keep that bowl full of water at all times.

[Giggletons]

A bowl lily is essentially a water lily, typically grown in a smaller container. For substrate, you've got a few options - aquarium gravel, sand, or even potting mix work well. I've had success with a mix of gravel and terrac in smaller setups, like those plastic ice cream buckets. For a mini pond, you could use potting mix as the base and add a layer of gravel on top to prevent it from floating away. I also like to mix in some slow-release fertiliser or water lily root tablets to give the plant a boost.

Giggletons said:

thanks for the info, coltin and LacieB - mini water lily's the one i've got, btw.
i think i'll go with terrac or a mix of terrac and potting soil, then top it off with some gravel

[coltin]

For aquarium plants in pots, I use 1-2 litre plastic icecream containers. Start with an inch of gravel at the bottom, then a thin layer of granulated garden fertiliser. Next, add a 1/4 inch thick layer of dried, crushed terrac - the red/orange kind works well. Finish with more gravel.

The plants go in the gravel and as they grow, their roots hit the terrac and fertiliser, and they really take off. The key is the terrac prevents the fertiliser from leaching into the water.