How to plant Marliac rhizomes? A Division Of Springtime Nursery

How to plant a marliac rhizome
Horizontal Scroll: Farming water plants since 1988

The best type of container is one without holes, and one that is short and wide at the top.  This will give plenty of room for the Marliac rhizome to grow across the container.  Be sure that you soak the dirt really well before planting so it will be easier to plant the rhizome.

The picture on the left shows  how you plant a Marliac rhizome, place it  on the edge of the container at an angle.

The picture below shows how the plant should look, note that the crown of the plant is not buried. 

Text Box: Pictured on right is a marliac rhizome, which  travels across the pot, so plant the lily at the edge of the pot at a 45 degree angle.  The part where the lily was cut must go up against the wall of the pot, and the crown of the plant toward the center.  Make sure the crown is exposed.  At this point, the soil should be  very soft and just pushing the rhizome down will be very easy.  Text Box: Marliac is the best lily overall because of its wide range of color and abundant blooms.  Marliac lilies are easy to grow in all climates from Zone 4 and above.  They are excellent for shading your pond, helping to protect algae growth from happening and creating a play ground for the baby Koi under plenty of pads.  They vary from small to medium to large  varieties.  The colors are pink, reds, whites, yellows, peach, salmon, and many shades in between.  They can be grown in a small tub on a porch, in a back yard pond, or in  a natural pond.  Some of the blooms stand tall above the water and some  float on top of the water.  The Marliac is the first and the last to bloom in our Zone 5. Text Box: The soil is best very wet.  You can do this by soaking the pot in the pond or in a larger container of water until the soil is soft enough to push your fingers down into the soil. When you are planting a marliac you will need to plant the rhizome on the edge of the pot at a 45 degree angle with the crown exposed and pointing toward the center so the lily can grow across the pot. Be sure not to bury the rhizome to deep; where you see new growth coming in, try not to cover that.  If you decide to place gravel on top of the pot, be very carful in choosing the gravel; make sure it isn’t too large.  When the lily begins to produce offspring, sometimes it may not be able to lift the gravel and begin to grow.  Also, make sure the gravel is not sharp where if it falls at the bottom of a liner pond, it can easily puncture the liner.  This can happen by walking inside the pond and stepping on the gravel or dragging a pot across the pond.  You can use sand on top of the soil if you wish.  Once you have planted your lily you can place it in the pond.  If the water is still on the cooler side, place the pot so the rim is below the surface at about 6 inches; then, gradually lower the pot to 18-24 inches.  Always be sure to check the water temperature at least 6 inches below the surface.  Remember, the water temperature in the spring, will be warmer at the surface and colder the deeper the water level.  In the fall it is reversed, colder at the surface and warmer at the lower levels.

All these lilies are mature plants

All these lilies are mature plants. Planted in large containers

All these lilies are mature plants.

Planted in a natural earth bottom pond