Although many pond keepers in the north treat their tropical water lilies as annuals and simply discard them at the end of the season, it is possible to keep them over winter with some degree of success.  Don’t expect all of your lilies to survive, but by following the guidelines below you should pull some of them through.

   You must harvest and store tropical lilies in late fall.  At this time the leaves will turn yellow and begin to decompose.  Individual plants will often produce new tubers at the base of their crowns.  These new tubers are necessary for the plants survival because the original tuber will not survive.  All plants will not form tubers, but those in pots smaller than 5” almost always do.

   One method of over wintering is to store potted tubers by drying out the pots and keeping them in a dark place that is kept at 55 degrees Fahrenheit (warmer temperatures will cause premature sprouting; colder can cause permanent damage).  When spring returns place these pots into a pool and some tubers will sprout.

   You are likely to have a better survival rate if you harvest tubers from the pots in the fall and store them unpotted over winter.  Wait until late fall to harvest, allowing tubers plenty of time to mature.  Remove the plant from its container and search the crown area for any new tubers.  Remove and store them in one of two ways. 

1. You can store them in a container of water, such as an aquarium, that is kept at 55 degrees Fahrenheit.  Healthy tubers will sink and spoiled tubers will float.  Remove and discard the floaters.
2. You can store the tubers in damp sand or peat moss, keeping them at 55 degrees.

  
It is best to start your tubers growing indoors in early spring.  Either float them in warm water (70 degrees or warmer – at 75 degrees they will sprout in just a few days), then pot the sprouts in 5” standard pots; or pot the tubers before they sprout and sink the pots into
warm, shallow water to sprout. 

   After your tubers sprout set the pots about 3” under the surface of the water.  As several floating leaves form set the pots deeper, eventually to 6” deep.  When roots are growing through the drain holes and flower buds start to form you can move your young plants to the outdoor pond when the water temperature has reached 70 degrees.  If you move them out too soon they will be forced back into dormancy and you will surely lose them and all of your efforts will be wasted.