Fertilizing Pond Plants

‘Feeding’ your aquatics maximizes its beauty and will get you the most out of your pond plants. The plant food tablets we recommend, were formulated to feed all aquatic plants - while not releasing chemicals into the water that would encourage the growth of algae - and is safe for use with pond fish when used as directed. 

Fertilizing pond plants promotes strong and healthy flowers while helping to stimulate overall flower production! 

We recommend using PondTabbs or PondTabbs Plus Humates. 

*Humates stimulate roots to grow larger which increases nutrient absorption and plant growth. 

Product tip: Use dry hands when handling PondTabbs Fertilizer Tablets. 

Fertilizing Water Lilies 

Once the lily pads have reached the surface of the water, water Lilies can be fertilized once a month with 2 PondTabbs tablets. PondTabbs should be inserted one thumb-length deep around the outer edges of the pot. 

**We do this because water lily roots grow through the middle of the pot. So, if fertilizers are too close to the roots, it can burn them and potentially kill the plant. 

Fertilizing Lotus 

The right time to fertilize your Lotus is not until there is at least one stem with a leaf above the water’s surface. Bring the pot up to a ledge closer to the surface, so that 2 inches of water is above the crown of your lotus plant. Once this happens, your lotus can be fertilized every 2 weeks with 4 PondTabbs tablets. Insert the PondTabbs in the center of the pot. 

**We do this because lotus roots grow around the edge of the pot and we still want to avoid having the fertilizers too close to the roots to prevent burning and or killing the plant. 

Fertilizing Marginal Pond Plants 

Most marginals do not need fertilizer. Plants like bog plants take nutrients from the pond water! 

However, you may choose to fertilize flowering marginals, such as Iris (early Spring only) and water cannas, to encourage blooms - or new potted pond plants whose roots are still buried deep in aquatic soil. You can fertilize these plants as they are not as effective at drawing nutrients from the pond because its roots are contained by the pot. Fertilize once a month with one (1) PondTabbs tablet. Push the tablet into the soil as deeply as possible. 

**Just remember, depending on the condition of your water quality, feeding pond plants is not always a necessity. 

You can count on Hoffman’s Water X Scapes to have a wide variety of pond plants available in our greenhouse as well as all the pond plant accessories and tools needed for routine care. Shop online or locally at our Uniontown Ohio Garden Center.