Overwintering Water Plants
In the case of tropical water lilies, you have to follow the basic rules outlined in the article.
In the case of hardy water lilies, simply leave them in the deep section of your pond where they will survive nicely unless they freeze totally solid (and even then they’re likely to come back if healthy). Hardy water lilies and other plants *want* a dormancy period and grow much better if they are given one.
Here's an article on growing lotus that tells how I overwinter mine. Plunged in the garden works very well.
Into The Aquarium
For tropical plants such as oxygenators, water lettuce and water hyacinth, you need to get them into an aquarium with full light. This means aquarium lighting with brand-new grow-light bulbs (old bulbs lose effectiveness) so the light levels will keep them growing. Because they are tropical, they do not go dormant and the rule is “grow or die.” Keep the water temperature at 72F for best results (use an aquarium thermometer) and keep the light on 14 hours a day. Your plants will be just fine.
Clean Them Up
Remove all dead or browning foliage on your overwintering water plants on a weekly basis to eliminate any fungal problems. The water doesn’t have to be circulated but a gentle circulation doesn’t hurt if you have an aerator or aquarium pump running. And yes, tropical fish will think they’ve died and gone to heaven with full lighting and lots of plants (and more importantly plant roots) hanging down in the water. You may find they will breed furiously if you do this (they do for me).
Overwintering water plants that are tender is as simple as making sure they have warm enough water and enough sunlight to keep growing. And no, they won’t grow in a bucket in the basement. :-) But at the low cost of them, the only real reason to overwinter pond plants is to say you can do it.
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