Water Lily Question

Water lily question: I recently introduced 6 fully grown water lillies to my 5000 gal pond. The leaves are starting to yellow and some have small brown/black spots on them. It is a full sun pond with a pump transferring water at rate of 600 gal per hour. Pondlady sez: It could be that the water lilies need feeding. They like to be fed every 10 - 14 days with Pondtabbs or other aquatic plant fertilizer. The also like to have the tops of their pots at least 18" below the surface of the water and are happier even deeper. And remember, the outer ring of leaves gets yellow and needs to be pinched off periodically so the new leaves can grow. Same with the flowers. They will open and close for about 3 days and then die. Pick them off immediately. Another reason for yellow leaves could be the placement of the plants.  Water lilies hate to be in moving water.  Especially if the water is hitting on the pads.  If that is happening, move the lilies. 6 full grown lilies could easily be too many for your pond. Read this tips and more in my new book, A Practical Guide to Building and Maintaing your Pond. Get it here. You can also find great pond information from our experts at http://www.pondlady.com